Commencement speaker and veteran journalist Jamela Aisha Alindogan urged Ateneo de Davao University’s Class of 2025 to confront disinformation, resist injustice, and defend academic freedom amid deepening global and local crises.

Speaking during the 73rd Higher Education Commencement Exercises, Alindogan called on graduates to carry empathy into action in a world facing what she described as “an abundance of discord and a scarcity of humanity.”

“This is a generation witnessing the rise of authoritarian populism, global inequality, climate collapse, rampant misogyny, corruption, and entrenched political dynasties. And yet—it is also the generation of resistance, of possibility, of action.”

Alindogan, a long-time correspondent for Al Jazeera, framed modern conflicts as globally interconnected and rooted in shared histories of colonialism.

As Palestinians endure bombardment and Ukrainians defend sovereignty, she said that struggles in Sulu, Marawi, Davao, South Upi, Cotabato, and Manila reflect the same wounds of systemic injustice.

Alindogan warned that unchecked disinformation continues to undermine the foundations of democracy.

“A society divided by lies cannot marshal the solidarity needed to withstand external dangers. Every time we allow falsehood to spread unchecked, we weaken our collective resilience.”

She emphasized that empathy and action cannot be selective in restoring humanity in a world stricken with violence and atrocities.

Alindogan underscored the academe’s role in forming principled graduates, naming Ateneo de Davao University in particular as a “pillar of democracy especially in Mindanao.”

With the launching of Fortiores 2030, she said AdDU is directed towards growing “stronger in purpose, clarity, resilience, and impact.”

“It defines who we are, what we stand for, and how we choose to lead. At its core is prophetic leadership and that is committing to denouncing how we are living and announcing how we ought to live.”

Alindogan, who has won awards for her reporting from conflict zones across Southeast Asia, is also the founder of Sinagtala Center for Women and Children in Conflict.

The 73rd Commencement Exercises were held last June 21 at the Martin Hall.