‘We become what we reward’

During the commencement rites of the University of the Philippines Cebu on July 14, 2026, following the conferral of degrees and the individual recognition of graduates, the university’s Pahinungod program called forward its graduating volunteers and recognized them for the time and service they had given to communities beyond the university.

The recognition does not come with a Latin honor. Nor does it raise anyone’s general weighted average. But it matters because an award or recognition is also a statement of values. By honoring its volunteers in front of their families, teachers, and fellow graduates, the university is saying that education is not measured only by grades. It is also measured by what one does with the knowledge and opportunities one has received.

The Ugnayan ng Pahinungod is the volunteer service arm of UP, providing opportunities to its students, faculty, staff, and alumni to serve the marginalized and underserved.

I mention this small yet important part of the commencement ceremony because it illustrates a basic truth. A society eventually becomes what it rewards.

It is easy to signal our virtues and values, especially on social media these days. But do these virtues and values really receive attention, financial rewards, influence, and social status? These are the real incentives that shape social behavior.

Today, much of what attracts attention and gains influence is found on social media platforms, whose own incentives are not necessarily aligned with the values we claim to uphold.

Social media companies compete for our attention and sell that attention to advertisers. Their algorithms reward engagement, without regard to whether a post is true, fair, or useful. What matters to them is whether people will continue watching, clicking, sharing, and arguing.

Outrage outruns accuracy. Anger travels faster and farther than nuance. A falsehood can be written and shared in minutes, while a measured response requires time, evidence, and explanation. Then we wonder why society has become more polarized.

We ask why troll farms thrive. We ask why an honest and hardworking public servant receives less attention than someone who has learned how to be loud, angry, and obnoxious toward the people he attacks, while remaining entertaining to an audience within his own echo chamber.

The obvious answer is that the system is producing exactly the behavior it rewards. That is why it is important to support other systems of recognition that reward service, integrity, competence, and work whose value cannot be measured by clicks or social media engagement.

At this point, let me tell you about the Tatak UP Awards. Now on its sixth staging, the awards are conferred by the UP Alumni Association Cebu Chapter on alumni whose leadership, service, and professional excellence have made lasting contributions to Cebu and the Cebuanos. The search for this year’s awardees is now open.

Any UP alumnus may be nominated. This includes graduates of any unit of the UP System, as well as those who completed at least one year of study in good standing at a UP degree-granting unit. Anyone may submit a nomination, including the nominee.

The deadline for nominations is August 31, 2026. Awardees will be informed in September, and the awarding rites will be held on December 4. For more information, you may refer to this link: https://alum.up.edu.ph/call-for-nominations-tatak-u-p-awards-2026/

In your community, there may be a teacher, doctor, engineer, lawyer, public servant, artist, or community organizer who is an alumnus of UP and has spent years quietly improving the lives of Cebuanos. That person may never trend. His or her work may never go viral. The algorithm may never recognize that contribution or service.

But we can.