In Turmoil

USC elections see sharp decline in candidates over recent years

By Liandrei Crisostomo

Over the past decade of the University Student Council (USC) elections, there has been an alarming decline in the number of candidates running for all positions, plummeting from 18 candidates in the 35th USC elections down to three this year.

Notably, the University Electoral Board (UEB) had to extend the filing of candidacies, yet it still received a very low number of USC candidates this year.

In previous years, the number of candidates consistently ranged from 15 to 18. However, in the 40th elections in 2018, the candidate pool was nearly halved, with only nine candidates running. Since then, the number of candidates has continued to decline.

Due to the lack of candidates, the USC seats were not filled completely for years. As a result, the UEB resorted to holding special elections from the 40th until the 43rd elections, except for the 42nd USC, where officers were appointed instead.

From the 33rd to the 40th USC elections, the political landscape of the University was dominated by two main parties, Alternative Students’ Alliance for Progress — Katipunan ng mga Progresibong Mag-aaral ng Bayan (ASAP-Katipunan) and Bigkis ng mga Iskolar Para sa Bayan Tungo sa Makabuluhang Pagbabago UPM (Bigkis-UPM), which consistently fielded almost the same number of candidates every year while independent candidates remained in the minority.

When the two known political parties died, Sulong UPM emerged in the 40th special elections and consistently fielded candidates in subsequent years, with ASAP-Katipunan and Bigkis-UPM political parties completely dissolved.

Four councilor candidates ran in the 40th special elections, with three winning seats. Abstention trumped the votes for the lone chairperson candidate, while an independent candidate won the vice chairperson position in a landslide victory. Both candidates from Sulong UPM were defeated.

In this year’s USC election, with the limited number of candidates remaining a trend, students are left with a few options for the different positions in USC, with only one candidate running and abstention being the other option.

The same is true for local college student councils, with all colleges having an incomplete slate for the upcoming polls this year.

Only four out of nine candidate positions were filled in the College of Allied Medical Professions, while only six out of 11 candidate positions were occupied in the College of Nursing.

In addition, three out of 14 candidate positions in the Colleges of Pharmacy and Public Health were vacant, and one candidate position remained unfilled in the College of Medicine.

In these five colleges, all positions were filled with lone candidates except for one position in the College of Pharmacy, where two students ran for Secretary for Finance.

The College of Dentistry decided not to participate in the general election calendar due to a lack of candidates, while the College of Arts and Sciences declared an election failure as it received no candidates for any position.

Meanwhile, in the College of Public Health (CPH), the 50%+ 1 threshold and the option to abstain were formally removed from the CPH Student Council’s constitution in light of its recent amendments last June, which guarantees a seat regardless of vote count, with the protest period being the only safeguard.

Relatedly, voter turnout has been gradually declining. In the elections preceding the 40th, turnout percentages were consistently above half of the university’s student population. However, voter turnout has remained below 50%, starting with the 40th and continuing until the 44th elections.

Since the 40th elections, the USC positions have never been filled. This situation has raised student concerns about the lack of student leaders, affecting genuine student representation in the university.

The very few elected student council members have voiced their burden with the overwhelming responsibilities in the council as they are compelled to take on the duties of unfilled positions, posing a challenge for student leaders to forward mass campaigns and actively engage with the student body.