With numerous positions in the college council still left vacant, Brianna Danielle Orcena was officially appointed as the new Executive President of the De La Salle Lipa (DLSL) Student Government (SG) during the turnover ceremony at Signum Fidei: Service and Governance Awards 2025, held at the Aquamarine Recreational Center, June 28.
During her acceptance speech, Orcena expressed she was surprised upon learning about her next role, but with the help of her colleagues, she understood how one must lead regardless of their doubts.
“In the months leading up to this moment, it often felt like my soul had left my body. […] It took me a while to process everything […] But here’s what I learned […] it’s okay to do it scared. Fear doesn’t disqualify us from leadership,” said Orcena.
Furthermore, Orcena also took a moment to congratulate and empower the other incoming SG officers to face what is ahead of them as the new officials.
“To my fellow incoming officers, there will be fears, there will be pressure, and there will be moments where we question ourselves, but I hope that we always return to our core, to the reason why we choose to serve,” shared Orcena.
However, the rest of the Executive Council remains incomplete, with no one seated for the Executive Auditor, Secretary for Publications and Promotion, and Secretary for Sports, Culture, and Arts. Meanwhile, Governors for each college department have been successfully appointed.
In an interview with Lavoxa Online, outgoing Executive President Yna Melarie Bobadilla shared her insights towards the outcome of the election and how both the SG officers and Commission on Elections (COMELEC) will improve future voter turnouts.
“It would be disheartening to see ‘yung naging election since most of the candidates failed. [Upon] reflecting naman on what happened, the Student Government and COMELEC [will] do better para we can [encourage] the students to vote and to choose their leaders wisely,” Bobadilla said.
Moreover, Bobadilla also stated that in order to fill in the vacant positions, the SG had decided to use an appointment process in coordination with the COMELEC.
“We’ve decided to conduct it by appointment; Based s’ya sa nakasulat sa isang section ng constitution ng Student Government […] Kung paano ‘yung appointment last year is ganun din ‘yung naging process; consulted with COMELEC and all. It will depend on them kung may [babaguhin] sila or [may] gusto silang i-retain,” Bobadilla said.
In spite of the current challenges in the selection of new officials, incumbent SG officers concluded their term with numerous major and minor awards, with each council also receiving their respective recognitions.
