17/04/2026
READ: MDA Q&A of candidates running for the Sanggunian ng mga Mag-aaral ng Miriam (Sanggu) with the platform โPULSEโ: Proactive, Uplifting, Leadership-Driven, Supportive, and Empowering.
Running alongside presidential candidate Anna Sophia Cruz are Kristine Mica Jamito for Internal Vice President - SASE, Ceana Ayanna Navarro for Internal Vice President - SBEA, Ariane Gail Soriano for Secretary General, and Anya Alcid for Finance Officer.
Anna Sophia Cruz (for President)
Q: As someone involved in leadership roles since first year, what issues or problems have you observed, and how do you plan resolving these differently from the previous students who held the same position?
A: โI would like to circle back to the Sanggunian's platform of PULSE. So we aim to be proactive, and that's where the importance of transparency, and actually listening to what the students want, comes in.
So, with our plans of action, with the We Hear HEU forms, and by conducting frequent or regular meetings with the council of leaders, it is very much important so that the Sanggunian will know what you truly want and what you are actually experiencing in the Miriam College community.
It is very important to be transparent. What the Sanggunian, or what we have done for this school year, is that whenever we release our We Hear HEU forms, whenever we release our sensing forms, we also immediately release the transparency report of what we have emailed and what we have talked upon with the administration. So, as someone who has held leadership positions since the first year, it is very much important to be transparent and to be very proactive in listening to the students' concerns.โ
Kristine Jamito (for Internal Vice President - SASE)
Q: You highlight consistency and resilience in your platform, striving to be a leader with purpose. What concrete systems will you put in place to ensure these qualities are reflected in your actions throughout your term?
A: โSo as a leader, it's important to be consistent and transparent with all of our work as a student leader. And we often hear this promise to us as students. And as a scholar myself, I believe that I have been in your shoes as a student, that I look to my student leaders to be transparent and to be consistent with their work.
And that is why as the IVP of SASE and as part of the highest governing body of this school, I promise that through our platform of PULSE, which is proactive, understanding, leadership driven, uplifting and supportive or empowering platform, I aim to cultivate a community with open communication. We can do this through our platform of We Hear HEU forms.
So of course, this has been mentioned multiple times to us, but it is really helpful that we are fostering communication with you, the students that we are leading, because we believe that you guys have the ability and the power to make sure that our work stays true to our mission and vision.
And of course, this stays true to our mission and vision, which is to cultivate an environment grounded in support, understanding and solidarity. And we make sure that our initiatives are [...] student-led and for the student welfare. We aim to have initiatives that, of course, cater to what you need and what you envision for our community.
With our action plans of Leadership Summit, Knollympics, Hapag ng Pasko, SASE or SBEA Month, SASE or SBEA Survival Kit, these are all things that we take into consideration what the students really need. And with us, we promise that your vote will matter.โ
Ceana Ayanna Navarro (for Internal Vice President - SBEA)
Q: How will you ensure that the students from SBEA feel that you are accessible to them and are confident in raising their concerns during your term?
A: โSo as IVP-SBEA, I do address and note that SBEA is made up of four programs: Business Administration, Tourism, Accountancy, and Entrepreneurship.
As such, I shall be a representative for each and every program and not only favor one that is the majority over the other. And as such, one of our plans of actions of the Sanggunian ng mga Mag-aaral ng Miriam is that we present the students with We Hear HEU forms, wherein we will be able to receive feedback, concerns, and your suggestions with our services as the Student Council. And with this, I also plan, as the IVP-SBEA, to conduct weekly SBEA Council of Leaders meetings, wherein each year level and each program has their own representative and is able to connect with me more, and able to address their concerns, and be able to have equal opportunities to grow within the SBEA Department and also the HEU as a whole.
And as such, I also plan to streamline and disseminate information through those representatives and be able to give them equal access to the initiatives and events by the Sanggunian and the different organizations under SBEA.
And also with this, I plan to utilize the We Hear HEU forms and be able to gain insight and follow, learn, then act with their recommendations and feedback as a Student Council. And as such, I also plan to collaborate with the ICT office in establishing a Sanggunian ng mga Mag-aaral ng Miriam dashboard and be able to give the students equal access and opportunities to learn of the different events, initiatives, and opportunities, such as scholarships and competitions locally and internationally, for each of us to be able to grow as one unit and not only as an individual.โ
Ariane Gail Soriano (for Secretary General)
Q: How will you translate the values you aim to uphold in the community into your day-to-day decisions and priorities during your term?
A: โFor me, it actually starts with consistency in small things. The values I want to uphold, support, understanding, and solidarity should not only be seen in the big projects, but in me, every day, in my decisions as an officer. And I actually believe that being proactive is one of the solutions there, because if you are being reactive, you're always paying attention to everything you need to do.
But as a [BA COMM] student, I also learned that being organized always is the effective key to storytelling and leadership. And my plan is to stay ahead of the curve, and by being organized always, I actually have more time to be on the ground engaging with my fellow Knollers. And if I could manage the records and everything we had for the HEU community, we are just proving that the Sanggunian is truly reliable, with transparency and efficiency.
And we won't let any circumstances, any problems, any issues [hinder] our vision for the Sanggunian 2026. Instead, we will use that as a platform to bridge the gap between us and the administration. And we also have the discipline to handle those, and a heart for our fellow Knollers, because we believe that we are [leaders] who know that a well-oiled machine is what allows a community to truly flourish more.
And at the end of the day, values are not just something we say, they are something we show. And I want to show that in every action we have as a Sanggunian officer. Again, everyone, I am Arianne Gail N. Soriano, ready to be the pulse in the whole HEU.โ
Anya Alcid (for Finance Officer)
Q: How do you ensure that your financial planning will support not only short-term activities and projects, but also long-term initiatives?
A: โI have a short three-point plan that can easily accommodate the question, which is first, communicate, second, verify facts, and third, implement solutions. Communicating means that we have to make sure that the short-term and long-term goals of the Sanggunian is not only initiative but also affordable by budgeting, cost analysis, and such, because we have to make sure that each and every student is not only participating but also gain beneficial knowledge and experience with everything that we put into our student body during our term. Second, verifying facts.
We have to check if our budget is feasible for the initiatives, whether it be long-term or short-term, because we have to stay consistent with our plans. So, review of financial reports, proof of payments, documentations, and such will be consistently practiced in our committee, not just in the financial committee but also the whole Sanggunian organization to ensure that everything that we plan is possible.
And finally, implementing viable solutions, whether it be compromising our long- and short-term plans or actually being able to implement them. It is our job to exceed, not just meet the expectations of students but also to exceed the expectations to make sure that their time here in Miriam is not wasted and is feasible and manageable.โ
Read more about their platforms here:
Sanggu candidates from Kilos: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1CAbS2ZB9A/
Sanggu candidates from Sandigan: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18FQnZ9ikM/
Report by Ruth Nacional, Editor-in-Chief
Photos by Danna Engracia, Photographer
