The Rising of New Student Leaders
by Rain Sun (10C) | August 24, 2023
On July 31, 2023, the Office of Students Affairs conducted a Miting de Avance at the school’s auditorium to give this school year’s Student Council candidates an avenue to promote their respective parties and their platforms.
The event started with a speech from the school’s Vice President, Dr. Sining Marcos Kotah, who left an important message, "You all have been given the hope to lead. Let the leader in you shine… It's not for fame, it's not because of the position you want to grab, it's because you have the heart to serve the [PCC] student body."
The first party to present their platform was The Tinig Party, whose proposals consist of programs for the younger students, such as Halloween Trick-or-Treat and a school-wide Pajama Party where students could bring their pajamas for the Sports and Recreation category. They also proposed programs such as “Palarong Pinoy” as a way to preserve Filipino culture, and the highly-requested prom.
On the academic stand front, the Tinig Party presented their plans for events, such as the “Academic Olympics”, which involves races and competitions based on academic subjects, the revival of news broadcasting in the campus, the launching of the English-Filipino debate teams, and the establishment of a “What Do You Think? Wall” that would give students the platform to express their opinions or issues concerning the school and the society.
Lastly, the party ended the presentation with their plans for students’ health and safety and the maintenance of facilities. These include the refilling of hand sanitizer dispensers in each classroom, changing and fixing the lights and dim projectors, repairing the broken chairs and tables, and having better maintenance for campus restrooms. The setting up of an announcement board for teachers to be able to post any announcements they might have for their students and the creation of the student council services evaluation form for the students were also proposed.
On the Bisig Party’s turn to present, the members introduced themselves through a video introduction that included a dance number.
The other proposals in their platform included news broadcasting, where students could be kept updated on political and school issues. It could also serve as a platform for students to share their stories and songs.The party likewise proposed a series of workshops that would allow students to discover their hidden talents, such as drawing, cooking, baking, etc. The party also introduced the idea of “Peer Tutorials” where older students could be given the opportunity to tutor students from lower grade levels. Aside from these, they aimed to bring back “PCCians Got Talent” for PCCians to showcase their many talents onstage, as well as to set aside a day in the school year to dedicate to the students called “PCCians Day”. Other projects proposed are Campus clean-up, English Debate teams, and a program called “Let’s Talk About…” which aims to raise awareness and give students the chance to step up and have a voice in discussing issues concerning the world around them.
After both parties had presented their platforms, the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) discussed the important measures about election, and reminded the students of the voting process that must be remembered during Election Day on August 3, 2023.
The program ended with Mrs. Peggie Gan, the head of the Office of Students Affairs, delivering her closing remarks. She reminded the students of the importance of voting wisely and that they should also look into the character of each candidate for them to be able to choose the right people to lead the student body.
(Photographed by Sandy Xie)