By Precious Chyll Cabigan | The Paulinian
Aspiring leaders of the Paulinian Student Government faced the student body at Harapan 2025, held on May 2, 2025, at the St. Maurice Hall. PSG Candidates presented their platforms and advocacies and showed the students how they are equipped and ready to lead with passion and commitment for the upcoming Academic Year 2025-2026.
The event was graced by the presence of Dr. Lourna V. Tagay, Vice President for Academics and Research, who delivered the opening remarks. She stressed the importance of choosing good student leaders as a mirror to voting for candidates in the upcoming national elections. Harapan 2025 featured a distinguished set of panelists with backgrounds in student leadership. They posed questions and sparked conversations with the candidates. The group of panelists included Ms. Stephanie Jacob, incumbent Editor-In-Chief of St. Paul University Manila’s student publication, The Paulinian; Ms. Chloe Ann Ladines, current Supreme Student Council President of St. Scholastica’s College and SMEC Student Council Treasurer; Mr. Ajocrivipor Agojo, RGC, an experienced professional in the field of counseling and psychology and a member of the Philippine Association for Counseling Education, Research and Supervision (PACERS) the Philippine Guidance and Counseling Association (PGCA), and the Psychological Association of the Philippines (PAP); and Ms. Marjiemae Lorenzo, LPT, RPM RGC, a licensed psychometrician, a professional secondary education teacher, a registered guidance counselor, and a former student leader for the College of Arts Sciences and Education. was also honored as one of the most Outstanding Paulinians of the Philippines Batch 2015.
Presidential candidates for the Paulinian Student Government were expected to present three platforms for their organization. Student council candidates were given five minutes while candidates for the extracurricular and co-curricular organizations were given three minutes. The extracurricular organizations that presented their platforms included Youth Alliance for Peace (YAP), headed by running president Jéan Reileigh Mesina; Readiness Efforts for Disaster Management (REDM), headed by running president Steven Scott Rivera; Paulinian Environmental Society, headed by running president Cheyenne Michaela Joson; SPUM Pro-life Core Group, headed by core group members, John Paul De Jesus and Almirah Martina Calib; Paulinian Dance Troupe, headed by running secretary Kate Elary Shen Cordova; Paulinian Public Relations core group, headed by its members Rhica Ann May Pascua and Jaide Cedo; Red Cross Youth Council, headed by running president, Maxeene Amillia Collette Trajico; Paulinian Shutters Club, headed by running secretary Chloe Rios; and SPUM Chorale core group, headed by its members Mikhaela Astom, Janrell Aliyah Lamzon, and Steven Chee. Tanghalang St. Paul was unable to attend Harapan 2025 and present their platforms.
On the other hand, co-curricular organizations of each college that presented their platforms were Integrated Students Media Society, headed by running president Carla Marasigan; Budding Educators Society, headed by running president Hannah Paleracio; and the Paulinian Psychology Circle, headed by core group members, Jhennela Amparo and Jaide Cedo, for the College of Education and Liberal Arts; Junior Philippine Computer Society, headed by running President Marc Ngo; Junior Marketing Association, headed by running president Alyza Wenke; Paulinian Tourism Society, headed by running president Almeira Loreto; and Hotel and Restaurant Circle of Paulinians, headed by running president Olivine Dela Cruz for the College of Business and Management. And lastly, the College of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences’ official student publication, InforNursetion, headed by Associate Editor-in-Chief Regina Mejia.
The student councils of each college also presented their platforms, which focused on being one with the Paulinian community and building relationships with students in their respective colleges. The College of Education and Liberal Arts, with its core team members—Kasandra Alfonso, Christine Rivera, and Avegail Fabrigas—prioritized building a bond with its incoming freshman students by a proposed activity to help freshmen get a solid start and an overview of their subjects before their journey as college students begins. The College of Business and Management—headed by running president, John Dice Doria, with Carl Marcus Jimenez as the running secretary, Alyza Wenke the running treasurer, and Olivine Dela Cruz—aims to become the voice of change by promoting diversity and an inclusive environment. The College of Music and the Performing Arts’ running student council—Jan David Sison for President, Mikhaela Astom for Secretary, Shim Mingoo for Treasurer, and John Rey Dela Peña for Auditor—intends to share their musical abilities with students from other colleges through music therapy sessions. The aspiring student council of College of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences—Nelyn Valenzuela for President, Winston Santos for Vice President, Cyd Mondia for Secretary, Gilee Valdez for Treasurer, Yzabelle De Leon for Auditor, and Maxeene Trajico for Public Relations Officer—collectively aims to create a safe and judgment-free campus online and offline for the students with their platform, Carespace.
After the presentation of the organizations and colleges, the highly anticipated two parties, Adhika Partylist and Siklab Partylist, faced the Paulinian community with their platforms proposing change and the spirit of community. Harapan 2025 is making history as the first time since 2021 that two partylists will challenge each other for the positions in the Supreme Student Council. Included in Adhika’s Partylist official line-up are Leanne Lagunda from the College of Business and Management, who is running for President, Jonel Bautista from the College of Education and Liberal Arts for Vice President, Cristina Abad from the College of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences for Secretary, Sophia Cinco and Eunice Bravo from the College of Business and Management for Assistant Secretary and Auditor respectively. Adhika’s platform focuses on transparency, community, and unity. (Access Adhika’s complete outline of platforms here: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19NG4v6GRy/)
Meanwhile, Siklab Partylist is headed by Raphaelo Guiuan from the College of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences, running for President, Reinhard Carls from the College of Business and Management running for Secretary, Jerus Esrael from the College of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences running for Treasurer, Zab Bernabe from the College of Music and Performing Arts running for Auditor, and Xerina Baron from the College of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences running for Public Relations Officer. Siklab Partylist aims for change, inclusivity, and transparency. (For more information about Siklab’s platforms, follow this link: https://web.facebook.com/share/p/16XsfHwrHP/)
The candidates competing for the Supreme Student Council engaged in a fast talk session, facilitated by incumbent SSC President Juvin Casanova. The contenders were asked their stances about university and national issues, where they could only give answers yes or no with no elaborations. (To know about the candidates’ stances, please access this link: https://web.facebook.com/share/p/1Hj6sRxUz1/)
For the closing remarks, Sr. Nicole De Marie Dabalus,SPC, Vice President for Christian Formation and Student Services, gave her observations on the topics and issues mentioned in Harapan 2025. The insights she mentioned included: the future elected Student Council must work hand in hand with the President’s Council; Religion is a non-negotiable requirement for students running for high positions because St. Paul is a Catholic institution; and if there is no tuition fee increase, there will also be no salary increase.
To wrap up the event, Ms. Judith Alderete, Head of the Student Affairs Office, made the final announcements regarding the upcoming PSG Election on May 8 to 9. Campaigning is strictly prohibited during the elections; doing so will result in severe penalties. The election will be conducted on-site at the Computer Laboratory from 9:00 AM-4:00 PM only. Voters will be provided with detailed instructions and guidance on procedures to ensure a smooth flow of the voting process. The election results will be announced on May 13, 2025.
