JC’s Story

“Leadership is not an ability or a skill; it is a spirit. It is a spirit that transforms a leader from common to astonishing.”

-John Carlo M. Masajo, 2004 Inaugural Speech

A student leader, campus journalist, and students’ rights advocate, John Carlo Masajo or “Carlo/John/JC” has committed himself to the promotion of student concerns, either in his very own university or in any other university around the world. For him, the best thing we can learn from school is fighting for the truth, the good, and the righteous no matter what the price.

Hailing from a small clan in Batangas, JC has been a consistent fighter. His father died early and his mother works for a pharamceutical sales company in Manila. With no siblings and only a mother to cling on, JC has learned to work things out on his own; enrolling alone, eating alone, fighting long and tiring battles alone. He often engages in debates with older people during his grade school days and with his teachers during his high school days. He always fought for whatever is in his mind.

He finished grade school at St. John’s Academy, San Juan, with a consistent citation as Best in HEKASI (grade school equivalent of Social Studies) and Co-Curricular Activities, a testament to his energy and awareness. He was Senior Patrol Leader of Troop 36, the oldest Boy Scout Troop in the country, and held the position for two years. He was a consistent class officer and a known young leader among his batchmates. His grade school days paved the way for the start of his pro-student advocacy – fighting for students without P.E. uniform when he was in garde 5. This also gave way to his first suspension.

High school proved to be a much tougher arena for J.C. He got expelled from St. John’s Academy in 2001, forcing him to transfer to Florida Institute. After a year, he was admitted to Espiritu Santo Parochial School. This expanded his arena for students’ rights advocacy. And in 2004, after a hard-fought battle with two of his friends, he won the Student Council presidency with a very competitive margin.

In his inaugural speech, J.C. has let loose of his view on leadership. “LEADERSHIP IS NOT AN ABILITY NOR A SKILL; IT IS A SPIRIT. IT IS A SPIRIT THAT TRANSFORMS ONE FROM COMMON TO ASTONISHING.” And he has continued on fighting for the students during those days.

High school also introduced him to what will become his favorite deed; writing. He wrote speeches as President, and became a columnist and editor for the school paper, an unprecedented feat for a president who was not originally from that school.

College came, and J.C. got admitted to pursue journalism in the University of Santo Tomas-Manila. There, he has only continued his advocacies, getting criticism and ridicule from friends, foes, and even his professors. He affiliated himself with DEKADA, and fought for students’ rights in his faculty until his debarment in 2006.

He decided to take a break after the debarment to focus on his advocacy work. He co-convened Y-PAD, and became one of the conveners of “SIGAW NG BAYAN”, a network of charter change supporters. He also founded “PAYONG”,a youth group and “PAN-GAY”, a gay group. All these exist until today.

In 2007, he decided to return to UST to pursue a degree in Painting. He was a dean’s lister and an outstanding student. He was offered the post of editor-in-chief of HIRAYA Magazine, but was removed and discredited after discovering an anomaly. He now fights several cases, all unfounded and only intended to stop him from speaking his mind.

When not at school, he is working on poetry and paintings. He currently busies himself by chairing the Juniors for Change Movement, a small non-government organization operating in his municipality, the municipality of Cainta.