Represent and Serve

The results for this years Student Council Elections (SC) brought back dominance of the
Students for the Advancement of Democratic Rights in UP (STAND UP), the biggest swing
favoring the reds since 2010 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 years 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 years results, this year 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 during the April 21 polls.

The UP student body has been at the forefront of upholding not only the students 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 Malacaang, 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
the peers in the upper echelons of society and their communities through politico-financial
supremacy.
UP politics is different.

Sure, they may be campaigning for dominance, but it is a dominance of a higher levelthe
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 years University Student Council, your challenge is simple: be transparent, be

representative, and serve the people.