INTERVIEWS WITH YOUR FIRST YEAR REPRESENTATIVE CANDIDATES WHY RUN FOR FIRST YEAR REPRESENTATIVE? Odessa Agas (UPS): I want to be your voice. Syrum Quinto (NKE): I run for first year representative especially under NKE because I believe the principles of NKE — there is [a] mission to arouse, organize, and mobilize the students. Also as a first year representative, I want to voice out the voices of the people nga kanang nahadlok pa sila mo voice out sa ilang mga concerns. Also through NKE, masolusyonan na namo sa among principles. Nicole Carreon (UPS): I ran for first year representative because I was fueled by my family and the principles of UPS. I already had it in me but UPS woke it [up]. It was already sleeping but UPS woke it. UPS never fails to trigger sparks within me and to actually make a stand and they actually make me believe that I can make a change and now I actually think I can. Kis Ramos (NKE): I ran for (SC) first year representative for we believe in NKE that our capacity as a leader [kay] dili lang siya malimit sa usa ka organization and we believe that [the] student council is the highest form of representation.
WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS IF YOU DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH VOTES TO SIT ON THE STUDENT COUNCIL? Agas (UPS): Continue to serve. Quinto (NKE): In other words, kung mapilde mi, kung mapilde ko, I would still be loyal to my group, NKE. Di man pud tanan makatrabaho sa Student Council to represent the first year. Kung dili mi makasulod, we would still be engaging the students. We will still voice out their concerns. Carreon (UPS): I would still continue to serve. That is why i am here. I don’t need the council to prove that students can make a change. Not just one person can lead the student council so I will still serve. Ramos (NKE): Actually, [not] having enough votes is not on my mind. Winning here is. I’m always positive. [However] my plans would still be the same as what I have stated in my general programs of actions, which are about our pedestrian lane, our wifi, our facilities, and of course, my partner’s plan, to junk STS and demand for a full state subsidy and eradicate student repression.
HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE “BEING AN WHAT DO YOU THINK ARE YOUR MAIN QUALIFICATIONS TO SERVE IN PUBLIC OF- ACTIVIST”? FICE?
Agas (UPS): Activism has many forms, you know. It Agas (UPS): Great leadership. Serve the people not can be through lobbying, signature campaigns and etc. It is not all about kusog ang tingog kung dili, gi just for myself but for the sake of everybody. unsa pag gama og himo imo goals. Quinto (NKE): I have the nature to be a leader jud. Na discover na nako nga nature. I choose to be a leader. Quinto (NKE): Being an activist is mobilizing. NKE beGanahan ko mangitag problema, ganahan pud nako lieves in the mission of arousing, organizing, and mosolusyonan. Also, I want to serve in the public office, bilizing. To arouse is to give information about the sopublic jud. Ganahan ko i-collect ang mga concern sa ciety, the concerns and the problems. Also, to organize mga students ug unsa ilang mga problema, ug amo di man pud ta kutob sa pag-inform sa ilaha. We still tong itubag thorugh the Student Council. have to organize them through organizations which we Carreon (UPS): I think the only main qualification can briefly explain our solutions to the problems and needed is proper communication and the freedom also to mobilize them. So being an organization, we of information and the proper relay of information to have to mobilize the other student to the current mobimake them understand. lizations, particularly rally. We believe that rally is the Ramos (NKE): Of course, first of all, I have experi- highest form of mobilization. ences of being a leader way back in my high school and elementary years. Aside from that, I have this personal attributes that I’m very approachable and I’m open-minded. I’m open to all suggestions.
Q&A continued on the last page
HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE “BEING AN ACTIVIST”? (continued) Carreon (UPS): Being an activist just doesn’t mean rallies or demonstrations. The moment you exercise elections, the moment you vote, that is a form of student activism. Why? Because they are exercising their right to say that is what they want and that’s what activism is. Activism is something that you are not just accepting things because this is what we are and we want change. Ramos (NKE): [An] activist is not just being agitated, not just being violent. Activism is in your heart. If you know you are right, you should fight for it, as our motto, “ Tunay, Palaban at Makabayan.” WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR UP CEBU’S FACILITIES, EX. THE LACK OF CLASSROOMS? Agas (UPS): Improve it and examples would be like ayuhon ang mga bangko. Quinto (NKE): In plan ni siya sa among principle which is to Junk STS and rollback tuition fee, and also to fight for full state subsidy. Kay if you want to have full state subsidy kay daghan man kag maaddress-an nga mga problema such as the lack of classrooms, kuwangan og facilities. We have to pursue that goal jud nga pun-an ang subsidy sa education dinhi sa UP. Carreon (UPS): The reason why this is not an actual GPOA kay we checked it sa admin office. The reason why wala sad mi wifi and pedestrian sa among GPOA, it is originally in our old GPOA but we changed it because we realized we need to talk to the DPWH [regarding the pedestrian way]. I mean, it’s not easy because there is a bus stop and there is a reason nganong naa na siya dira karon. Second, sa wifi, there is not much we can do because there is already a new server coming and it is faster so when we talked to the admin, they said it is on the way na then its gonna get installed. So if we platform our wifi, it would not be because of us,
it would be because of OSA. Same reason sa facilities, it’s all OSA, its all the admin. The best we can do is probably just voice it out. There is an actual discussion sa OSA where you can talk and say this is what you want. You can just talk to the officials themselves and then you have it and you don’t need to include it in GPOA. Ramos (NKE): Unahon jud nato ang atong classrooms. Ang tarong na pintal, enough electric fans, ang aircons kay dili na guba, and if possible ang tanang rooms dili na daghan og windows kay aircon najud. Na ang atong [main] library mahuman na para dili na katag atong library. GIVE YOUR THOUGHTS ON YOUR OPPOSING CANDIDATES — WHICH CHARACTERISTIC DO THEY HAVE THAT YOU ADMIRE? Agas (UPS): They are palaban. Quinto (NKE): Katong ilahang five nga kamot nila nga sign, especially katong respect and sociability. Kinahanglan sad naa sa leader to have respect to your team mates or members especially sociability kay ma use siya in gathering information sa tibuok nga group. Mao na ang na admire nako sa ilaha. Carreon (UPS): No words can express how blessed i am to have my opponents because even if I win or even if I lose, I would know that the student body and the first years will be represented well because they are very very capable. They are very worthy. I don’t consider them as opponents. They are my friends even before this. They are all amazing, that is all I can say. Ramos (NKE): The characteristic I admire in them kay kanang respeto sila sa among tagsa tagsa na prinsipyo. And aside from that, dili nila i-take personally like what is politics, politics. Personal, that’s beyond politics.
ni Chichi Rodriguez Why do I feel like Freshmen Election gets lousier every year? Or is it because I’m getting farther away from freshness? Maybe that’s it. Anyway, I don’t really want to talk shiznette about those kids partly because I don’t want to break their fresh hearts but mostly because I don’t want to sound like I care about their existence. I’m too cool for those kids, you know. Helloowwwwww? I’m Chichi Rodriguez, remember? I’m just kidding. Half-kidding. Although I’m a little disappointed because kids these days have gotten blinder to the truth --- taking wrong sides for wrong reasons. Pretentious serbisyos are such judgment clouders, no? (I’m obviously on one side but can you tell which one? You can hate me for that but you can’t blame me. I’m sanctimonious just like them. I’m kidding again!) Hmmmm what else to talk about besides that one candidate who gives that skeptic raised-brows look? Ay ooops joke! Basig pasanginlan na sad ang Tug-ani nga mu take sides! Naa man gyud nay uban sad gud, insecure kaayo, tanan butang pangitaan ug bati. Ummm can you not? Trabaho lang, walang personalan. And also, can I just rant about how disappointed I am at one of the candidates who accused us of slavery just because we assigned freshmen Tug-ani members to do the live updating during the Grand Rally? I mean, how dumb is that. It was meant for training. How is that slavery? Ikog kos imong ka bright, gerl. And also, what is up with this candidate with the pixie cut? Is she trying to be the next Liezyl Gomez? Ummmm ok. Jokes! Bye, suckers! I (don’t) love you all. And remember: Think your political parties through!