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Rafael Pesueña agreed to an interview amidst a sea of campaign engagements that had left him anchored at UST, navigating through the choppy waters of election season.

Pesueña, a marketing management sophomore, has thrown his hat into the ring and is running for the position of Treasurer in the Central Student Council (CSC).

Experience and expertise

His current position as Executive Coordinator to the current academic year's Treasurer, Benjamin Amper IV, has given him valuable experience and insight into the responsibilities of the position. Pesueña has already spent two years in the council which exposed him to the technicalities of the finance processes and handling sponsorships.

"I was in charge of handling committees under treasurer [...] committees such as crisis management, finance, partnerships and sponsorships [...] I've handled financial paperworks and was on top of communicating with the Office for Student Affairs and Office of the Vice Rector for Finance," he told TomasinoWeb in an interview.

As a marketing management sophomore, Pesueña is confident that he can fulfill the duties of the position and implement his advocacies and proposed projects for the benefit of the Thomasian community.

"I know I'm more than capable of handling the responsibilities of the technical positions of being a treasurer," he assured.

Core and advocacies

Pesueña advocates for career development, student representation, and policy-driven initiatives. He aims to expand career possibilities, identify student skill gaps, and create programs for students to maximize their potential.

Similar to Amper's project "TALA: Jumpstarting Dreams," which aimed to provide graduating students with essential information on tax-paying and job applications, Pesuena also shares Amper's commitment to career development and has proposed several initiatives that could bring meaningful change and progress to the council.

While Pesueña is yet to develop a specific plan to support students who are having difficulty in adjusting to the transition, he said that in order to address this problem, he would work with the local student councils and listen to the plight of the students.

Nevertheless, Pesueña said that he will always be open for thoughts and suggestions as well as positive changes on his platforms for the betterment of all Thomasians. Concerns beyond his proposed projects and advocacies will be welcomed when elected in the Council.

"Yes, I do believe na pwede ka mag go beyond your own constitutional duties as long as you're respecting the boundaries between your co-officers," he guaranteed.

Setting priorities

Pesueña is supportive of the revision of the 2003 CSC Constitution, he emphasized that his focus is progress for the Council and the University.

Pesueña has made it clear that his top priorities, when elected as Treasurer, can be summarized in three key areas: (1) addressing the lack of student opportunities for the application of skills and knowledge, (2) improving accessibility of information about the finance processes within the Council, and (3) resolving communication issues between the Council and the administration.

In addition to his advocacies, Pesueña has proposed two projects. The 'Thomasian Case Week' aims to build bridges for opportunities and establish meaningful connections between Thomasians and different organizations across various fields. His second project, 'ReAlign: Treasurer's Manual', aims to establish a Treasurer's manual that would contain the finance operations of the UST CSC as well as the systems of local student councils and organizations.

Projects onboard

When asked on how his proposed Treasurer's Manual would possibly fit into the Constitution revision, he said that the manual's primary objective is to enhance transparency and accessibility of information about the council's finances, and hence it does not require integration into the Constitution.

In contrast, Pesueña had to defend the significance of the Thomasian Case Week, as the panel expressed concerns that the University was already providing similar services.

Pesueña highlighted that it would offer a unique educational experience for students, enabling them to apply and showcase their acquired knowledge and skills.

"The fact na it's the best of two worlds dahil hindi lang tayo nag i-invite ng mga local businesses para mag entertain the students, but nabibigyan din natin sila ng opportunity for our students to present their projects. " he said.

Pesueña emphasized that a candidate's integrity is paramount in fulfilling their duties as Treasurer, as well as being a necessary quality for members of the Local Student Council, who must serve as representatives of the student body with honesty and transparency.

The next CSC Treasurer, as he put it, "should have integrity above all things."