Anonymous John Doe resigned from his post in El Consejo Atenista (ECA)—and no one in the student body cares or was bothered by it.
With all the reasons for resignations stated by past student leaders as posted in ECA’s social media platforms, in which the current ECA President also confirmed in an interview last September 2020, John Doe expresses otherwise in his exclusive Tea Party. “I believe that there are more reasons behind the resignation of ECA officers. What I can conclude is that ECA is not a unified student government,” John Doe said hoping that coming to The BEACON would show what ECA is behind closed doors. He added that such actions and behaviors of his fellow ECA officers should no longer be tolerated.
Other than the reasons communicated in the resignation letters, John Doe said that his fellow officers had a hard time doing their work passionately because of the environment that ECA has and that there were more resignations not disclosed. Was John Doe just exposing the rotten parts of ECA to justify his resignation? Or did his sentiment further suggest that other student leaders be ousted? Whether John Doe’s reports are true or not, what we are only sure of is that John Doe genuinely cared about the student body.
John Doe who had once shared the same passion with fellow student leaders quit because of the very same people that he had worked with. Given that the student council is a microcosm of the government, the good ones and the bad ones would naturally coexist. John Doe’s resignation may have something to do with the internal conflicts inside ECA, but what John Doe failed to do was to acknowledge the different views, values, and personality clashes that preexisted when he crossed the threshold. ECA is not as vulnerable as him.
John Doe blowing the whistle from the inside tells us more about the importance of leaders like him. These leaders are oftentimes branded as “Pabibo” by the same students they serve with. John Doe was once a Pabibo. The term “Pabibo” does not intend to downgrade leaders but is used to describe a student leader who has a strong desire to stand for the student body and is not showing off the status gained from doing so. But what happens when these Pabibo people take off their rose-colored glasses and throw them out somewhere? When Pabibo people no longer answer the call to lead, we become leaderless. And when we become leaderless, how will we move forward? How will others survive on their own when they don’t have someone to depend on? We need leaders who would fight and protect us as a pack. As much as ECA places emphasis on #ConsejoCares, maybe practicing cura personalis within their organization should be highlighted first before moving on to the student body. If ECA could have been a little kinder to John Doe, maybe he didn’t have to leave.
With the ECA Elections coming up, John Doe’s hope for an enhanced student government lies in our votes as we, too, cling onto the same hope. Now, more than ever, we need a strong representation of the student body that understands and stands for us. Don’t fall for verbose words used during campaigns because it differs from what they do once elected. Make these leaders accountable for their promises before they could even file for resignation. But if they did resign, let us not forget that these student leaders are students too. More than the dismays expressed in the resignations, appreciations for their hard work wouldn’t hurt. For now, what we can only sigh about is that gone are the Pabibo people.
