27/07/2025
FEATURE| BEYOND THE BALLOT
What it means to lead
Campaign faces glow from the LED wall in electric blues and reds, their pixelated smiles casting dancing shadows across the gathered crowd. The air is thick with feedback static, scripted chants, and the quiet, pounding heartbeat of anticipation. Candidates wait in the wings—some reciting speeches under their breath, others exchanging glances that flicker between confidence and fear.
The stage is set. The mic is warm. The miting de avance begins.
In a world where the word “leader” is worn like a badge by many, its meaning has become increasingly blurred. Is it someone who commands attention? Someone who speaks the loudest? Or someone who simply wins the vote? As campaign slogans echo across classrooms, one thing is made clear: the true definition of leadership is still up for debate.
For a partylist like Altus, to be a leader means more than just standing in front—it means uplifting others, serving with purpose, and being guided by heart. To them, leadership began long before the campaign period. It began with silence, in each quiet corner of the campus.
Altus’s Ethan Agad speaks with the kind of certainty that sounds like it has been earned over time—not rehearsed. It is not the applause that he seems to care about. Not the lights. Not the stage. What drives him is something quieter and deeper. “I believe that every one of us is capable of something,” he tells the crowd, not as a boast but as a belief. “And I believe that I can be the one who will give the voice of the voiceless.”
As the microphone crackles and the applause fades from his unwavering declaration, violet ribbons rise and fall much like the breathing in this tense atmosphere.
In a country full of broken promises, the youth often bear the weight of disillusionment, and from that disappointment comes a powerful resolve—to step up, to speak out, and to do better.
That same call to action fuels the Alas partylist, standing clad in violet in between red and blue, and driven by a clear mission to build a community centered around purpose. Where others offer pledges, Alas emphasizes a version of leadership that is not loud, but purposeful—one that values both student welfare and academic growth and blends structure with soul.
“Yes, ideas are excellent, and wise minds are important, but I am consistent,” says Benleopold Gutong, his voice ringing with quiet resolve. “And wise ideas are nothing without consistency, so that is the greatest attribute as a leader.”
And then come the Ilustrados, dressed in maroon, with a name that recalls the enlightened thinkers of the Philippine revolution. They, too, understand the weight of legacy. Their presence feels historical—grounded in reform, yet facing forward.
Presidential candidate Nicole Buena speaks with a clarity that needs not compete for volume. “I believe that we are all capable of leading. A leader is always dedicated, committed, and has the passion to serve,” she declares before the very community that she aims to serve—whether as a passionate student leader or simply as an aspiring candidate. “And I believe I have that quality. I have the heart to serve, the experience to lead.”
So what is a leader? Is it someone with the loudest applause, the sharpest speech, the cleanest slogan?
Leadership is not defined by flyers or promises. It is honed in the quiet choices, the unseen labor, the people who dare to lead with purpose and with heart—even when no one is watching.
As the campaign lights dim and the voting booths open, the choice is no longer theirs.
It’s yours.
Via: Ely Tolentino
Photos: Alexea Perias, Kauman Productions
Edit: Zandro Ragual, Athena Adlawan
