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| Photo by Jamila Alyssa Estanislao |
Do you have any past experiences that will help you in fulfilling the responsibilities of the position you are running for? And what can you offer to the CASAn community if you were to serve them?
So before when I was in Senior High School, I applied to different non-governmental organizations such as Ulayaw Philippines and there I first applied as a Human Resources Staff, but I was admitted as an External Relations Staff. So, I got to handle sponsorships and also partnerships with that organization. And also, last year… this year, current academic year under sa office ng Vice President External, kay Kuya Ranch, I was also one of his E.A.s or the Executive Associate so parang mas naging immersed pa ko sa trabaho ng isang External Vice President or sa External Relations, in general. And if I were (to) be elected sa next academic year, what I can offer to the CASAn body is more opportunities since that also goes to my platforms and also to our partylist’s GPOA (General Plan of Action). Since we want to brave adversities and strengthen your trust and advance the capabilities of CASAns for CASA to be more competent, committed and compassionate as well.
What drives you to run for the position you are aiming to fill?
This decision, parang matagal ko narin siyang iniisip talaga. And since when I was in elementary, talagang nag a-apply ako sa Student Council from being a councilor, from being an auditor and even treasurer when I was in Senior High School. So now na I have this opportunity to run for the Vice President External, talagang it is my principle na mag-serve sa student body. To know na may natutulungan ako and as well may natututunan din ako from the student body itself. And as how my tagline goes: Mananatiling may prinsipyo. Naglilingkod at nagsserbisyo, patungo sa isang progresibong CASA.
Stance on societal issues: Are you for or against student activism?
Student activism, I’m for for that. So, I do not have any, parang hindi ako tumatanggi sa student activism. Kasi even before we are students, parang we have to stand with our rights or kung ano iyong gusto nating opinyon sa mga bagay bagay or issues sa lipunan. And as Communication students, or Communication majors, we are taught to be always in the service of the Filipino people. And talagang magagamit din natin as CASAn iyong platform natin to raise our advocacies, to raise our stance ganiyan, and as your next External Vice President, I will be providing you more opportunities kung saan mas mapapa-amplify pa natin iyong voices ng CASAns.
What are your platforms and how do you plan to put them into action?
Okay, so I have three main platforms para sa patuloy na progresong pataas,as just like what my hashtag goes by. Number one is PARA SA CASA: OPPORTUNITIES BOARD. Ang PARA SA CASA: OPPORTUNITIES BOARD ay isang online bulletin board na nandoon lahat ng mga opportunities from the different partnerships ng UST CASA inside and outside the university. And this will be made available sa buong CASAn body para naman mas maging accessible at abot kamay iyong mga opportunities natin lahat. For example, mayroong event iyong ganitong school then we can send them, iyong mga magv-volunteer na CASAns for that event, we can send them to that school naman, to that program itself so we can also raise our advocacies.
Second is MULA SA CASA. This is a community development program kung saan naglalayon na magkaron ng knowledge sharing session with the grade six students of the Cecilio Apostol Elementary School about the different SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) and media literacy. Mayroon mga speakers na i-invite, then we will be tackling some different SDG topics and parang target kong gawin siyang sustainable by having these sessions yearly. And lastly is BASA CASA: DONATE A BOOK. Since ayun nga, we are celebrating the 500 years of Christianity rin, iyong hashtag #GiftedToGive so we will be providing the partner school which is iyong Cecilio Apostol Elementary School nga ng mga librong pambata from CASAns. And if face-to-face implementation would be allowed by the higher ups, with (the) administration, then we will be having a mini pop-up library to their school po.
How can your subsequent platforms bring about change department-wide, and if applicable, university-wide as well?
My platforms go by the student representation since, ayun nga, iyong sa PARA SA CASA: OPPORTUNITIES BOARD makakapunta iyong CASAns sa iba’t ibang events outside and inside the university. Then they can represent CASA and kung ano ba iyong stand ng CASA when it comes to this advocacy, when it comes to these issues. So mayroon at mayroong talagang student representation with that.
And for my community development projects naman, since this is a partnership with the UST-SIMBAHAYAN, talagang mas napapakita natin iyong values ng isang Thomasian which is iyong three Cs katulad nga ng sa GPOA again which is iyong pagiging competent, compassionate, and committed. Competent in a way na iyong MULA SA CASA knowledge-sharing session siya na as much as how the grade six students learn from us, we learn from them din. Then, committed sa ginagawa natin for them and compassionate in a way na we are hearing their thoughts and giving them books for them to sustain the quality education na narereceive nila.
In your MULA SA CASA platform, why did you choose the grade six students of Cecilio Apostol Elementary School as your target beneficiaries?
Since, first of all, ang Cecilio Apostol Elementary School is ang partner school talaga ng UST-CASA for years now and grade six students iyong pinili ko since sila na iyong last batch sa elementary school na iyon, mas mataas iyong comprehension nila when it comes to SDGs and media literacy. And to make it sustainable, since they are graduating students, what they will learn from the knowledge-sharing session or MULA SA CASA can be implemented sa iba’t ibang schools na papasukan nila when they’re in junior high school. And since MULA SA CASA aims to tackle, for example SDG number three: good health and well-being, then we can talk about coping and managing stress inside the classroom and what they learn from that can also be applied to the classroom that they will be entering in the future.
About your position, which of the organization’s community development and advocacy projects do you plan on prioritizing, and how do you intend to strengthen and carry them out?
Sa community development projects ko, ang priority ko talaga doon is iyong MULA SA CASA. Again, I want it to be done annually since parang nagprepare na rin ako ng mga topics for example iyong kaninang SDG number three then we can go to SDG number four iyong media literacy then SDG number five iyong gender inclusivity in the classroom. So since grade six students nga lang iyong this year, iyong grade five students this year, sila naman iyong makakausap natin by the next year. So still kahit hindi sila nakausap this year, we will still to continue to partner with Cecilio Apostol Elementary School and I think kasi since our GPOA says na we are advancing to our capabilities din so we share what we learn as a CASAn to the students ng Cecilio Apostol Elementary School and again, we learn from what they can share to us and magagamit din natin iyong insights nila sa pagpapayagpag natin dito sa loob ng UST-CASA. And with that kasi mas nakikita natin na we are really thriving proudly kahit sa labas ng UST.
Questions from the CASAn Community: Why should you not win and be elected in your respective position?
Siguro why should I not win is because I rarely say no, parang hindi ako tumatanggi sa lahat ng bagay and I tend to overwork myself. For example, bibigyan ako ng gawain, sige, yes ganyan. So I am really someone na kukunin lahat ng opportunity for me and serving CASA this academic year under the Office of the Vice President - External, mas natuto ako mag-put ng boundaries. For example, sa isang partnership, when I know na hindi ito iyong dapat matanggap ng CASA then I can say no. Na-practice ko na siya this year and I am looking forward to applying it to the future if ever I am elected as the next CASA External Vice President.
Questions from the CASAn Community: What trait of yours could ensure the CASAns that they will be voting for the right and responsible External Vice President?
My weaknesses can also be my strength so I do not say no. Kung ano man iyong ibigay ng CASA sa’kin na responsibility then I will gladly do it since, again, that is my principle. And as the Partido KaCASA nga, we are braving through different adversities so whatever comes to us, sisiguraduhin din namin na malalampasan namin iyon. And before running naman, we, parang ako mismo sa sarili ko, parang inayos ko na rin iyong mindset kung paano ko nga ba iseserve iyong CASAn body and I am very open to different suggestions and feedbacks since it will be for the benefit of the student body.
Further Details of CASA Halalan ‘23
In line with the ongoing Electoral activities, here are the remaining important dates to remember:
April 12-18, 29, 2023 - Campaign Period
May 3 and 4, 2023 (10 A.M. to 6 P.M.) - CASA Elections ‘23 Proper
May 6, 2023 - Announcement of Duly Elected Executive Board for A.Y. 2023-2024
To be in the loop for further updates and announcements regarding the CASA Halalan ‘23, kindly visit the official Facebook and Twitter Pages of the UST-CASA Electoral Board.
