By Kyle Pontillo
“You cannot truly influence without responsibility.”
—John Dave Manos, Mx. IIT Influencer 2025
Sweeping the floors of the MSU-IIT Gymnasium stage, CASS’ own John Dave Manos claimed the crown in the annual Mx. IIT Influencer with a landslide performance in PALAKASAN 2025. Hailing from the lush alps of Bukidnon and the ruby rings of Political Science, the sophomore arachnid tugged the crowd’s favor in his authentic and rooted display of genuine intent to bear the responsibility to influence.
After a month-long campaign, the pageant culminated in the dazzling first night of this year’s PALAKASAN, where Manos soared with no competition, because when you have sugar, spice, and a genuine advocacy: Project Lahutay! Victory is inevitable. Manos’ earnest hopes to glean opportunities to amplify and gather proper support for his project are beyond a mere prerequisite for the esteemed pageant, they are a lifelong commitment to being a changemaker for the indigenous community.
The margins of his five-year experience as an advocate lie in his work as the president of MSU-IIT Indigenous People Student Advocates (MIPSA), a student organization in the university that centers on initiatives to celebrate and provide legitimate opportunities for indigenous students and people. Former Mx. IIT Influencer 2024, Hannah Valerie Acama, sits as the vice-chair of the organization. MIPSA’s work is widely recognized within the institution and beyond, cementing itself with great promise despite its tender age, much like Manos’ run as CASS’ Official Mx. IIT Influencer 2025 Candidate.
“I am here in MSU-IIT, taking up an education that is only afforded to a privileged few, and I want to ensure that this education doesn’t just end with me. I want to give this education back to the communities, especially the indigenous communities, who have been historically marginalized, dispossessed, displaced, and stolen from.”
—Manos, in an interview for CASSayuran’s OTW
Manos reflected on the significance of taking up space as an indigenous individual, having grown up witnessing the surrender of his community to the plight they face. He walked in bold and unwavering steps of defiance, refusing to concede, and instead embodied a headstrong pursuit to uplift the community he so treasures. He sustained this weight on the night of the pageant, with a confident shoulder and a snap of the heel, he pranced into the night with bashful but passionate eyes for the coveted platform of Mx. IIT Influencer.
The first mark of his victory in the pageant proper was his advocacy ensemble, which showcased an intricate replica of the MSU-IIT entrance gate alongside MIPSA, with indigenous students lined up in their graduation gowns. Dressed in his traditional Lumad garment, he performed a dance close to home. “LUMAD LAHUTAY,” his message called from the polish of his tailored cape, as he broke into tears at the vigor of the crowd’s cheers.
Advancing to the Top 3, Manos stepped onto the podium as the most awarded candidate thus far, bagging the Best in Closed Door Interview, Taburnok’s Choice Corporate Award, Best Advocacy Ensemble, and Best Advocacy Speech. Despite the competition going back to zero, Manos had already proven himself to be more than worthy of bearing the most prestigious pageant title in MSU-IIT.
During the final Question and Answer portion, he delivered a powerful response:
“I believe that to answer this question, we must look at the word ‘Influencer’ first, and I would like to emphasize (to) one letter, ‘R,’ in ‘Influencer,’ and it’s ‘Responsibility.’ Responsibility of using your platform wisely. As a Political Science student, I always believed in using your platforms, in using your voice, to initiate communital (communal) changes, to initiate political changes in your own ways, because I believe that in order to become a successful influencer, you’re not just only influencing through the things that you already know, but also into listening to other people. So I believe that it is also important to have ‘empathic listening’ when you are an influencer to make sure that when you are joining or engaging in to discourse, you are not marginalizing other thoughts, you are not marginalizing other people and their opinions, because empathic listening allows you to listen to the person and not just listen to argue, because at the end of the day, we all live in the same societal spectrum, we all live in the same societies, and it’s very important that as (a) people and as influencers, you use your platform wisely, you use your voice wisely. And so, I end this statement with a very important knowledge and a very important quote, that, ‘you cannot truly influence without responsibility,’ thank you.”
As the crowd rumbled in anticipation of who would be crowned the newest supreme, Townsville alighted in green once again, claimed by the College of Arts and Social Sciences! The full circle of Manos’ run as a candidate anticipated a legacy that may equal or surpass his predecessor’s genuine work in the Mx. IIT Influencer platform.
Manos reflected on the significance of taking up space as an indigenous individual, having grown up witnessing the surrender of his community to the plight they face. He walked in bold and unwavering steps of defiance, refusing to concede, and instead embodied a headstrong pursuit to uplift the community he so treasures. He sustained this weight on the night of the pageant, with a confident shoulder and a snap of the heel, he pranced into the night with bashful but passionate eyes for the coveted platform of Mx. IIT Influencer.
The first mark of his victory in the pageant proper was his advocacy ensemble, which showcased an intricate replica of the MSU-IIT entrance gate alongside MIPSA, with indigenous students lined up in their graduation gowns. Dressed in his traditional Lumad garment, he performed a dance close to home. “LUMAD LAHUTAY,” his message called from the polish of his tailored cape, as he broke into tears at the vigor of the crowd’s cheers.
Advancing to the Top 3, Manos stepped onto the podium as the most awarded candidate thus far, bagging the Best in Closed Door Interview, Taburnok’s Choice Corporate Award, Best Advocacy Ensemble, and Best Advocacy Speech. Despite the competition going back to zero, Manos had already proven himself to be more than worthy of bearing the most prestigious pageant title in MSU-IIT.
During the final Question and Answer portion, he delivered a powerful response:
“I believe that to answer this question, we must look at the word ‘Influencer’ first, and I would like to emphasize (to) one letter, ‘R,’ in ‘Influencer,’ and it’s ‘Responsibility.’ Responsibility of using your platform wisely. As a Political Science student, I always believed in using your platforms, in using your voice, to initiate communital (communal) changes, to initiate political changes in your own ways, because I believe that in order to become a successful influencer, you’re not just only influencing through the things that you already know, but also into listening to other people. So I believe that it is also important to have ‘empathic listening’ when you are an influencer to make sure that when you are joining or engaging in to discourse, you are not marginalizing other thoughts, you are not marginalizing other people and their opinions, because empathic listening allows you to listen to the person and not just listen to argue, because at the end of the day, we all live in the same societal spectrum, we all live in the same societies, and it’s very important that as (a) people and as influencers, you use your platform wisely, you use your voice wisely. And so, I end this statement with a very important knowledge and a very important quote, that, ‘you cannot truly influence without responsibility,’ thank you.”
As the crowd rumbled in anticipation of who would be crowned the newest supreme, Townsville alighted in green once again, claimed by the College of Arts and Social Sciences! The full circle of Manos’ run as a candidate anticipated a legacy that may equal or surpass his predecessor’s genuine work in the Mx. IIT Influencer platform.
Congratulations, Jhon Dave Manos, our Mx. IIT Influencer 2025!
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