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Though seen as a challenging year, Arianne Meg P. Esguerra described her fourth year as her “last dance” in serving the student body as she serves her second term as the School of Computing (SoC) – Commission of Student Organization (CSO) Commissioner, having been re-elected during an election last May 18, 2026, as well as Chairperson of the CSO on May 30, 2026 — retaining both of her positions from the previous academic year.

The election on May 18 was conducted by the SoC Governor Louise Jackson Oraye in accordance with Article X, Section 2(b) of the HAUSG Constitution. Esguerra was nominated by Code Geeks and Amazon Web Services Student Builder Groups (AWS-SBG), and elected as CSO-SoC Commissioner with the unanimous consent without objections of all present by a motion from Alison Sampang (representative from AWS-SBG and president of the League of Outstanding Programmers). Whereas on May 30, a secret ballot election resulted in 7-1-1—facilitated by COMELEC’s School of Business and Accountancy Commissioner Francine Jayne Cunanan—Esguerra was chosen to serve for another term as CSO Chairperson.

For Sampang, the motion for unanimous vote was a reflection of reality; recalling her time as the SoC Finance councilor especially when she’d have a question with the airtable submissions and other processes required.  “…It was just natural to me, to do that [motion for unanimous vote],” highlighting her motivation towards her motion.

Public office is a public trust — a quote that requires dedication and alignment, SoC Governor Oraye emphasized her “indispensable support,” for Esguerra’s contributions that have been vital for maintaining the department’s accreditation through her consistent reminders and proactive engagement. From her outstanding track record, HAU COMELEC Representative Mr. Arnold Alejo Nunag shared his confidence in Esguerra’s first-term experience; it gives them an assurance as they look forward to collaborating in Academic Year 2026-2027. 

Despite the overwhelming support from various learner groups, Esguerra admitted that she did not anticipate that she will be given another year to serve, as she revealed that a proposed constitutional revision was denied – pertaining to the establishment of CSO tenures.  She was grateful to the people who entrust, placing their faith in her and recognizing and believing in her capabilities amid her previous shortcomings. She shared, “naglolook forward ako na mas magiging productive yun year na ito, compared sa [last] term na medyo nangangapa ako.”

As her time in the previous term was brought up, she did not hesitate to share how  some activities in the past leaned toward idealistic rather than being realistic. Although there were successful events, one of the disadvantages of idealism led to the cancellation of some.

Beyond the issues in event planning, Esguerra did not sway the administrative friction that clouded her first term. The continuous hearsay in the campus suggesting that the commissioners were unreachable, unhelpful or failed in guiding the student organization in their paper works. These issues had caused several learner groups to bypass the commissioner and direct their concern directly to the Office of the Student Affairs (OSA). With that, one of her priorities that is currently being addressed  in her second term is rebuilding the line communication between commissioner and learner groups.

A systematic action is required to bridge the gap, Esguerra outlined the goals, plans, and actions this academic year. Her immediate priority is to ensure that every department commissioner establishes a direct communication with their respective learner groups — as for her, she will start with the SoC organizations like CG, CSIA, LOOP, AWS, Multimedia Aficionados For Interested Artists (MAFIA), The Access Point (AP), and College Student Council of the School of Computing (CSC-SoC). In addition, she also targets the paperwork process early on, enforcing standardized, and fixing timeframes during Plan of Action defenses so that the issues will be addressed and tackled properly.

While leading the CSO is undeniably a ton of work to do with the heavy loads and demanding schedule, for Esguerra, this is an opportunity to prove the true weight of student governance. With the lessons she has already faced and grown, her ultimate goal extends beyond managing daily paperworks — by focusing her second term for open communication and deep trust from the organization — she aims to transform the commission into a genuine partner for growth. Certainly, she hopes a sustainable and beneficial for leaders, a blueprint that will uplift the current and upcoming campus leaders. 

by George Jefferson Cheng