By Haidee C. Pineda
(APR. 29) —Alyansa ng mga Mag-aaral para sa Panlipunang Katwiran at Kaunlaran (ALYANSA) once again dominated the UPD University Student Council (USC) election held on Apr. 23, securing the top two posts and eight of the 12 council seats.
ALYANSA standard bearers John Paulo delas Nieves and Adolfo Jose Montesa were elected as chair and vice chair, respectively.
Election results show delas Nieves and Montesa garnered 5,130 and 4, 222 votes, respectively, defeating Student Alliance for the Advancement of Democratic Rights in UP (STAND UP) standard bearers Miguel Enrico Pangalangan and Potre Leila Menchani Tilendo, who earned 3, 979 and 4, 205 votes, respectively.
Delas Nieves succeeds former USC chair and also an ALYANSA member Arjay Mercado while Montesa will replace delas Nieves as vice chair.
Eight ALYANSA members who were elected as councilors are: Jeronimo Ascue (3, 770 votes) Franzine Flores Foronda (3, 717), Jullian Tanaka (3, 608), Allan Pangilinan (3, 278), Viktor Andre Fumar (3, 261), Beatrice Miranda Reyno (3, 260), Vince Renzon Liban (3, 226) and Mark Jonathan Abut (3, 097).
STAND UP’s Beata Carolino led this year’s 12 elected councilors with 4, 612 votes. Completing the list of elected STAND UP councilors are: Christian Bryle Leaño (3, 767 votes), Kali Navea-Huff (3, 067) and Mark Paolo Navata, an independent candidate (3, 608).
Nineteen college representatives were also elected, comprising seven from STAND UP, six from ALYANSA, three from Nagkakaisang Iskolar para sa Pamantasan at Sambayanan (KAISA) and three independent candidates.
The seven STAND UP representatives are: Jose Monfred Sy (College of Arts and Letters), Dominique Martine Esguerra (College of Fine Arts), Josiah Gil Hiponia (College of Mass Communication), Mary Philline Descalzo (College of Social Work and Community Development), Kevin Cedrick Castro (College of Education), and Guillermo Danipog III and Arvin Wilson Alba (College of Engineering or CoE).
The six ALYANSA representatives are: Anne Robeniol (College of Music), Sarah Mae Estrella (College of Social Sciences and Philosophy), Christian Dave Gonzales (School of Economics), Erwin Jan San Pedro (CoE), Bill Maverick Orquin (School of Statistics) and Benjie Allen Aquino (Cesar E.A. Virata School of Business).
Three representatives from KAISA are: John Bernard Rolle (Asian Institute of Tourism), Hillary Camille Abandula (College of Home Economics) and Melissa Concepcion Perez de Tagle (College of Human Kinetics).
The three independent candidates elected are: Gabrielle Aldrick Daven Mendoza (College of Law), Reinald Jey Belen (National College of Public Administration and Governance) and Miriam Charmigrace Salcedo (School of Library and Information Studies).
According to Article IV Section 2-A of the Constitution of the USC in UPD, “The college representative shall serve as a liaison between the USC and the local student council.”
Of the total 24, 453 UPD students, this year’s election had 12, 578 voters or 51.24 percent turnout which is higher compared to last year’s 48.07 percent turnout.
Election results are inclusive of the number of students who voted online and 11 students who voted manually.
This year’s automated election was facilitated again through the use of the open-source software called Halalan. It was initially used in the 2009 USC elections.
Halalan automated the manual election processes of voting, counting and archiving. It was created by former members of the student organization UP Linux Users’ Group (UnPLUG), namely: Waldemar Bautista, Ralph Justin Arce, John Michael Bitanga, Vanessa Rose Castro, Wigi Vei Oliveros, Antonio Mari San Miguel, DJ Sison, Carlo Santos and Orly Tarun with former UnPLUG president Rystraum Fabe Gamonez.
All elected student officials will serve in UPD’s USC for Academic Year 2015-2016.–Photo courtesy of the Philippine Collegian