THE MITING de Avance for School Representatives and the Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates was held on September 26 and 28 respectively at the Colayco Pavilion.

Ateneo Commission on Elections (COMELEC) Chief Commissioner Patrice Gabito emphasized the importance of the Miting de Avance in her opening remarks, and called students to “be speculative, be proactive, and be involved.”

Gabito’s opening remarks were followed by each of the candidates presenting their respective platforms and an open forum.

Diverse platforms

Sanggunian Transitory Government Coordinator Carmela Vinzon’s platform for her presidential campaign focuses on building a student-powered Sanggunian.

“The first step is to empower students,” Vinzon said. She planned to equip students with political formation so that they can engage with the national administration.

Vinzon also says that the Sanggunian will fight for the respect for human rights, democracy, and environmental sustainability.

“This would be my legacy to the Sanggunian: a truly engaged and active student body,” she said.

Vice Presidential candidate Koko Quilatan aims to tackle the problem of student formation, review the curriculum for all courses, and coordinate with the Department of Research and Statistics to support the policy-making and lobbying of students.

He also planned to create a Committee on Fiscal Affairs, an Office of Legal Aid, and a Committee for Socio-Political Engagement that will provide financial transparency, assist students with disciplinary cases, and mobilize and engage students in relevant social issues, respectively.

Quilatan also focused on Magna Carta Awareness Campaign. “It’s important that we have a cultural awareness of our rights,” he stated.

Independent Vice Presidential candidate Miguel Hamoy assured the student body that his platform is based on what students told him during individual consultations. “My platforms come straight from students. It is not what I think they need, but [it is] what they told me they need,” he said.

He planned on creating the Tanggapan ng Bise Presidente, in order to “open up Sanggu to the average student.”

He also focused on legislative housekeeping by establishing a better database for the Sanggunian’s communication of its law, and a better admin representation by guaranteeing more observer seats and negotiating for students to have more proactive roles in committees.

Vice Presidential candidate Camille Leong envisioned a people-driven and politically engaged Sanggunian. She believes students are well-immersed but lack the capacity to forward their agendas.

She also asserted that the Sanggunian has never been irrelevant, but that it is being called to go into what is more.

She aimed to create the Office of the Vice President and establish five other committees in the Central Assembly.

“Ultimately, my vision is a better community for everyone,” she said.

Representatives’ plans

School of Social Sciences School Representative candidate Christian Dy stated his platform has “a profound understanding of our weaknesses,” and that he believes “there is no comfort in excellence, and no excellence in comfort.”

He planned to focus on reviewing the Magna Carta, and improve the Sanggunian’s financial procedures.

“The reforms I seek to put in place in the Sanggunian not only propel us to our rise, they seek to cushion us to our fall,” Dy said.

Dy also advocates for equal rights among students, with no discrimination against gender, religious affiliation, and cultural identity.

School of Science and Engineering (SOSE) School Representative candidate Neicy Pilarca vowed to invest in the research efforts of the students, and to continue efforts in reforming the curricula of all SOSE courses.

“Good research is an instrument for building lives; good research can build a nation,” she added.

Pilarca also planned to coordinate with other student councils from other universities to create networks and to collaborate on different projects, and to compile the theses of past SOSE seniors in order to create an information commons for incoming seniors.

She also envisioned a SOSE Sanggunian that is proactive in the sciences, research, and development sector of the government, as she wanted to “push for the awareness of science and technology in the Philippines.”

School of Humanities (SOH) School Representative candidate Ferdy Acosta believed in applying the arts and humanities in different social issues for social change.

“The art in the humanities helps us make sense of our world; the SOH Sanggunian will not be silent to issues that stand against us,” he stated.

Acosta envisioned a SOH Sanggunian that advocates for social change by creating a Martial Law Education Campaign, and as a Sanggunian that looks into marginalized communities and creates sustainable solutions to their problems.

Acosta also planned to fortify relationships with the administration and different student organizations, and to review the SOH curriculum through elected course representatives.