HONORING THE dedication and triumphs of student organizations and leaders, the Council of Organizations of the Ateneo-Manila (COA-M) hosted this year’s COA-M Awards on May 29 at SEC Field.

With the theme Apolaki, a Filipino deity symbolizing victory and enlightenment, the event aimed to celebrate success that is “not just reached but earned.” Organizations and leaders were evaluated by the Screening, Operations, and Systems Committee based on their impact and relevance to stakeholders and member empowerment. Meanwhile, projects were assessed based on innovation and sustainability.

COA-M Awards 2025 Project Heads Sistine Luna, Hannah Rufino, and Denise Javier shared that their objective was to “honor diverse efforts” within the Ateneo community through the introduction of three new awards—Lalahon for community engagement, Idinayale for sustainability, and Apolaki for legacy.

For the major categories, the Company of Ateneo Dancers (CADs) bagged Tala: Organization of the Year for concretizing its mission-vision of nurturing member-centric growth with purposeful artistry, as well as embodying magis while also providing sustainable impact to its stakeholders.

CADs President Marcus Gawtee expressed that the award is a testament of the members’ efforts and dedication to each performance. “[Leading] comes from the place of love and care. You can’t lead if you don’t care and love what you’re doing,” Gawtee emphasized.

Notably, CADs also won Maguayan: Marketing Strategy of the Year under the Creatives and Marketing category.

Meanwhile, the Ateneo Consultants for Organization Development and Empowerment’s  XChange 2025 won Magechay: Project of the Year for its “exceptional impact, relevance, and sustainability.”

Legends of organizational excellence

For the organizational leadership awards, Ateneo Management Information System President Eliana Beatrice Co brought home the Bathala: Organization President of the Year award. Co was honored for her “exceptional leadership, strategic vision, and dedication for their organization and community.”

Underscoring the importance of humility in the face of challenges, Co expressed that while it may be difficult to “say yes” to opportunities, doing so will be worth it.

Non-executive board members were also recognized during the event. Ateneo Management Engineering Association (MEA) Associate Vice President for Externals Andrei Gerard Napoles and the Development Society of the Ateneo Associate Vice President for Communication Design Dwayne Hipolito were co-awarded the Mapulon: Unsung Hero of the Year.

“Being a leader is not standing in front of the line but walking alongside those who dream and those who do,” Hipolito shared in his acceptance speech.

In the Project Innovations Category, the Ateneo Musicians’ Pool earned Ikapati: Member Formation Project of the Year for Rites of Passage 2024: LAKWATSA, the organization’s off-campus concert led by their new members.

Meanwhile, Ateneo Biological Organization’s Beneath the Blue: REEFlourish with BOx bagged the Idiyanale: Sustainability Initiative of the Year award for “addressing social, environmental, or economic challenges with impactful and lasting solutions.”

Beyond a myth

Furthermore, MEA’s Mi Amor won Hanan: Project Branding of the Year under the Creatives and Marketing category for its effective and purposeful social media marketing.

Under the Partnerships and Collaborations category, the Masdan, O Yahweh event of the Ateneo de Manila College Glee Club and Ateneo ENterteynment para sa TAo, Bayan, Lansangan, at DiyOs was hailed Mayari: Inter-organization Collaborative Project of the Year, in recognition of their “remarkable collaboration beyond individual advocacies.”

In the same category, the Ateneo Management of Applied Chemistry Association’s MACALinis: MACA Community Workshop and Ateneo Management Society’s Mathventure 2025 shared the win for LaLahon: Community Engagement Project of the Year for “fostering meaningful relationships with local communities.”

Meanwhile, the Loyola Mountaineers (LM) achieved the Apolaki: The Pamana Award with their Batch 32 Application Process. The award recognized the organization’s second semester member recruitment process for its participant engagement, member empowerment, and advocacy-centeredness.

LM President Derrik Mendoza shared that beyond the trophies, he hopes to provide exposure and involvement in environmental stewardship and Indigenous community empowerment—their organizations’ core advocacies—within the Ateneo community.

Aside from the formal awards, organization community members were also nominated for various People’s Choice Awards, with a total of 10 winners determined through votes cast by the Ateneo student body.

At the core of the celebration, Luna, Rufino, and Javier asserted that the “strong spirit of service” within the Ateneo’s organizational community allows students to find their “home.” Moving forward, they hope to expand the awards across all clusters to ensure that every organization is acknowledged and celebrated.