Ateneo Student Trainers President Jose Miguel Zaballero (IV AB SoS) is the new COA president with 98% of the votes. The new secretary-general and finance officer, respectively, are Media and Creative Arts Cluster Secretary-General Carmina Reyes (III AB Comm) and Claudia Camille Fernandez (III BS ME).
Cindy Rose Burdette (III BS LM) won as the vice president of training and development.
The new set of officers was elected January 23.
COA will hold run-off elections on February 4 to 6 for the positions that were either vacant because no one ran, or had a failure of elections.
The said positions are the following: Chief of Staff, Vice President for Organizational Development, Vice President for Special Projects, Business Cluster Head, Health and Environment Cluster Head, Health and Environment Cluster Secretary-Treasurer, Intercultural Relations Cluster Secretary-Treasurer, Issue and Policy Analysis Cluster Secretary-Treasurer, Media and the Creative Arts Cluster Head, and Media and the Creative Arts Cluster Secretary-Treasurer.
Cluster boards
“We want these things that we started this school year to…be more enhanced, to be improved for next year,” said incumbent COA President Oscar Mejia III (V BS Ch-MSE) in an interview with The GUIDON.
“Therefore, we really need good leaders who can carry out the task for [next school] year. [We need leaders who can] continue the legacy [and] the identity of the council,” he said.
The new officials for the Executive Board were elected by the Council of Representatives, composed of the outgoing highest ranking officials of each org.
Officials for the Cluster Boards were elected by org presidents under each cluster. The following are the newly elected officials:
• Business Cluster Secretary-Treasurer: Arianne Antonette Aguenza (II BS Mgt)
• Faith Formation Cluster Head: Leo Arman Galang (II AB MA-PoS); Secretary-Treasurer: Sol Theresa Echavez (III AB MEco)
• Inter-Cultural Relations Cluster Head: Rosenthal Marie Tee (III AB MEco)
• Issue and Policy Analysis Cluster Head: Hannah Sabrina Cocos (II AB Eco-H)
• Performing Arts Cluster Head: Marian Ernestine Dimacali (III AB Psy); Secretary-Treasurer: Denise Villanueva (I BS CTM)
• Science and Technology Cluster Head: Theodore Emmanuel Alivio (IV BS Ch-MSE); Secretary-Treasurer: Stefen Siegel Belisario (II BS Ch-MSE)
• Sector Based Cluster Head: Jose Ma. Joaquin Buñag (III BS Psy); Secretary-Treasurer: Mary Katherine Macalalad (III BS MAC)
Continue what was started
Mejia said that incoming president Zaballero shares the same vision as this year’s COA officers.
“Hopefully, [he will] be able to give a fresh take on this vision to provide constant improvements to the council,” he added.
The GUIDON tried to reach Zaballero for comment. As of press time, he has not replied.
Mejia added that next year’s COA officers should be able to build on the things started this year, and how these can be fortified and expanded not only in the Ateneo, but also outside it.
“[The new COA officers] should prioritize inculcating a shared sense of nation-building so that each step they take will serve as a reflection both of the thrust of the council, and that of the orgs,” he said.
With a report from Klarisse P. Felix
