“IT IS not only the Top 4 [who are] important in the Sanggu, but also the other members,” said Klarizza Laza (II BS CTM), Comelec associate commissioner, at the miting de avance on Monday held at the SEC Field.

The 18 Central Board representatives and 32 School Board candidates for this year’s Sanggunian ng mga Mag-aaral General Elections presented their platforms in the miting de avance. They were each given a minute to discuss their platforms.

Unlike in past mitings de avance, candidates from Partido IBIG Agila and Partido Ignacio were not distinguished by shirt colors.

Both parties came to the event dressed in blue, which IBIG Agila member Niccole Somodio (II AB Eco) described as “unity for [Jun] Lozada.” Lozada is a state witness in the scandal-ridden ZTE broadband deal.

Mostly candidates and their fellow party members attended.

Plans and panelists
Aside from presenting their individual plans, most candidates promised to improve on the current performance of the Sanggu.

They also discussed their advantage over their opponents, their strengths as a candidate, and their opinions on the abstain vote, among others.

The candidates were also questioned about their platforms by a panel composed of student leaders from different organizations: Ateneo Debate Society’s Miko Biscocho (III BS ME), The GUIDON’s Monique Avila (III AB IS), Matanglawin’s Maki Lim (III AB Lit-Fil), and Katipunan Magazine’s Al Agassiz dela Torre (III BSM AMF).

Sanggu President Cabrei Cabreira (IV AB IS) was also part of the panel.

“Maraming kandidatong hindi kongkreto yung plataporma (Many candidates did not have concrete platforms),” Lim said.

“At lahat sila hindi nakaiintindi na mahalaga, para sa isang gawaing demokratiko katulad ng miting de avance, na magtanong sa isa’t isa sa bahaging interpolation (They also didn’t understand that it’s important to ask each other questions in a democratic exercise such as the miting de avance).”

On February 20, the Top 4 candidates—for president, vice-president, secretary general, and finance officer—also had their miting de avance at the SEC Field.