#FEATURE: S.Y. 2021–2022 Elections: The Elected Officials of Batch 2027
by Elijah Mejilla and Lauren Fernandez
Last October 18, the Students’ Electoral Commission announced the election results for the new Batch Council (BC) officers of Batch 2027. The winning party, Amen, is composed of Jeasmyn Ballete for President, Carlos Reyes for Vice President, Julianne Maulion for Secretary, Sally Lugasip for Treasurer, and Aira Delos Reyes for Auditor.
Formation of the Amen party
Despite the hardships of the combination of online class and adjusting to a new school, the elected officers say that they are determined to lead. Each officer was inspired by individual reasons but with the single goal of the Amen party in mind to assist and guide their batch.
“Since I was in grade school, I have been involved with leadership activities,” Ballete responded when asked what motivated her to run for BC President. “Growing up, I think leadership has been a part of me, so that inspired me to run for BC.”
Maulion also shared that they formed the party because they wanted to support Ballete’s cause. The officers agreed that they can foster happiness and excitement in the batch as an effective BC. She also said that being part of the BC is a way to socialize and make friends.
Current plans
The council has already established platforms for communicating not only with the batch, but also with teachers and advisers. This includes a batchwide Discord server with announcements and homework help open to all of Batch 2027, a Messenger group chat with teachers where they can share updates, and a group chat for each section’s class representatives to disseminate and receive information.
Since all officers supervise the server, they make sure to check it whenever they are available to help their batchmates and intervene if there is conflict.
The officers also agreed that, should their council only be able to implement one project for their term, they would implement either the question of the week to get to know and interact with the batch, or the batch concert.
“The batch concert [will allow] our batchmates to interact and share their talents. At the same time, we could raise money which could be used for maintenance and improvement or to be donated to charities.” Reyes said. “This will also help promote teamwork, and provide a good and fun time for everyone.” Delos Reyes added.
Dynamics within and outside the council
The officers emphasized that they will talk with each other to assist one another in case they are having a hard time, or if one of them is unavailable.
“I feel like a good factor is that we started as friends before we [ran for] BC, and I think it’s good that we understand each other’s capabilities as well,” Lugasip explained, saying the tasks assigned to each officer would be based on their individual areas of expertise.
“Since all of us are different, we will use our strengths to help in order to execute our plans.” Maulion said.
In terms of communicating, Reyes reassured that the council can contact services such as the Guidance Counselling Unit and Discipline Office. “We could make a group chat [that includes] at least one person from every sector, and it would be easier to contact and communicate with each other.
A trustworthy council
When asked how they will handle conflicts they may not be equipped to deal with, the council acknowledged that although they might not be able to address everything, they will still do all they can.
Ballete answered that they would know their limits and when to ask for help: “We will start small on the problem. When it gets worse, that’s the time the adviser[s of each section will] come in to help solve it for us, and maybe we could help a bit more after that.”
“In reality, we are not able to fix everything. There are problems that are maybe hard to resolve and problems that we ourselves shouldn’t be poking around with. But as the Batch 2027 Council, when our fellow batchmates come to us for guidance, of course we will do our best to help them. When we understand that this certain issue is reasonable and is supposed to be taken under our wing, naturally, we will help and prioritize it.” Delos Reyes added.
The officers also acknowledged that they were elected because Batch 2027 finds them trustworthy, and that they will do everything in their power to maintain this trust and ensure that their batchmates made the right decision voting for them.
“We will make sure they will trust us by continuing what we always do, and at the same time adjusting to suggestions and whatever the batch wants or prefers. We could also communicate and have some fun and play some games with our fellow batchmates to grow closer and gain trust with each other even more.” Reyes answered.
For and with Batch 2027
When asked what they would like to say to Batch 2027, they responded with a message from the group:
“To our beloved Batch 2027, we would like to say thank you for trusting us and believing in us to be your leaders. We promise to always try our best and ensure that we will always acknowledge your opinions and thoughts. Our council is not only composed of the officers but the whole batch. We can’t do this without you. We will never let you down. [We will] always be there for you guys, and always be open to new suggestions and changes. The support of the batch is really important to the council. We are so happy that we got to talk and have fun with you. We are so grateful that you are our batchmates.”
