The Sanggunian has a policy priority problem.
Each year, candidates campaign on ambitious promises. This has resulted in a Sanggu that tries to do everything for everyone—more services, events, policies. In doing so, however, it risks doing nothing well.
Despite the Sanggunian’s full efforts to serve the student body, there comes a point when this becomes its own failure. The recent veto of the Sanggu’s second semester budget is a symptom of this issue. The proposed budget amounted to Php 3.7 million—far above the Php 2 million limit of the Student Activities Fund. This, I argue, is not an issue with budgeting, but one of leadership. After all, an overstretched student government doesn’t need more projects. It needs more purpose.
Limited resources
It is tempting to view the sudden budget cap as the core issue, but that would be too simplistic. The deeper problem lies in how we think about resources, which we often think of in terms of money. In reality, people and time are also resources that are equally limited.
While the Sanggunian is full of competent, well-meaning leaders, they are spread too thin. No matter how competent they may be, they are still students with academic loads and personal lives to manage.
Sanggu places an unrealistic burden on these people by trying to juggle dozens of projects at once. Moreover, with each unit pushing its own, separate agenda, even the most well-intentioned leaders end up duplicating efforts or competing for the same limited pool of resources. Thus, as much as the veto was a wake-up call about money, it also served as a warning that the current model is unsustainable.
Prioritization is not neglect
A common misconception in narrowing the policy agenda is that we overlook important issues; that is, treating them as unimportant given the lack of attention. However, setting a clear, delimited list of priorities is not an act of disregard.
One concept I’ve learned in the study of public policy is the “agenda universe.” This refers to the collection of all possible issues and ideas—regardless of viability or acceptance—that could potentially be considered for policy discussion. Not all policy agendas can be pursued at the same time, even if they are all valid, important concerns. Effective agenda-setting narrows this universe into a focused, actionable list of priorities, informed by urgency, relevance, and institutional capacity.
For the Sanggunian, this approach means recognizing that to pursue one agenda does not mean the others are insignificant. Rather, it means acknowledging its limitations and capacities. A bloated policy agenda, no matter how well-meaning, risks leaving all its issues underdeveloped and its outcomes intangible.
Good leadership thus demands the discipline to say “not now” to certain proposals in order to say “yes” more fully to those that matter most. What this tells student leaders is that governance is not about checking boxes or maximizing the number of deliverables. It is about identifying what will truly serve the student body in the present context, and then allocating money, people, and time accordingly.
Planning with purpose
If the Sanggunian were to mature in its governance and leadership, then the elected representatives must rethink how it sets its course. The first step is to view strategic planning not as a bureaucratic requirement that can be delayed and done after the fact, but as a political responsibility that enables it to fulfil its mandate more effectively. As a centralized but bottom-up planning process can offer a path forward, elected representatives must convene together to identify their collective priorities so that the Sanggunian can work with intention.
After all, saying no to a lot of good ideas in order to say yes to a few great ones is not a sign of apathy. It signals a shift away from performative productivity and toward meaningful public service. In a university where many of us are constantly pressured to do more, produce more, and be more, good student leaders must decide to do less—but do it better.
Justin Altubar is a senior AB Political Science/Master in Public Management student at the Ateneo de Manila University and the current Chairman of the Ateneo Task Force for the 2025 Midterm Elections. His passion for policy advocacy and youth leadership has been the driving force behind his involvement in various organizations, where he strives to champion meaningful change through good youth governance.
