Tinig ng Plaridel Special IssueThe UP Diliman Student Council ElectionsCoverage of The Official Student Publicationof the UP College of Mass Communcation.27 April 2016. Vol.XXXVII. No. 4. tinigngplaridel.net tinigngplaridel

BOTONG ISKO 2016

by Anton Onato

THE STUDENT ALLIANCE FOR THE Advancement of Democratic Rights in UP (STAND UP) dominates this year’s University Student Council (USC) elections after clinching the top two positions along with seven councilor seats and 10 college rep-resentative posts.

STAND UP chairperson candi-date Bryle Leano garnered 5,840 votes, besting independent Ray-mond Rodis and UP ALYANSA’s AJ Montesa who garnered 3,603 and 2,079 votes, respectively.

Leano broke the record of Arjay

Mercado (USC Chairperson, 2014-2015) of 5,145 votes as for the USC’s top post earning the most number of votes in recent years.

Meanwhile, Asian Studies grad-uate student Beata Carolino is next year’s USC vice chairperson with a whopping 8,409 votes against lone opponent Vince Liban’s 2,798 votes.

Carolino got the highest vote ever received by a vice chairperson candidate since 2000.

STAND UP’s Ben Te topped the councilor race with 5,383 votes. Other elected councilors from STAND UP are Donn Bernal with 4,606 votes, Micah Tolosa with

4,541 votes, Shari Oliquino with 4,530 votes, Niki Esguerra with 3, 973 votes, Arvin Alba with 3,656 votes and Marie Navea-Huff with 3,613 votes.

On the other hand, KAISA- Nag-kakaisang Iskolar para sa Paman-tasan at Sambayanan (KAISA UP) won two councilor seats as LA Cas-tro and Rafael Toribio earned 4,049 votes and 3,569 votes, respectively.

UP Alyansa ng mga Mag-aaral para sa Panlipunang Katwiran at Kaunlaran (UP ALYANSA), mean-while, obtained one councilor seat as Magnolia del Rosario reaped 3,605 votes.

Completing the councilor lists are independent candidates Patrick Sicat and RJ Belen with 4, 259 and 3, 633 votes, respectively.

STAND UP was also victorious in the college representatives race clinching 10 of 21 seats. UP ALYAN-SA held four seats, independent candidates won six, while KAISA UP took one.

The total voter turnout for the 2016 UP Diliman Student Council Elections is 49.126% a little lower than last year’s 51.24%.

Of the 26,021 student popula-tion, only 12,783 students voted on Thursday. ●

STAND UP dominates USC electionsStudent Alliance for the Advancement of Democratic Rights in UP (STAND UP) standard-bearers Bryle Leano and Beata Carolino will lead next year’s University Student Council after clinching its top two posts. PHOTO BY ALLAN YVES BRIONES

STAND-UP sweeps the majority of the USC seats with seven winning councilor candidates and ten victo-rious college representatives.

Meanwhile, two councilor seats are won by candidates from KAISA while UP ALYANSA.

Independent candidates Belen and Sicat also make the cut.

Infographic by Gene Paolo Gumagay

USC ELECTIONSThe Next USC and Your College Representatives

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2 TINIG NG PLARIDEL 4.27.16

OPINION

Represent and serve Tinig ng Plaridel Botong Isko Team

SY 2015-2016Anton Onato

Editor-in-Chief

Yvette MoralesAssociate Editor

Nicole-Anne LagrimasManaging Editor

Krysten Mariann BoadoBotong Isko Head

Gene Paolo GumagayCreative Director

Gabrielle Anne EndonaLayout Artist

Inna Christine Cabel Visual Data

Judielyn AguaJeuel Barroso

Allan Yves BrionesShara Cayetano

Frances Josephine EspesoAlysha Nacino

Maria Luisa PinedaPathricia Ann Roxas

Chin SamsonGabriel Sante

David Tristan YumolBei Zamora

Botong Isko Team

Allan Yves BrionesAlanis Zoe Magbanua

Gabriel SantePhotographers

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The results for this year’s Student Council Elections (SC) brought back dominance of the Students for the Advancement of Democratic Rights in UP (STAND UP), the biggest swing to the

reds since 2011 where they last swept seats and became the majority in the University Student Council (USC).

Aside from clinching the two topmost posts in the USC, STAND UP also managed to nick seven councilor seats and 10 college department representative positions.

Meanwhile, two slots were clinched by opposing political party KAISA-Nagkakaisang Iskolar para sa Pamantasan at Sambayanan, who only fielded in six candidates this year while UP Alyansa ng mga Mag-aaral para sa Panlipunang Katwiran at Kaunlaran (UP ALYANSA) managed to win one councilor post.

Two independent candidates also made the cut in this year’s SCE: sophomore law student Patrick Sicat and incumbent National College of Public Administration and Governance (NCPAG) representative to the USC RJ Belen both secured councilor seats, ranking fifth and ninth out of 32 councilor hopefuls, respectively.

Compared to the previous year’s results, this year’s outcome is more diverse with all three political parties as well as independent candidates being represented, thus further raising expectations for a more inclusive student representation, with politicking down to a minimum, if not abolishment, and student service prioritized above all else.

The implementation, or non-implementation, of the platforms of the winning parties and candidates will be closely monitored and the officers of the USC will be held accountable for their action and inaction, as they should, given that they represent a 26,000-strong student body, 49.126 percent of which cast their votes in the April 21 polls.

The UP student body has been at the forefront of upholding not only student rights, but also democratic rights, and with the upcoming appointment of a new UP president and an election of a new Philippine president, the USC must be at the heart of the socio-political discourse to further advance these rights along with the aims of the student body for a progressive and inclusive USC. It must continue defending the university’s public character and keep fighting for accessible and quality education that Iskolars ng Bayan deserve.

However, the USC must not only challenge the pressing problems of the campus. It must also drive a stake at the problems of society and fight against them, tying the struggles of the education and youth sectors to the greater struggle lying outside the corners of the university.

Besides the need to go beyond UP, the USC must also be grounded with its constituents.

It needs to be open-minded and approachable to the ideas of the studentry and entertain the plight or opinion of every student so that it may fulfill its duty in representing the student body. It must understand that not every student shares the same belief, and it must seek to hear out dissenting opinions in order to further improve their stands or promote hearty discussions for the betterment of both the Council and the students, the sectors they serve.

The saying ‘UP Politics is a reflection of Philippine Politics’ cannot be farther from the truth. Politicians in Malacañang, Congress, and in local government units are not campaigning to be given positions of power to be able to serve their constituents, but to maintain dominance over their peers in the upper echelons of society and their communities through politico-financial supremacy.

UP politics is different. S u r e, t h e y m ay b e c a m p a i g n i n g f o r

dominance, but it is a dominance of a higher level—the constant political battles here in Diliman stem from the need to have their voices heard and to skew the discourse towards the majority, which should not be the case for a council that claims to represent and serve its students.

The almost-total dominance of one party in Diliman for the past few years cannot possibly represent the ideas of all of Diliman. The constant exchanges and nightly meetings inside their office in Vinzons have turned into mere games of numbers.

This is the reason why lesser and lesser students take part in university politics, because they feel that the USC is not working for them and does not represent their ideologies.

This year, the voter turnout for the SCE is less than half of the student population, yielding a 49.126 percent. It is alarming that such result in a university where critical thought and action is upheld persists, and it is even more alarming that its previous leaders have seized to promote discourse and preferred domination of ideologies over genuine representation.

Now that we have chanced upon a more diverse council for next year, there is a greater call for transparency and inclusivity. The USC cannot be a mere passive machine that represents the views of the few and serves the needs of the ruling minority.

To next year’s University Student Council, your challenge is simple: be transparent, be representative, and serve the people.

3TINIG NG PLARIDEL 4.27.16

BOTONG ISKO

CMC parties bare campaign expenses STAND UP CMC, UP CMC ISA express differing views on spending regulation

by Nicole-Anne Lagrimas

THE COLLEgE MASS COMMUNICA-tion chapter of the Student Alliance for the Advancement of Democratic Rights in UP (STAND UP CMC) re-ported a total fund of P10,900 for the two-week campaign.

Meanwhile, the UP CMC Interde-pendent Student-Centered Activ-ism (UP CMC ISA) filed a budget of P30,000.

According to their most recent financial statements, both parties sourced their funds for this year’s campaign from alumni and member donations, and in the case of STAND UP, candidates’ fees. UP CMC ISA also relied on income-generating projects such as a rummage and a food sale.

“Tingin ko, naging sapat lang naman yung gastos para sa buong kampanya para dun sa pangangail-angan,” said Justine Siscar, Chair-

person of STAND UP CMC. “Hindi rin siya lumalabis at in-

eensure na batay rin sa kakayahan nung mga members at candidates yung contributions na binibigay nila,” she added.

Member contributions for STAND UP CMC figure at P2,950 while alum-ni solicitations are at P5,500, which constitutes 50 percent of the par-ty’s budget. Candidates’ fees are at P2,450.

Other expenses of the party, such as thematic posters and pins fall on the university-wide finances and are distributed among the local chap-ters, added Siscar.

On the other hand, UP CMC ISA’s budget came mainly from an in-dividual donation worth P20,000, which consists of 67 percent of the party’s total funds. The remaining P10,000 came from their earnings in a food sale and a rummage sale.

The budget allotted for the cam-

paign changes every year, said Dianne Olivan, UP CMC ISA’s cam-paign manager.

“What we do before [the elections] is we try to earn money by selling stuff, then that money, regardless of its amount, malaki man o maliit, will be used for the elections,” she add-ed. They also resort to contributions from members to sustain finances.

Expenses of both parties mainly include operating expenses such as rent for the campaign house, food, groceries and printing and repro-duction of publicity/propaganda materials.

Specifications on the type and size of campaign materials are stip-ulated in the University Student Electoral Code, as is a clean-up bond of P1,500 for university-wide parties and P500 for individual candidates to ensure that they promptly clear the campus of their campaign ma-terials one week after the elections.

There is no provision on spend-ing, however, which is something the two local parties seem to have differing views on.

“Mahalaga naman nagiging self-regulating yung mga partido para siguraduhin na hindi lumala-bis yung gastos nila kaysa mayroon pa na mga provisions sa electoral code. Sa totoo lang kasi, you can only spend so much for a two-week campaign, lalo na for local slates,” said Siscar.

Meanwhile, Olivan said, “We believe that we are in need of such provision, to give an equal footing among the political parties.”

“Similarly, we are a small polit-ical party of 30 members, and we know that our opposite is a big one, and probably has more access to more resources. We need a certain provision that will limit our spend-ing din para pantay ang starting point,” she added.

BREAKDOWN OF CAMPAIGN SPENDINGSTAND UP CMC UP CMC ISA

SOURCES OF CAMPAIGN FUNDSSTAND UP CMC UP CMC ISA

In retrospect: USC Campaign spending in 2015

by Nicole-Anne Lagrimas

U N I v E RS I T y-w I D E pA RT I E S UP Alyansa ng mga Mag-aaral para sa Panlipunang Katwiran at Kaunlaran (UP ALYANSA) and Student Alliance for the Advance-ment of Democractic Rights in UP (STAND UP) failed to provide their financial statements for this year’s campaign as of press time, while KAISA-Nagkakaisang Iskolar para sa Pamantasan at Sambayanan (KAISA UP) reported a total budget of P150,000—P120,000 of which is from sponsors, the remaining P30,000 from income-gener-

ating projects—for their slate’s campaign.

Independent chairperson can-didate Raymond Rodis, on the oth-er hand, has a projected campaign fund of P27,000, according to his publicity material, which comes with a projection of fund sources and campaign expenses.

In 2015, on the other hand, financial statements from the parties show that all three uni-versity-wide parties spent more than P100,000 in mounting their campaigns.

KAISA UP spent the most at P149,135, followed by UP ALYAN-

SA at P114,850 and STAND UP at P104,255.

Operating expenses, including campaign house rent, utilities, meals and transportation needs, took up most of the parties’ bud-gets, with UP ALYANSA spending almost P69,000. KAISA UP shelled out a little more than P88,000 for the same expenses, while STAND UP spent around P64,000.

The cost of the production of campaign materials came second to operating expenses, with UP AL-YANSA spending around P43,000, KAISA UP around P59,000 and STAND UP around P33,000.

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BOTONG ISKO

STAND UP sweeps CMCSC seatsby Judielyn Agua

STUDENT ALLIANCE FOR THE AD-vancement of Democratic Rights in UP-College of Mass Communi-cation (STAND UP-CMC) clinched all five top posts and four de-partment representative seats in Thursday’s student council (SC) polls.

Chairperson-elect Almira Abril, who lost last year in a tight vice chairperson race, scored a more than 200-vote lead over UP CMC Interdependent Student Activism (UP CMC ISA) incumbent Broad-cast Communication Representa-tive Manuel San Mateo.

Incumbent treasurer Jesse Doc-tor secured the vice chairperson post after garnering 351 against 252 votes of ISA’s Allison Laxam-ana, also an incumbent Commu-

nication Research representative.Meanwhile, Alyanna Heramia

and Deniel Uezono won as secre-tary and treasurer, with 352 and 346 votes, respectively. Incumbent Journalism representative Hazel Lobres, on the other hand, will be representing the college to the University Student Council after earning 434 votes.

The local STAND UP party also bagged both of the two Journal-ism representative posts, and split with ISA in each of the two seats for Film and Communication Re-search representative. ISA claimed the two Broadcast Communication representative positions.

The college has a 55.5 percent turnout or 636 out of 1,146 regis-tered voters, which is less than last year’s 58.12 percent or 651 out of 1,120 voters.

CMCSC ELECTIONSThe Next CMCSC

STAND Up CMC’S ALMIRA AbRIL, TOgETHER wITH HER running mate Jesse Doctor, will lead next year’s College of Mass Communication Student Council (CMCSC). The majority of the CMCSC is composed of candidates from STAND UP CMC after the party clinched nine out of 13 posts.

Meanwhile, opposing party Interdependent Student-Centered Activism (UP CMC ISA) managed to win department representative seats, sharing one slot with STAND UP CMC for both communication research representative and film representative posts. UP CMC ISA also bagged both broadcast representative slots.

SCE voter turnout lower than previous yearby Frances Josephine E. Espeso

THIS yEAR’S STUDENT COUNCIL elections yielded a lower voter turn-out with 49.13 percent compared to last year’s 51.24, the highest turnout since 2004.

Of the 26,021 University of the Philippines – Diliman students, only 12, 783 casted their votes on the election day.

Professor Ronel Laranjo, member of the University Student Electoral Board, noted that last year’s voter turnout rose with the conducting of special elections for graduate stu-dents, held the Saturday or few days before the regular election.

“Ngayong taon mas bumaba ang bilang ng kolehiyo na nagbukas ng mga presinto para sa special elec-tion,” Laranjo said, adding that this could have possibly lowered the voter turnout.

The election process was fairly smooth, Laranjo said, especially with the Halalan software, which was around since 2009, used by students to cast votes electronically.

“Mas ang naging problema ay sa human input,” said Laranjo. Some colleges had resorted to manual voting for their college councils due to incorrect data inputted to the software.

Class requirements and exams during campaign period, though, had kept some students from voting.

“I decided not to vote because I would be voting blindly,” Treacy

Evangelista, a computer science major, said. Schoolwork, she added, had kept her from reading up on the candidates’ goals and platforms.

Likewise, exhaustion from school-work had kept computer engineering student Celine Marcelo from voting.

“If given the chance—and the power to bend time—I would really vote,” she said.

The USEB is still set to meet for an assessment on the SCE where they will also be discussing initiatives to increase voter turnout for the follow-ing year’s elections.

In the past 12 years, 2005 has seen the lowest voter turnout in the campus, with only 39.95 percent of the UPD population exercising their right to vote.

The USEB is headed by Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Dr. Neil Martial R. Santillan; members include faculty members Dr. Daniel L. Mabazza and Mr. Ronel O. Laran-jo and student representatives Guia Theresa V. Eguia and Erika Hanne E. Yap.

VOTER TURNOUT 2015 vs 2016Data: Office of Student Affairs

56+44+tMass CommunicationWHO VOTED?

Students Registered

1146

642Students Voted

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510Students Didn’t Vote

Share of UPD Population

4.4%

Infographic by Gene Paolo Gumagay

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