Services-based. Incoming COA President Virginia de Villa described her vision for the council next school year: COA as a partner to help organizations flourish. Photo by Ean L. Dacay

“[I ENVISION] a COA that lives for what it stands for.”

This is how outgoing Ateneo Christian Life Community (ACLC) Overall Coordinator Virginia de Villa described her vision for the Council of Organizations of the Ateneo (COA) as she takes over as COA president for SY 2012-2013.

De Villa replaced former COA President Kenneth Abante after winning the COA elections held last January 30 and 31 at the MVP second floor landing.

In her platform, de Villa plans to align the council’s actions with its role in the Ateneo community. She outlined several goals for her administration: ensuring the sustainability of organizations through a services-based COA, involving the Council of Representatives in important decision-making, and maintaining dialogue with its stakeholders, among others.

COA as a training ground

Prior to the elections, de Villa said she consulted with 31 organization presidents to prepare for her platform.

“In the consultations, it became apparent that COA should really be more services-based than project-based because this was what helped the orgs the most,” she said. “COA should be there as a partner to help the orgs flourish.”

She added that some organization presidents felt that COA is becoming an organization itself with its own projects. “COA is not here to compete with the organizations… We’re not here to step on [their] core competencies. We’re here to help them, to empower them,” she said.

De Villa also stressed that COA’s plans of action should be geared towards what the organizations say they need. “There’s a tendency to think that COA knows what’s best for the organizations, but it’s important to return to our mandate and constituents… What do they say that they need?”

She also plans to work on strengthening ties between organization presidents as part of her vision for COA to be a community of student leaders. “There are things you can only tell your fellow presidents. COA is a community of support for this.”

She added that she envisions the council as a training ground for future organization officers. De Villa said that COA used to have reputation for “stealing” potential officers from organizations. “That’s not how it should be,” she said. “Sure, lend [COA] your members, but we’ll make sure that we will train them and when we return them to your organizations, they will be able to serve better.”

Preparing for difficulties

One of the concerns that the new COA administration might have to deal with is the Performance Management System (PMS) of the Office of Student Activities (OSA). The system has received criticisms from various sectors of the community this year.

De Villa said that she has talked to OSA Director Chris Castillo and OSA Formator Rica Joven regarding improvements for the system, but explained that the implementation would be gradual. “Next year, we’ll be lobbying for these changes… I don’t think the changes will be drastic.”

De Villa also took a different tack to handling member inactivity, which was noted as a perennial council problem in November’s State of the Council Address.

“I don’t think we should focus too much on targeting all organization members and saying they should all be active. For me, I want to focus on the direct stakeholders for next year,” she said.

“A good fit”

Outgoing COA president Kenneth Abante is optimistic about the direction that de Villa is taking for the council. “It looks like COA will take the direction of a services-based council and a focus on community formation,” he said. “For me, she fits her role and where COA is headed.”

Meanwhile, de Villa’s colleagues in ACLC think that she will be able to apply her personal leadership style as COA president. “I think she’ll be a very hands-on COA president next year,” said ACLC Community Coordinator Margaux Ngo.

“She has the power to personalize almost everything. Gigi [de Villa]’s style of leadership will make you feel that she’s your friend, rather than just your colleague.”

“I am positive that COA will soar [to] greater heights through Gigi’s leadership and example,” Education Coordinator Filbert Tiu said. “As a leader, Gigi remains meek and gentle… She never fails to show personal care for people.”

Abante added that de Villa’s strength as a leader lies in her decision-making skills.

“She really thinks about a lot of things that she decides on and she has that conviction. After her discernment, she’s really decided on something.”

But Abante also said that she has to work on being able to make quick decisions when the need arises.

“I think [that] at a particular point, discernment has to culminate in a decision. So in the council, there are instances where you have to [quickly make a decision].”

Meanwhile, both Ngo and Tiu think that de Villa’s focus on work could take a toll on her. “She has tendencies to focus too much on work, and set aside her time for rest,” Ngo said.

Tiu added, “Perhaps her greatest challenge is finding time to simply rest and take care of herself.”