- 6 weeks ago
Join us live as student activists Hans Noel Balila and Maui Azarraga Cruz unpack what really defines Gen Z—from identity and communication to campus leadership, relationships, and life on and off the screen. Don’t miss this eye-opening conversation.
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00:01:59It's December 5, 20 days before Christmas Day, a time for reflection, giving, and thinking
00:02:06about what kind of impact we'd leave on the people around us.
00:02:10I'm DJ Moises.
00:02:11Today, we're going to talk about student leadership with Hans Malila and Maui Azaraga Cruz, past
00:02:19and present student council presidents of the University of San Carlos.
00:02:24We'll explore about how they balance academic and leadership, navigate the challenges of
00:02:30being part of Gen Z, make tough decisions, and lead with integrity, all while staying true
00:02:38to who they are.
00:02:41So Hans and Maui, welcome to the show.
00:02:43Good morning.
00:02:45Hi, good morning.
00:02:46Afternoon.
00:02:47Afternoon.
00:02:48Wrong start.
00:02:51So maybe you can greet your followers before we start.
00:02:56Thank you so much for inviting us here.
00:03:03And this interview, we really appreciate for Sunstar for giving us a platform to talk about
00:03:07our advocacies as well as our history of leadership with the youth here in Cebu.
00:03:11What he said.
00:03:14Hi, my name is Maui Cruz.
00:03:17I'm the current president of the USC Supreme Student Council.
00:03:21And like what Hans said, we're very grateful to be here.
00:03:25And we thank Sunstar for giving us the platform and the opportunity to be able to shed light
00:03:29on very important issues plaguing a lot of students here in Cebu.
00:03:33And speaking of issues that are plaguing a lot of students, a lot of our viewers, including
00:03:41myself, are actually curious because leading a student council is not just an extracurricular
00:03:49activity.
00:03:50It's true.
00:03:50It's already synonymous to having work.
00:03:54So how do you balance, at least when you were a student and now that you're still a student,
00:03:58how do you balance the pressures of academics and also your job as student council presidents?
00:04:09Honestly, I would be lying if I were to say that it has been easier for me.
00:04:14It was easier for me.
00:04:15But the truth is there are so many things that I had to juggle, so many things of myself that
00:04:20I had to sacrifice just to fulfill my constitutional mandate as a president as well as ensuring
00:04:25that I comply to my academic requirements.
00:04:28But the thing about leadership, being a president of a student council in particular, is that it's
00:04:33not a sole individual effort.
00:04:36It's a collective effort.
00:04:37We put our trust to the masses and we make sure that the burdens of responsibilities in
00:04:43the council are not only with the president but of course with the officers as well as
00:04:47the students who continue to trust the advocacies of the council.
00:04:50So it's a united effort to ensure that it's not just one person doing all of the job.
00:04:56It's everyone doing it.
00:04:57And how about you, Maurya?
00:04:59Maybe as a student now, I can tell you that it's hard.
00:05:05Of course, it is not an easy thing to be able to navigate both academics, duties and responsibilities
00:05:16as a student leader and then doing activism as well.
00:05:21But maybe a lot of the reasons why activists or a lot of the reasons why student leaders
00:05:28take up the positions that they're in right now is because they recognize, man, good,
00:05:33kung kung sa ka important, how important it is, sorry, they recognize the importance of
00:05:42their work.
00:05:43Ako personally, I would not be in student leadership positions if I didn't recognize kung gaano ka
00:05:52importante it is to do the things that we do in council bilang members ng NDMOs, so on
00:06:02and so forth.
00:06:03Because the campaigns that we carry, they impact the lives of so many students, not just in
00:06:09USC but also beyond.
00:06:10So even though mahirap maging student leader, pinupush through pa rin.
00:06:20Well, I do agree.
00:06:22I also believe that the true leadership path is the road less traveled.
00:06:28So in your case, because you also juggle not just your academics, you also have your student
00:06:36leader tasks, you also have your personal life, you also have your mental health, and maybe
00:06:43you also have your love life.
00:06:45So among all these, which one thing suffers the most?
00:06:56Thinking time.
00:06:57There's too many to think, there's too many to think actually, but I guess there's too many to
00:07:07specify them.
00:07:08Which is one, suffers the most among all these, academics, personal life, mental health, love life.
00:07:16It was definitely my personal life.
00:07:17It was so difficult for me to keep up with my barcada and also spend time with them because
00:07:22at some point, I had to choose between my duties to the student body as well as my academics.
00:07:28And the thing is, our duties as student council president, it's not something that we can just
00:07:33choose not to tend to because we have a mandate to uphold the rights of the students.
00:07:40And we asked them for their votes with the promise that we will be serving them no matter what it takes.
00:07:46So it was unfortunately my social, my personal life that I had to put into a reserve, I would say,
00:07:54during my terms as a student council president.
00:07:57And you were smiling, so it seems like you have some love to share.
00:08:02You, huh?
00:08:03Maybe it's the same with Hans, that it really affects my personal life, also my mental health,
00:08:14to be honest.
00:08:16When you take up a lot of student leadership positions, you have to sacrifice a lot of time,
00:08:22you have to sacrifice a lot of effort, and then you have to really focus on the work that
00:08:27you're doing because it's really important, Mangud.
00:08:30Like I said earlier, it affects the lives of so many students.
00:08:34So when you have that burden on your shoulders, you really need to kind of work towards it.
00:08:40So it was really mental health, and it was really personal life for me.
00:08:45I think one of the biggest reasons, if I'm going to close my hands, is because we worked
00:08:51in a lot of the same organizations.
00:08:54So the friendship formed there.
00:08:56Trauma bond.
00:08:57But outside of that, it's been difficult for me to be able to contact family.
00:09:08I don't get to call them as often.
00:09:11And of course, stress is a lot, especially in mental health.
00:09:16I say this in consideration of the fact that I was diagnosed with depression in my earlier
00:09:21college years, so mental health is something that I really, really advocate for.
00:09:27But you can also be able to do it.
00:09:30Don't let that scare you.
00:09:32Okay.
00:09:33So while I am just five years ahead of you, but I wear the hat of a parent.
00:09:40Okay.
00:09:41Okay.
00:09:42Did leadership affect your grades?
00:09:45Okay.
00:09:46Go.
00:09:47Okay.
00:09:48Okay.
00:09:49For me, I would say no.
00:09:51I graduated magna cum laude from the University of St. Carlos.
00:09:53But you could have been summa cum laude.
00:09:54I'm just kidding.
00:09:55Okay.
00:09:56Continue.
00:09:57Continue.
00:09:58Continue.
00:09:59Continue.
00:10:00It felt like a very difficult task for me to graduate with Latin honors for my program,
00:10:03especially since I was two-time president.
00:10:04There were plenty of responsibilities that I had to go through because I would say the political
00:10:08landscape of USC during my terms was very tumultuous.
00:10:11It was very chaotic.
00:10:12There were so many things going on.
00:10:13Yes.
00:10:14She would agree.
00:10:15Because she was with me throughout those.
00:10:16Yes.
00:10:17Such as?
00:10:18Wow.
00:10:19A goal.
00:10:20The most controversial one in fact.
00:10:23And I would say the thing about me is even though it was affecting my social life,
00:10:30I never made it affect my academics as well as my mental health.
00:10:34Even as a president, I always made sure to have eight hours of sleep, no matter how difficult
00:10:39things have been because I think at the end of the day, my body is my capital for student
00:10:44leadership.
00:10:45If I don't take care of it, eventually I will fail as a leader because if I get sick, I can
00:10:48do anything.
00:10:49I can uphold my mandate.
00:10:50I can do my responsibilities.
00:10:52So at some point, I realized that and made sure that throughout my terms, I took care
00:10:57of myself very well as well as with my academic responsibilities.
00:11:01For me, I'll have to say that the coping mechanisms are opposite.
00:11:07We often joke about this all the time.
00:11:10He says that if he gets eight hours of sleep, I do not sleep at all.
00:11:15I'm the type of person that when it comes to balancing ACADs and org works, especially
00:11:25in Council, I try my best to be able to manage both.
00:11:29One tip that Hans gave me before is that don't do org work when there's like a lot of time
00:11:37for class.
00:11:38So during class time, I try my best not to do council work.
00:11:45Do you?
00:11:46No, but sometimes when you're in Councilman, good, it's like a 24-7 job.
00:11:51You have to be on call at any given moment.
00:11:55Even at 2am, you're working on a PubMath or you're working on a resolution or you're working
00:11:59on a letter to any office.
00:12:03And then after that, ACADs.
00:12:07But I'm very grateful that in my department at least, shout out to the Department of Anthropology,
00:12:15Sociology, and History.
00:12:17Our teachers are very forgiving.
00:12:19They love and are so passionate about our course.
00:12:24And they really take the time to help the students, Jude.
00:12:29So if there's one thing that I'm grateful for, it is their support.
00:12:34Because all throughout my run in Council, all throughout my work as an activist, they have
00:12:41been so supportive.
00:12:43And that's what I can say, Jude, that I don't know if I would have pushed through with being an activist.
00:12:53And I don't think that I say this a lot to my teachers.
00:12:56I don't think I've said it at all to them.
00:12:58But maybe, hopefully, they see this.
00:13:00And then they get to realize how much all of them have impacted me, have affected me, have taught me so much.
00:13:10Shout out to them.
00:13:11Yeah, yeah, you can.
00:13:12I was about to ask.
00:13:13Shout out to all of my profs before.
00:13:17Si Doc Lenny.
00:13:18Si Doc Hera.
00:13:20Si Ma'am Ding.
00:13:21Si Miss March.
00:13:24Si Sir Dennis.
00:13:25Ang dami.
00:13:26Ang dami.
00:13:27Okay na.
00:13:28Okay na.
00:13:29Shout out.
00:13:30Dash.
00:13:31No, I could see their reminder.
00:13:32The nods.
00:13:33Yeah.
00:13:34Anyhow, si Maui already articulated.
00:13:40You articulated earlier that you value student leadership a lot because of the difference that it's also making, not just for students in USC but also outside.
00:13:51But how about for you, Hans, what was your motivation for you to want the top spot in the Student Council?
00:14:00Honestly, becoming a student council president wasn't exactly something that I had planned in mind.
00:14:05When I got into college, I always thought to myself that if I were to get in San Carlos, in college in particular, I would have to go to San Carlos.
00:14:30And I thought to myself that everyone deserves quality education.
00:14:31That is true.
00:14:32San Carlos provides quality education.
00:14:33But it's not accessible to everybody.
00:14:34It's true.
00:14:35And education is a basic human right.
00:14:36Everyone must have access to it.
00:14:37So because of that, I thought to myself that someone has to step up.
00:14:51And that's what I did.
00:14:52I took up positions.
00:14:54I participated in political engagements in the university.
00:14:57And that motivated me to fight for the rights of the people.
00:15:00And speaking of people, they're also my motivation.
00:15:03Seeing people, you know, tell you that they're very grateful to see so many people united to campaign for their rights, especially those who are working jobs or barely capable of paying their tuition fees.
00:15:14Those things, those reminders of why I fight for them, they keep me motivated, seeing the impact of the work that I do.
00:15:23It's something that reminds me that whatever I'm doing, it's meaningful.
00:15:28It contributes something to society.
00:15:29And therefore, I must keep on going as someone who is fighting for the future that we collectively deserve.
00:15:35You're a friend of Michelle D.
00:15:37Yes.
00:15:38Just kidding.
00:15:40No, no, no, because she's saying not just education, but quality education.
00:15:45Yes.
00:15:46I've heard that before.
00:15:47Now, for Maui, you've mentioned about at least making the effort to not mix class time and council time.
00:15:59But what else do you do to keep yourself sane and grounded?
00:16:04I work.
00:16:05That was not the answer I was expecting.
00:16:09I've found that keeping myself busy really keeps me sane because it keeps the negative thoughts at bay.
00:16:22But beyond work, I really value the time that I have with the people around me.
00:16:31I really make sure to make time for my loved ones.
00:16:35So, you'll realize that I really value you if I am able to make time for you despite all of the hectic schedules going on.
00:16:45Ah, so that's your love language, no?
00:16:48Quality time.
00:16:49Yes, actually.
00:16:50Pwede naman lahat.
00:16:52Lahat sila?
00:16:53Or the love language?
00:16:56The love language!
00:16:58The love language!
00:17:00Now, with respect to leadership lessons, because I know some of our viewers are also aspiring to be where you are today in terms of the difference you're making.
00:17:11So, what one leadership lesson you learned the hard way?
00:17:18The hard way?
00:17:19In my case, it's always to put trust in your constituents because as what we discussed earlier, the duties of a student council president in particular, it's very heavy.
00:17:31There will be so many things that you will have to deal with and you will have to face so many problems in all fronts.
00:17:37So, at that point, what you need to do is to put trust in your constituents that they are just as capable as you are.
00:17:44So that you don't take up all of the tasks.
00:17:46You entrust the tasks to them.
00:17:48You entrust that they can do whatever is needed for the council because at the end of the day, being a student council president, I don't think it makes us any special.
00:17:55It just puts us in a place where we have a platform to inspire people.
00:17:59And that's why I'm emphasizing the word inspire here because as a student council president, you're not supposed to do everything.
00:18:06You're supposed to encourage everyone to do things.
00:18:08It's about letting people know that they can do something that can affect change.
00:18:13And it's only a matter of realization that they can do that so that we can actually reach whatever it is that we're aiming for.
00:18:21Because at the end of the day, we cannot get free education if it's just the president who's working.
00:18:28Free education requires the efforts of so many universities, so many students, so many officials, government officials, or even student council officers.
00:18:37And that in itself is a testament that, well, no man is an island at the end of the day.
00:18:43And that's something that I had to learn very early on in my terms as an officer of the student council because every day you deal with different issues.
00:18:55And you can't exactly resolve all of them.
00:18:58You can trust them to other people and just be sure that you're also there for them when they try to participate or at least try to contribute in the things that you are trying to resolve.
00:19:11And how about you now?
00:19:13I will have to agree with Hans.
00:19:16I feel like when I took up the role of president in USC, I feel like that was a recurring conversation between the two of us.
00:19:28That you cannot do things alone, that you have to trust the people around you, trust your officers, and trust that the masses will have your back.
00:19:38Maybe that's one thing that I've had a lot of difficulty with, especially until now.
00:19:45Throughout my months or throughout my years in council, it's hard to push through.
00:19:57It's hard to push through.
00:20:07Especially when you're under a lot of public scrutiny.
00:20:12But if there's one thing that I've learned, it is to trust that the people will have your back.
00:20:18To trust that the people will know that you're fighting the good fight.
00:20:24Fighting the good fight!
00:20:26What else?
00:20:28One thing that I can say for students is that often times students are told that
00:20:36that they have no space in politics.
00:20:39They have no space discussing these issues.
00:20:43And that what we should do is to stay at home, to study, to focus on our academics, and to keep quiet.
00:20:51That's what we should say for us.
00:20:54But how can we when these social issues so clearly, violently, and directly shape so many aspects of our lives?
00:21:03How can we focus on our books when it is our homes getting flooded?
00:21:09How can we focus on our grades when it is our classrooms that are collapsing?
00:21:15And how can we focus on academics when it is our families that bear the brunt of so many corruption issues?
00:21:24And then you start to learn, especially when you continue as a student leader, that a lot of the issues that you're facing,
00:21:35bilang estudyante, they're connected to the larger society.
00:21:40Na yung mga issues natin bilang estudyante, they're also a reflection of the larger systemic issues that are happening beyond the four walls of our university.
00:21:52And that's something that was very difficult for me to grasp as a first year.
00:21:56When I first got into activism, that was something that, parang na mind blown ako talaga.
00:22:03Because when you start as an activist, when you start as a student leader, especially for me,
00:22:08I started because my family was having trouble paying for our tuition.
00:22:15So grabe yung napektuhan talaga ako sa tuition and other fees increase.
00:22:19I was also struggling with mental health issues.
00:22:22Like I was struggling with depression.
00:22:24And then I start to realize that these issues are systemic.
00:22:28They're connected to a broader pattern of issues.
00:22:32And so, bilang estudyante, our role is to link arms with the rest of the oppressed sectors in society.
00:22:41So, maoon na. That's something that I really had to learn.
00:22:44And it took me so long to understand.
00:22:48But siguro that's a huge part of why I'm doing what I'm doing and why a lot of activists continue to persist despite a lot of difficulties in life.
00:23:00I think that's an amazing level of depth that you are also gaining as you go through the journey.
00:23:09Because back during my time, I was also a student leader.
00:23:12But for me, aspect is pang tusok ng yalo.
00:23:15Aspect?
00:23:17Guys, you tried to make a joke.
00:23:21That's what we are all actually.
00:23:23We are all the same.
00:23:26Now, siguro.
00:23:27Every Filipino home, there's this dynamic.
00:23:32It's either they will say,
00:23:34Anak, ayaw na anak kay kapo'y nakaayo.
00:23:38Or some parents, they would also be on the side that we are so proud of you.
00:23:43So, in your case, this is a question for both of you.
00:23:46How do your parents react to the level of responsibility that you carry?
00:23:51I think Maui should start.
00:23:53Oh no, Hans is laughing.
00:23:55Hans has been laughing.
00:23:56I feel like, what's his answer here?
00:23:58Oh, this is interesting because my dad is a police officer.
00:24:02He was a police officer. He's a retired cop now.
00:24:05So, at some point, it was very difficult for me to tell my parents that I am an activist.
00:24:09Because, you know, it's almost always a black and white thing.
00:24:13Like, the state forces and activists, they're not always on good terms.
00:24:17And I guess that would have been also my situation for my mom and dad.
00:24:21But the thing is, it was never about my activism for my parents for me.
00:24:25It was always about a matter of safety and security for them.
00:24:29I feel like they understand the things that I was fighting for.
00:24:33Because they also came from less fortunate circumstances when they were still growing up and when they were raising our family.
00:24:39And I guess, in some manner, they understood and sympathized for the causes that I was forwarding with the masses.
00:24:46But, yes, it is sometimes a difficult conversation to have with your parents, though.
00:24:51Because one thing that they might not always realize is we're fighting for a future that we will inherit as the youth.
00:24:59We're also fighting for the current circumstances because they're part of the workforce, they're part of the working class.
00:25:04And also, we're about to inherit a society that's marred with corruption, that's marred with so many political issues that remain unresolved because of political dynasties, who continue to perpetuate the systemic issues that we have.
00:25:16So, I guess it becomes an effort of ceaseless and tireless persuasion of the family.
00:25:24Now, what we're doing is we're fighting for them.
00:25:28We're fighting also for the future that we will have as we enter the society as, you know, future professionals, officials, government leaders for that matter.
00:25:39Maybe on my end, when I started as an activist, actually, before I moved to Cebu from Iloilo,
00:25:51I said to my dad that I don't want to become an activist.
00:25:54I don't want to join the rallies to never step foot on the streets.
00:26:00That's really the warning to me.
00:26:05And maybe four years later, three years later, look at me now.
00:26:14I'm on the streets almost every month.
00:26:19And maybe one driving force.
00:26:22I feel like I talked about this before with my friends.
00:26:25I'd always get asked when we're doing protests, why my voice is so loud.
00:26:35How come in all of the photos that you see of me, like,
00:26:39my face is crazy.
00:26:41You are not going to see a photo of me online that I'm not crazy.
00:26:45that I don't scream or shout or agitate to the top of my lungs.
00:27:04Because every single time that I step foot on the streets,
00:27:10I think about my mom, I think about my family, whom I love very, very deeply.
00:27:21Oftentimes, when you start out as an activist, at least for me,
00:27:24I started out for, let's say, not selfish reasons,
00:27:28but I started out for reasons that hit very, very close to home.
00:27:33I was so worried about my mom.
00:27:38I was so tired of the fact that she works 24-7.
00:27:42She's a single mom who has to provide for three kids.
00:27:46And that's not easy.
00:27:48It's not easy.
00:27:49So I have so much respect for her.
00:27:51And every time I go to Iloilo,
00:27:53I see her hands,
00:27:55that they're being used because she works very, very hard at her job.
00:28:01Every time I step foot on the streets, I think of that.
00:28:05I think of my mom.
00:28:07I think of how hard she's working.
00:28:09What does she do?
00:28:10She's a doctor.
00:28:11She works at a government hospital.
00:28:14And, that's it.
00:28:17She's usually a duty.
00:28:19She's usually not in the home.
00:28:21We don't get to see her as often.
00:28:23And when we do, she's usually tired.
00:28:26And I don't want my mom to continue living that life.
00:28:31so aside from working really really hard to graduate and being able to provide
00:28:36for my family I want to be able to fight for a better future for her and for my
00:28:43siblings I have a sister who's currently taking up law and I have a brother who's
00:28:50taking up BS biology and I love them so so much and growing up with them seeing
00:28:57how hard they work actually when I I moved to Cebu they saved up to pay for my
00:29:09tuition my siblings and that is something that I can't really forget but in
00:29:16reality students should not be saving up to pay for tuition that should not have
00:29:23happened to my siblings because everyone is deserving of quality and
00:29:28accessible education my mom shouldn't have to pay in order for us to get the
00:29:35education that we rightfully deserve so it is our duty then to be able to fight for
00:29:41future so now that it's clear to me why you are in this path let's talk about you
00:29:55being led no so meaning it could be your experience it can also be the experience
00:30:02of people your generation no so what leadership style now so whether it's
00:30:08parents or your workmates what lead or or your professors what leadership style is preferred by
00:30:16your generation no what what are the approaches which that you think will be
00:30:24more effective no oh I would say it's more on collective leadership it's empowering every single
00:30:33person who is involved in organization in or in your campaigns to actually have
00:30:38ownership of the outcomes of their projects or whatever it is that they're
00:30:42doing because one thing that I've noticed for our generation especially as a psych
00:30:46major is that we don't like to be micromanaged we don't like people to keep a
00:30:50keen eye on whatever it is we're doing we want to actually learn things by
00:30:55ourselves and we want to take part in the process of figuring things out and
00:30:59that's why I think in the context of corporate that would be providing
00:31:05autonomous to their employees and an activism that would be empowering the
00:31:08masses and our fellow activists in recognizing that every single
00:31:13contribution that we do actually helps us in claiming or perhaps acquiring
00:31:18whatever it is that we're intending to have as an outcome so yes as a if you were to
00:31:25ask me what is my preferred leadership it's always collective leadership it's
00:31:28putting our trust that the people are working with us is just as capable as we
00:31:34are is just as effective as we are when it comes to working because I think one of
00:31:40the common pitfalls when it comes to leadership is we tend to have this idea
00:31:43you know we have to be the best person but the thing is it's not about being the
00:31:48best it's big it's about making people realize or be in their best it's about
00:31:53inspiring people because at the end of the day we can't achieve great things if
00:31:59it's just you if it's just you're so effort so yes I would say that we have to
00:32:06delegate to participate in the processes to involve everybody in whatever it is
00:32:12that we're doing mmm so because part of collaborative leadership is kind of
00:32:18consultation and gathering of information and then giving everybody the the seat on the
00:32:25table now for them to be able to participate in the discussion and the conversation and
00:32:29even the decision making pero how do you draw the line when you say this is still
00:32:35collaborative or this is already analysis paralysis meaning we've been discussing about
00:32:44this for ten years already I'm just kidding because that that's also there there's a time
00:32:52in which yeah we we sit on the table we make a discussion and then we decide and then in a lot
00:32:59of cases at least from my experience not everybody is on board no but at least let's move now but there
00:33:06are also cases that I would see that because there's just a lot of conversations going on it's been 100
00:33:11years now and no decision has been done so how do you draw the line we say this is already
00:33:18analysis paralysis it's time to move forward whether everybody's on board or not
00:33:23in the context of let's say council because when you work in council you have to make a lot of difficult
00:33:32decisions as on as a body jude and in council you're going to have disagreements there are going to be
00:33:39um a lot of struggle of ideas especially like the meetings will last until um god knows what i was not
00:33:49gonna say what time but he said it pero ayun um mahihirapan kayo sa discussions but i'd like to think
00:33:56that it's those discussions that um can prove that we all care about um doing our jobs so when you say
00:34:06this is ready to am now we discussed about this already how can we move this forward how do you draw
00:34:12that line at the end of the day kasi when we all have um the same goal it is to be able to serve our
00:34:20constituents it is to be able to um protect and promote the rights and welfare of all students and
00:34:28um when um when you debate on certain matters that is what have you have to think about um especially
00:34:35and it means it's important yeah it means it's important um in order to stop we bureaucratic
00:34:42nakaayo parli adjud um but we put it to a vote um parli adjud um pero at the end of the day we remind
00:34:49ourselves is what is the best for our constituents on sa ang pinaka um maka move forward sa atuang council
00:34:58um student body and then you just go from there and then the other thing also because both of you
00:35:05are visible so that means part of the territory are also people having an opinion about you so how you
00:35:15also how do you also differentiate personal criticism from constructive feedback okay i guess
00:35:24one thing that i would say is the politics of students in san carlos is very different from
00:35:32our local politics one thing that i've noticed is it tends to be very constructive it tends to be
00:35:38healthy it tends to be critical but in a manner that is actually contributing to whatever is the
00:35:43situation at the university i thought because you don't have blood control
00:35:46practice so when it comes to constructive and personal criticisms you get used to it because in
00:35:55usc it's the norm i guess maui would agree when i say that every month perhaps or every semester
00:36:03as a president you would get feedback from student publications from students or even the political
00:36:08parties themselves regarding the nature of your leadership the effectiveness of your leadership
00:36:13and that's something that we very much welcome yes and you know there are times where personal and
00:36:19constructive criticisms overlap but what's important as a leader is you know how to filter the personal
00:36:24attacks and see the constructive value in them there may be times now students may give inputs that is
00:36:31not exactly worded out right or perhaps it's not exactly valid i would say uh and i like saying it
00:36:40ambiguously but the fact that there is feedback that means that there must be something that you can
00:36:47improve on and that's something that i feel like should be fostered for our local governments because
00:36:53i appreciate the politics in usa so much because the criticisms actually work the officials actually
00:36:59change something well at least for students not probably not the administration i don't know
00:37:05when it comes to local government i think if we were to practice that type of tradition that type of
00:37:09culture we would be very effective because the masses have inputs and the reason why they have
00:37:15inputs when it comes to leadership is because they have experienced the outcomes of those leadership
00:37:20of that leadership rather like the reason why they have criticisms is because they have experienced
00:37:25negatives that the government can improve on so i don't really see why our government right now in
00:37:32particular is very aversive when it comes to criticisms when in fact those are supposedly inputs on how
00:37:38they can better serve the constituents the people they ask votes from so that's why i would say
00:37:45although there are times now criticism may seem like a personal attack what's important here is you
00:37:49know how to scour through those criticisms and find whichever is constructive and whatever actually
00:37:56helps you improve the nature of your leadership i think that that also applies in even in life in general no
00:38:03because things happen whether good or bad and it's up to us on what we do with what happened
00:38:11to better us now that's why we cease from becoming victims of our circumstance now this one is in the
00:38:18context of choosing between a popular decision and the right decision was there a moment in your journey in
00:38:30which you had to make that choice
00:38:35do you want to answer
00:38:37maybe a lot actually this one this one sorry are we running out of time yeah oh no 20 more minutes
00:38:48so that's maybe when it comes to the council there are so many decisions that you have to make
00:38:53um there are so many difficult choices that you will be forced to make especially as a student body bilang ano
00:39:06you'll be forced to make a lot of tough calls yeah because because it's a popularity vote
00:39:23yes so popular decisions matter to a certain extent no yes so how do you how do you draw that line
00:39:31at the end of the day you have principles you have political ideologies
00:39:35yung importante is that um the decisions that you're making they're reflective
00:39:40sa students that you are serving um siguro for the case ng usc um something that i always like to
00:39:50or like we always like to remind ourselves is na um it is easy to mix siguro when we talk about um
00:39:58popular vote yan yung easiest decision to make um but it's not always a yun yung sinabi ni hans and um
00:40:08the best decisions are never going to be easy um yung rights natin bilang estudyante yung human rights
00:40:14natin um in general um they are never going to be freely given to you they are won um they are won by the
00:40:22students by the masses who are militant and unafraid and sometimes these decisions are going to be very
00:40:29costly um sometimes these decisions um come with a lot of repercussions um and sometimes these battles
00:40:39are very very long um it takes years um it's not you will have problems you will have problems
00:40:47now that will not be solved um through one term alone pero yung importante is that you continue
00:40:54to organize you continue to mobilize you continue to collectivize um you continue to trust that the
00:41:01masses will be with you that the students will always have your back um iyon siguro perhaps hans can add um
00:41:09actually would you like to mention and there are so many seems like there's something you want to
00:41:14mention like speaking from my personal experience there were so many things that i had to stomach
00:41:20uh in spite of the popular pressure because um in particular on the council there has been like so
00:41:27many issues going on about it especially with our agreements with the administration especially when we
00:41:32got paid for student rights and i guess when it comes to things like those i just uh remind myself that
00:41:40i got into this position because the students believed in the principles that i told them i
00:41:45possess and will be campaigning for if i were to get into these in these positions there will be times
00:41:51that you will be outnumbered but just because you are not outnumbered that doesn't necessarily mean that
00:41:55your opinion is any less valid that is why earlier i emphasized the importance of principles and
00:42:01political alignment because if you compared for tuition and other fees increase when you run this president
00:42:08but then the students agreed to push in another fees increase it doesn't necessarily mean that it is
00:42:13valid so while the students may voice out their opinions that is right it is our responsibility to
00:42:21convince them to persuade them that this is not exactly um congruent to the principles that we have
00:42:26because there are students who start there are students who struggle so at the end of the day it's
00:42:31believing in your principles believing in your political alignment and
00:42:35persuading people why exactly it why exactly is it that your opinion or your principles for this matter is
00:42:44valid and most representative of the rights of the people so internally so this is no longer about
00:42:52the leaders also that you work with so internally how do you handle the backlash internally
00:42:59in my case i tend to be a very rational leader to an extent where i know that the process of things
00:43:18emotionally i think maui yes he is we would agree with that manchalant king maui and i are very opposites
00:43:25on that end maui um my case in my case i tend to not process things emotionally i just try to think of it
00:43:33logically so if ever there are backlash if ever there are inputs that get too overwhelming for me i try to reduce
00:43:40them i try to intellectualize intellectualize them i try to see the as i say that i try to filter out the
00:43:47personal attacks and try to see the value in them because at the end of the day the pressure that
00:43:51we're getting the discussions that people are having regarding our leadership they're necessary
00:43:56yes contradictions are very necessary for us to propel forward because if we just stick with the
00:44:01status quo there will be no changes and it is only through changes we can actually see improvements in
00:44:06life so at the end of the day i always remind myself now these people do not necessarily hate you it's just
00:44:12what you did at the end so so what was the most and both of you or any of you can answer what was the
00:44:18most difficult criticism that you received as president now of the student council and how did it change the
00:44:28way you lead eventually um i don't want to be too pushy on my officers on my council and
00:44:46i think earlier this year or earlier during my term is that i'm very soft now i need to be more assertive
00:45:04bilang leader um that i need to put my foot down and it's something that i still have a difficult time
00:45:11navigating um navigating because i was a person like han said we're two different people um he's very
00:45:20assertive in nature but at the end of the day um another thing that i had a very difficult time with um
00:45:35navigating sigurus as president um it's nice there are times that i try to put my foot down
00:45:41um um i'm seen as too bossy it's it's very misogynistic in nature man good i was also called
00:45:49a dictator imagine yeah and it's it's a difficult thing for me because i don't think that i feel like
00:46:00um especially as a leader there are so many times that you have to put your foot down there are so many
00:46:05times that you have to be assertive because what you're doing is for student rights and welfare and
00:46:10it's not negotiable um especially when you're negotiating with negotiating when you're dealing
00:46:17with um very repressive administrations when you're dealing with very repressive systems um you need to
00:46:24have a backbone jud and you need to ensure that you don't have a hard look um to speak out that's one
00:46:31thing that i've had a difficult time with before especially as a counselor um back my earlier council days
00:46:38um i had such a hard time speaking out but now now we know kung on saka bugat ang weight of it all um
00:46:47it just comes naturally now so speak out you want sorry so in addition to that one thing that i would
00:46:53like to add is siguro from the perspective of the youth especially as activists people tend to say that
00:46:59we're too ambitious we're too we tend to campaign for the grand things in life but i think what is the
00:47:07youth if not for optimism for a better future right what is the youth if not wanting for a better future
00:47:13that they will inherit so i guess that's one thing that is necessary for us like as leaders we need to
00:47:19be visionaries we want to visualize a society that's actually developed and we can only do that if we're
00:47:28ambitious one story each no and this one is a particular moment in which you had to choose between
00:47:37friendship and professionalism and which one won
00:47:43one story each um my friendship and professionalism is never like aspects of my life like which one i had
00:47:54to um was there a time no that you just have to say oh my gosh this is a choice between friendship
00:48:00and the work i'm doing i guess in my case my barkada um shout out to my barkada by the way
00:48:07are you gonna beat them oh let's just call them barkada yes my barkada because there's 14 of them
00:48:14so it's too many to name okay so yes my barkada is really big and the thing about my barkada is
00:48:19they're very hands-on when it comes to my campaigns which i very much appreciate which i very much
00:48:24appreciate they're very they were very present to me in my life in fact they got to a point where
00:48:29they were also in the council because of my leadership and oftentimes like perhaps the lines
00:48:35between friendship and professionalism may blur but as a person who is very assertive very
00:48:43authoritative i always make sure to um to contextualize things if we're working we are
00:48:50working i will be not doing you any favors just because you're a friend in fact um my friends always
00:48:54have this sentiment now i tend to be a very different person when it comes to organizations like
00:48:59very maldito and stuff but as a friend like i am very i am very objective and i tend to be
00:49:05um i am approachable to them in fact but it's just so that when it comes to organizations like
00:49:13i switch off because our responsibilities they're not just things now we can easily dismiss we can
00:49:19just um invalidate or put in a lesser value because rights are at stake student rights are at stake so
00:49:26we have to be serious about it so if you're getting into the council be sure that when you're doing
00:49:31council work it's council work it's council work it's nothing personal okay now there is no such thing
00:49:41as a perfect system no just as there is no a perfect leader and no perfect leadership so every once in a
00:49:49while leaders make compromises so one story each listen because it's cape earlier but maybe you go first
00:49:57first that you benefited benefited personally but not necessarily the student body a decision that
00:50:09you make that okay i'll compromise this time this will benefit me but not necessarily the student body
00:50:16nobody's perfect
00:50:21i will say though that there's genuinely no story that comes to mind um especially when it comes to council
00:50:28work or activism work because i always view it as something um i do um to serve jude genuinely
00:50:36um
00:50:43comes to mind in fact when you're in council when you're an activist you oftentimes sacrifice there's so
00:50:49many sacrifices that um you have to make as a leader nothing to gain everything to lose can i just say
00:50:56yeah yeah it's uh no and you're not paid also we're not there's it's a common misconception
00:51:02that you're paying for your students to go to rallies to go to protests but that's not the case
00:51:11oftentimes we have to practice to sacrifice our safety we have to sacrifice our own money
00:51:17and it's very expensive yeah expensive the travel the everything so
00:51:22jude me so mona um especially um especially the activism um you lose sleep over it um you lose time
00:51:31um time that i could be spending with friends or loved ones time that i could also be spending on
00:51:36academics or exercised for um council work which is something that i do not regret at all it's something
00:51:43that i deeply deeply like um but it's the kind of exhaustion that makes life fulfilling it's something
00:52:04that i would not trade anything for now your generation and partly my generation also
00:52:10works into social media tick tock etc no so and and you work with a lot of people also in this space no so
00:52:24how do you see through people who whether they truly enjoy leadership or they are just there because they simply
00:52:37want to be visible okay this is a social media age so there are people who post on social media and they
00:52:47mean it and there are just those who are just there for the clout no so in your peers now how do you
00:52:54discern that hmm visible or both okay here for the job you need obviously grow from actors it's mostly on
00:53:05how they analyze issues because as leaders you don't just get i mean at least in our case in mawena's
00:53:12case we didn't pursue positions in leadership without a good analysis of society we got into our
00:53:19positions because we realized that there are issues and there must be something there must be something
00:53:24to be done about these things and that's why um in the university in particular we really appreciate
00:53:31debates we appreciate interviews we appreciate arguments because these things expose will not
00:53:36necessarily expose highlight the principles and your analysis of any political issues going on and i
00:53:43would say that a person who is only there for exposure wouldn't exactly put that much of an effort to
00:53:50understand the political undertones of the things that they're campaigning for because um they're there for
00:53:56personal reasons they're not there to understand the lived realities of the constituents um fortunately
00:54:03though in my case it has never been a case wherein i met a leader who was only there for exposure
00:54:08i was able to see the best in every leader that i encountered and they always had some level of
00:54:15experience when it comes to injustices or oppression that led them into the position that they are at and i
00:54:20guess that's one thing that i appreciate because i think a lot of people would say that it's very
00:54:25selfish for them to campaign or to get into positions just because they experienced their own level of
00:54:31injustice but the thing is that's just a stepping stone at the end of the day they will realize they
00:54:36will realize the larger issues that is associate that are associated with the injustices that they experienced
00:54:43and this has led them into a position wherein they provided a platform to campaign not just for
00:54:48their own causes but also the causes of their constituents who got them in their positions
00:54:52and and then just to add because i'm five years ahead of you
00:55:02no but the other thing also that i get to see through that and hopefully this is helpful to you and
00:55:08also to the viewers is i also check where the hugot is coming from because chances are a person is normally
00:55:16involved or engaged at something that either this person is angry about this or the reverse put
00:55:27no the other side but is the person is so grateful about something that they want others to also
00:55:34experience so so it normally has something to do with where it's coming from and normally these are strong
00:55:42emotions so either the space of gratitude and so they want other people to experience it or in the space of
00:55:49anger that's why they don't want others to go through it and so it becomes an advocacy okay normally no
00:55:58so now let's go into integrity
00:56:05how common is cheating to students today
00:56:09no no no not cheating love life cheating academics
00:56:16it is very common
00:56:19and why is that honestly i have a very political analysis when it comes to students cheating
00:56:23and one thing i've noticed in our generation is we are in a very competitive fast-paced environment
00:56:30we are demanded so many things from by this institution by our curriculum and
00:56:37students they always have this inherent want to learn of course i think it's inherent for everybody to
00:56:43to gain knowledge but the thing is sometimes it gets too overwhelming the institution demands so much of
00:56:49us just for us to become cheap labor for corporations to exploit and they are led into desperate situations
00:56:55where and they compromise their integrity just to comply with responsibilities because the education system
00:57:00does not really put an emphasis to our well-being so honestly i will i would tell you this as a psychology
00:57:07major and has someone who has come from a from a program that is very demanding when it comes to academics
00:57:14so many students want to learn actually but they are led to cheat because it gives them relief like it gives
00:57:22them a sense of reprieve from the demands that they are that they are experiencing too so for me even though
00:57:27cheating may seem like an issue especially for instructors i see it differently i see it as the student
00:57:33being overwhelmed with the tasks that they are they are required to comply and so they try to
00:57:39make up for it by making it seem as if they actually did well in school
00:57:44i have to agree with um hans in that sense especially as a student
00:57:51um don't ask me if i cheat
00:57:55i'm not gonna answer that
00:58:00we're on live
00:58:03well i guess i guess it's good i graduated
00:58:05i agree with hans that a lot of students are just pushed by um output based education system um a lot of
00:58:22students right now they're focused on um receiving good grades and i will say now although um i agree with
00:58:30hans now every single student um is in pursuit of knowledge every student wants to be able to
00:58:36learn but because our system pushes us or because our system is created in a certain manner so many
00:58:44students are pushed to give up um their integrity and nakaka sayang di ba kasi oftentimes um students when
00:58:53they graduate um they're just made to be um exploited um cheap into cheap labor that's um something that we
00:59:03talk about especially as a rise for education it's a symptom of um colonial commercialized and fascist
00:59:10uh education um um colonial in a sense na um sa grabe na ka um kanang um output based um education system um
00:59:24stem students are favored more the same courses are favored more because um it's very easy um to market
00:59:32these students once they graduate and then any graduate nila asaman sila mo at the most of the time um yes
00:59:40to foreign nations um where they are paid um lower than the normal workers there so at the end of the day
00:59:48um kanang we see the exploitation happening even as we are um students pa lang and as students who are
00:59:57about to become part of the workforce um when we graduate it's something that we always have to um take mind
01:00:04of shempre uh i know now it's such a huge jump from cheating and integrity to halan new live education
01:00:12but it is connected it is connected guys um and these are topics these are discussions that we have to
01:00:19continuously um link and raise we have to continuously talk about especially um in our classrooms because the
01:00:27more that we realize this um the more na um we can fight against these systems and thank you for
01:00:33giving me the permission to talk about it more
01:00:42but in a nutshell is cheating in class good or bad that's bad i'd say it's bad from my perspective that
01:00:51students wouldn't cheat in the first place had they been given more leniency when it comes to their academic
01:00:56requirements okay and see the context that i wanted to pursue that route because i am
01:01:03but did you cheat
01:01:08so thank you because you're also giving me the the reason to be like this
01:01:14you didn't answer the question
01:01:17true and the reason why because i'm actually on the other side but my point is valid your point is
01:01:25also valid but what i'm just trying to say um what i'm also advocating man good is once we become
01:01:32government officials it also requires a certain stamina true that regardless of the forces
01:01:43we are going to uphold what is right or wrong okay my father now this is more you might ask where is the
01:01:52hugot coming from i'm a product also of kind of government officials as parents and i'm just fortunate
01:01:59because they happen to be on the honest side and if there's anything that my father would tell me and
01:02:06so this applies also when i was in school and even after school it's one thing not to steal
01:02:14because you don't have an opportunity and it's another not to steal even if you can
01:02:22so my translation on that when i was a student so i was i have a whole good it's one thing yeah
01:02:28it's one thing it's one thing not to cheat because i could not and it's another not to cheat even if i
01:02:38could and i think i think the reason why my parents were able to follow through it's because of that so
01:02:44that's good let's talk about ai how much time do we have oh my gosh that's really how we enjoy the
01:02:54conversation so we're yappers guys we are yappers yes i'll move that we will not talk about artificial
01:03:00intelligence anymore i was about to go that wrong good thing that i checked for for for the time no so
01:03:08before we wrap up now i think you talk about your personal sacrifices ah okay have you ever before
01:03:15last few questions have you ever made a mistake that hurt someone that you love in the course of
01:03:22being a leader in the course of being a leader
01:03:26no one is perfect
01:03:27could you go first i'm trying to think i'm trying to think as well
01:03:43it's it's a curveball question
01:03:45because yeah nobody's perfect yeah nobody's perfect and we've made so many mistakes along
01:03:51the lines of leadership and that hurt the the person or the people you love maybe it would be
01:03:57your parents it would be your friends it might be your professor but somewhere along the way you made
01:04:04a like oh my gosh what was that in my case like when it comes to my friends they always show up to
01:04:11my candidacies but there have been times where i wasn't able to show up for their times where i
01:04:20wasn't able to show support for them because i had to sacrifice my time for them for my organizational
01:04:26work and that's something that i always talk to them about very transparently although i talk about
01:04:32it transparently that doesn't make how they feel about it any less valid but at least i had to explain
01:04:38to them why i had to make that decision but now i now that i am no longer at college i always try to
01:04:44make time for them i always try to catch up with them just to compensate for the time that we lost
01:04:49for each other because of my organizational involvement so i guess that's it um now i have an answer
01:04:56um what's up laughing for me um this is something that i realized during the typhoon um during typhoon tino um
01:05:10throughout my years in council or as an activist um i mentioned earlier and i rarely get to talk to my
01:05:18mom i rarely get to talk to my family i rarely get to answer their calls especially since they live so far
01:05:24away and that's because like i'm always like working i'm always um in meetings or doing something
01:05:31um related to work and sometimes like they call me they call me often and then like i answer i'm in
01:05:38a meeting i said i tell them now oh pwede later na lang because i'm in a meeting and then once the meeting
01:05:44ends tulug ako derecho because it's so tiring and then during the typhoon when um it hit parts of manila
01:05:52and my sister is in manila right now and um ilo ilo i went crazy trying to call them i went crazy i'm
01:06:02trying to hear for that from them and if they listen mag answer kai mag mag worry jud ko and then that's
01:06:09when i realized na okay maybe maybe not the best choice maybe not the best choice so iyon now maybe
01:06:17i have to make time for the people around me and that's important i think that's something that so
01:06:24many leaders have to remember um yes the work is so very important but in order to keep yourself sane
01:06:33in order to keep yourself grounded um you need a strong support system and i'm so grateful that
01:06:39um my friends and my family are very supportive of what i do as an activist and i see do you want
01:06:46sorry oh speaking of support system um i know i mentioned like i there were there have been times
01:06:51that i'm pretty sure my backada has been hurt of me like not showing up for them but you know in spite
01:06:56of those things they always showed up for me it wouldn't have been possible for me to graduate in flying
01:07:01colors without them understanding my situation in fact i was only able to graduate from my program without
01:07:07compromising my grades because they always gave me notes they still showed up for me even when
01:07:11there were tests that i couldn't do they made sure to do it for me which was very sweet of them by
01:07:16the way so that's why i would like to take this opportunity to shout out to my backada there's 14 of
01:07:20them so i'm not gonna name each and every single one of them but i am very grateful for them and
01:07:25i would have i wouldn't have made it this far if it weren't for their support and understanding of the
01:07:30work that i do in a way they have as much as they have the qualities of an activist as much as i do so
01:07:37that's something that i am very proud of well i enjoy this conversation so much that i lost track
01:07:43of the time but before we go and you can see the prompter is now being prepared now but before we go
01:07:49what's one thing that again i'm also five years older than you just kidding but uh on a serious note what
01:07:58one thing about your generation gen z no that you want older generation where i belong no would appreciate
01:08:06um for me to be more um accepting of social issues right now like when we talk about um topics like um
01:08:23um kind of um the lgbt divorce um abortion soji bill these are so important um these are
01:08:36discussions that we have to um really really talk about um especially now now we can see especially
01:08:43now in an age of so much technology makita jud na tong uh these these issues are so very important
01:08:51for example um divorce um violence against women and children it exists and it continues to happen it
01:08:59happens it can happen everywhere jud it can happen in the streets it can happen in our homes and it can
01:09:05happen in our classrooms um and so often victims of violence against women and children are
01:09:12are caught um struggling in their own homes um and which um reflects the need for a divorce bill um okay
01:09:24um just a matter of religion it is human lives at stake for example um soji pud um there are so many um rights
01:09:35that are being compromised um because there's so much hatred towards um being queer and i do
01:09:43not like that um um no one does um what else um i can speak on a specific issue it's more on a general scale
01:09:52i would say one thing that i would ask the older generations is to let gen z participate in making the future that they will inherit
01:09:59true because i understand that the status quo may be comfortable for so many people right now but the
01:10:05thing is we want we want to improve we want to have a better future that we're about to have especially
01:10:12as people who are going to be part of society as professionals in the future and of course as future
01:10:18government officials for that matter because um the situation that we have right now is not exactly the best
01:10:26and i guess this is where the youth optimism and ambition comes into the picture if we if we have
01:10:34the optimism that we in changing whatever the status quo right now is we can definitely achieve it
01:10:41because one thing that the youth i think is very distinctive for is our determination our youthful energy
01:10:51to pursue the things that we want to pursue and if the youth wants to talk about issues that we're
01:10:56currently facing let them in fact let them contribute into resolving these issues because we're not just
01:11:03fighting for you we're also fighting for the things that we're about to have if i may add um to what han said
01:11:10um students are often left out in so many decision making bodies um i'll make this quick don't worry
01:11:17we're often left out in so many decision making bodies and this was seen um especially during the
01:11:23aftermath of the earthquakes and the typhoon so many student councils were not included in the decision
01:11:30making processes that their admins um created in making um policies and canong um action plans in the
01:11:38aftermath of the calamities that um surfaced sa cebu and it's something that's so common not just in usc but in
01:11:46so many um universities that's why we had to go to so many lengths we had to go to ched we had to
01:11:54visit the mayor um in order for our demands to be heard and it is high time for our institutions to
01:12:01recognize um that students must have a voice in policies and in decisions that ultimately affect them
01:12:10um especially now um obviously there's going to be parts two and three no given given how we enjoyed so
01:12:21much the conversation and the topics also that you wish for older generations where i belong
01:12:27would also have with younger generation like you so thank you very much for your time
01:12:35thank you thank you we enjoyed it we have fun so all right so yeah so as we wrap up today's conversation
01:12:43it's clear that leadership is never just about title or age it's about choices integrity empathy and the
01:12:52courage to act even when it's hard so we'd like to thank our guest hans balila and maui cruz for shaping
01:13:02for sharing their honest experiences and as we go through the christmas season let's carry the spirit of
01:13:08giving reflection and responsibility into the new year so i'm dj moises thank you for joining us today
01:13:17thank god it's friday happy holidays happy holidays
01:13:47thank you
01:13:49thank you
01:14:03you
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