Lack of real competition, political parties in UST student polls alarming

There has been a persistent pattern of dwindling interest and a decrease in the number of candidates participating in the UST Central Student Council (CSC) elections. The reason for this occurrence can be attributed to various factors, such as the inadequate promotion of the student elections, the absence of political parties and opposition, and the arduous process and prerequisites for filing candidacy. Especially significant is the fact that the UST Commission on Elections (Comelec) has persisted with its antiquated methods despite the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, and this has remained the case until the present time, even with the resumption of face-to-face classes.

For this year’s CSC Executive Board elections, the campaign period coincided with examination days for many students. This is particularly problematic in the hybrid setup because students may not be aware of the campaign period as they are focused on their academic requirements.

Additionally, most of the campaigns and election-related events are now limited to online platforms, which means the traditional “classroom campaigns” are no longer happening. Unfortunately, the Comelec has not taken advantage of this shift to the virtual environment. Its online information campaign has been subpar, and it has not succeeded in capturing the attention of students. As a result, there is a higher probability that voters are not well-informed about the candidates’ platforms in the current virtual setup nor the proposed charter change all outgoing student council officers and candidates are supportive of.

To assist in educating voters and guide Thomasian students in making wise choices for their next leaders, the Varsitarian is publishing this Botomasino issue—the first to be printed amid the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition to exclusive stories and interviews on our website, varsitarian. net, and social media pages related to the CSC polls, we believe it is crucial to continue distributing Botomasino through multiple platforms to reach as many people as possible. This ensures that Thomasians have access to information about the elections and can make informed decisions. Even though this year’s candidates may be running unopposed, it is important to remember that their victories should not be automatic. When candidates are running without opposition, it diminishes the significance of having a choice in the election.

The upcoming CSC will have a significant responsibility in policymaking and collaborating with UST administrators to establish guidelines for in-person classes and the school’s return to normal operations. Therefore, it is crucial for students to be informed about what is happening, especially with the proposed changes toeaningful progress.

Moreover, we urge the OSA to refrain from using its typical oppressive tactics and instead empower student politics. Many batches of CSC officers have been speaking out against such repression, and for the advancement of student politics, the OSA should be receptive to a wider range of ideas. the CSC charter.

While we promote the need for Thomasians to stay informed about the student polls through this Botomasino issue, we urge the UST Comelec to be innovative and devise methods to enhance student participation in student politics: No more to virtual elections! The Comelec’s outdated approach is

THE ABSENCE of political parties in the last three student elections has led to a streak of “unopposed candidacies,” a phenomenon that can indicate the diminishing interest of Thomasians in becoming student leaders and declining student-government quality.

In 2019, one of the lowest voter turnouts was recorded in the history of UST campus elections. Moreover, all candidates ran unopposed except for the secretary. In 2020, the UST Commission on Elections (Comelec) did not grant accreditation to any political party. The application of Lakas Tomasino Coalition (LTC) and Student’s Alliance for the Advancement of Democratic Rights in UST (Stand-UST) were denied by the Comelec because they allegedly did not meet the basic criteria, such as having at least 50 members and two representatives from 15 faculties, colleges, schools, or institutes.

The upcoming Halalan 2023 election nearly broke the trend of scarce candidates, as all positions were filled and two positions had at least two candidates for the first time in three years. However, vice presidential candidate Angelo de la Cruz and secretary candidate Peter Estalilla pulled out of the race, resulting in the remaining independent candidates running uncontested.

FAITH NICOLE S. GELACIO

disqualification of potential candidates for minor reasons. Even Nathan Agustin, the current CSC president, almost lost his position due to his failure to provide a temporary transcript of records, which is mandated by the UST Students’ Election Code of 2011. Although Comelec’s intention to impose strict requirements on student politics may have been well-intentioned, it has resulted in a decrease in students’ interest in running for office in the long term.

To encourage more students to participate in student politics, political parties must be reintroduced to the political landscape. Running for office without any reliable financial, moral, or material support can be daunting for students, and political parties can provide this much-needed assistance. Additionally, political parties can help groom and train student leaders, creating a clear line of succession among their members.

detrimental to the student body, particularly with the already-restrictive Office for Student Affairs (OSA).

We anticipate that our next group of student leaders will deliver on their commitments. As the charter change is proposed, we expect a change of era, and the new student leaders should capitalize on this opportunity to bring about meaningful progress.

Moreover, we urge the OSA to refrain from using its typical oppressive tactics and instead empower student politics. Many batches of CSC officers have been speaking out against such repression, and for the advancement of student politics, the OSA should be receptive to a wider range of ideas.

The absence of opposition renders the yearly “Tagisan” meaningless, as there is no intellectual discourse happening. As a matter of fact, the candidates only needed to win against “abstain.” Over the past three years, UST’s student politics has witnessed a decrease in the number of candidates, which was caused by the Comelec’s expulsion of political parties from the elections, resulting in uncontested candidacies.

This trend in unopposed candidacies is not new as no political parties are being accredited to join the elections. Despite being discussed in numerous articles and opinion pieces, this issue has worsened, exacerbated by the apparent lack of concern from the student body, UST Comelec, and the Office of Student Affairs.

In 2020, no political parties were able to become candidates because they didn’t meet the required number of members and representatives. The Comelec en banc refused to extend the deadline, citing the “several consid- erations” that had already been given to the parties. However, the Comelec failed to realize that the procedural requirements were too burdensome for those who wanted to file their Certificate of Candidacies (COCs). The minimum membership and representative counts were difficult to achieve for these parties, as evidenced by the low number of sign-ups. Continuing to reject the accreditation of political parties causes more harm than good, as without them, unopposed candidates will continue to be elected, which negatively impacts student governance. Comelec, the administrative body responsible for overseeing electoral matters in UST, should have understood this.

The decline in political parties and the number of candidates can be attributed to Comelec’s cumbersome accreditation process. Comelec’s stringent requirements have led to the

The Comelec should consider extending the election season to accommodate more student candidates. This would allow for a more significant number of students to participate and engage in student politics. An extended election season would also give potential candidates more time to prepare and campaign effectively, which can be challenging, especially during the pandemic when most activities are limited to virtual platforms. This would also allow students to become more informed about the candidates and their platforms, thereby encouraging more informed voting.

The Comelec needs to review its rules to revive student politics in UST. When there are only unopposed candidates during campaigns, voters are only exposed to a single perspective, which can lead them to easily adopt the candidates’ views without being critical. The Comelec should realize how crucial it is to bring back political parties to counter the trend of unopposed candidacies and to revive Thomasian involvement in campus democracy.