Vice President Ma. Assunta Cuyegkeng, Ph.D., in her opening remarks, challenged the COA and all the orgs to simplify their activities without reducing their substance in light of the financial crisis.
University President Fr. Bienvenido Nebres, SJ, told both the incoming and outgoing COA officers to continue making a difference.
“Whatever it is that you are doing, please do even more,” Nebres said. “If you feel that [you and your family] are challenged by the difficult economic situation, remember that those at the lower part of the pyramid are even more challenged.”
Nebres also encouraged the incoming COA officers to continue doing socially-oriented work, such as educating kids from public schools, hospitals, and creating jobs for the poor.
A testament of love
Outgoing COA President Oscar Mejia III (V BS Ch-MSE) said that this year’s council has been a testament of love.
Mejia reminisced of the sacrifices that the officers made out of their love to serve, and the friendship built between COA members. He ended by singing a verse from “Minsan Lang Kitang Iibigin.”
“Our stint as position holders are minsan lang (not often) as is defined by the time of our terms,” said Mejia. “Yet our passion as leaders, and the love we have shared will always be here forever.”
The outgoing officers graduated after Mejia’s speech. Office of Student Activities (OSA) Director Christopher Castillo, Associate Dean for Student Affairs Rene San Andres, along with Cuyegkeng and Nebres, presented the diplomas of the outgoing officers.
After the graduation rites, incoming COA President Jose Miguel Zaballero (IV AB SoS) took his oath as president.
A word on leadership
In his keynote speech after Zaballero’s oath-taking, APO Hiking Society’s Jaime Ramon “Jim” Paredes (AB Comm ‘73) shared with the officers what he believed were the two important elements in leaders—a dream and a passion.
“You can’t sell a dream if you don’t have a passion,” said Paredes. “The truly great leader is not measured by the number of followers he has but by the number of people who become leaders because of his leadership.”
In his first speech as COA president, Zaballero said that COA next school year will focus on building on what this year’s council accomplished, and developing the identity of the COA.
Zaballero added the COA will try to link other school orgs to external orgs and institutions that can be beneficial for them.
“This year’s council will be marked by constant growth, constant development for all your organizations,” said Zaballero.
Quoting United States of America President Barack Obama, Zaballero ended his address by saying, “[Obama said] ‘Yes we can’, but I now say to you…yes we will, because we already know that we can…I’m telling you now that it will be hard, it will get stressful.”
“It will not be a walk in the park, but it will definitely be a walk to remember,” he added.
In closing, Castillo promised to work together with the orgs, and challenged the incoming officers to continue the job the outgoing officers begun.
“A lot of the things that COA ’08-‘09 have done were pretty much like flying kites in the rain. I don’t know how they did, but they did it which means it can be done, which means you can do it.”
