PARAÑAQUE City 2nd District Rep. Brian Raymund Yamsuan has filed a measure prohibiting educational institutions from barring disadvantaged graduating students from participating in commencement rites due to unpaid financial or property obligations.

Under House Bill 8618, Yamsuan underscored that education remains a vital pathway to opportunity, with many families making daily sacrifices to ensure their children can complete their studies.

“Graduation ceremonies are more than a formal rite—they are the most tangible symbol of that hope fulfilled,” Yamsuan said in his explanatory note.

The lawmaker stressed that preventing students from joining graduation ceremonies solely because of unsettled dues diminishes their achievement and deprives families of the chance to witness, with dignity, the results of their hard work and perseverance.

He added that recognizing the significance of graduation rites also means honoring not just the students, but the families who have invested their hopes in education.