With the 2025 Philippine midterm elections approaching, student leaders across the University of the Philippines (UP) system passed a resolution to initiate voters’ education campaigns and organize voter registration drives.
The resolution was authored by the student councils of UP Diliman College of Social Sciences and Philosophy and UP Diliman National College of Public Administration and Governance at the 57th General Assembly of Student Councils (GASC) held from Aug. 15 to 17 at UP Tacloban College.
The adopted GASC resolution recognized the midterm elections as a “timely opportunity to actively engage the youth in the electoral process and strengthen their participation.”
During the 2023 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections, the Commission on Elections noted that the majority of the newly registered voters were youth aged 15 to 30 years old which approximately comprised 1.6 million Filipinos.
Initiating voter education-related campaigns is nothing new at UP. During the 2022 Philippine elections, the Office of the Student Regent launched ‘Hirang ng Bayan,’ a “comprehensive voters education program” consisting of multiple initiatives, such as system-wide electoral survey and virtual educational discussions.
UP College of Mass Communication Representative to the University Student Council (USC) Ciro Quiapos also supported the resolution, citing how crucial it is for the youth to vote.
“[I]t’s important na mayroon tayong ganito [voters’ education campaigns and drives] to let the new voters na malaman kung paano ‘yung proseso ng boto at kung gaano kahalaga ‘yung boto because [it] would have an impact three or more years in the Philippine society,” Quiapos said in an interview with Tinig ng Plaridel.
Quiapos also acknowledged the importance of voters’ education in the local university politics.
Currently, the UP Diliman USC is composed solely of six college representatives following the abstentions for the top posts in the recent university-wide student council elections. This year also recorded the lowest voter turnout in Diliman since 2000.
READ: USC seats left vacant as abstentions prevailed anew
“On the university context, mahalaga rin ‘to dahil kapansin-pansin sa student politics natin ‘yung declining student participation ng mga mag-aaral,” they added.
Quiapos admitted that the absence of standard bearers and councilors has made it challenging for the USC to implement the adopted resolution.
“Hopefully after ‘yung special elections and there’s a lot more people on our path, we could adopt the voters’ education [campaign] kasi next year na ‘yung midterm elections so mas crucial na siya for everyone,” they explained.
The deadline of the voter registration for the 2025 national and local elections is on Sept. 30, 2024. Meanwhile, the online voter reactivation is extended until Sept. 25, 2024.
In total, UP student councils approved 21 resolutions, including 18 from the #GASC57 and three on the virtual Emergency GASC (eGASC) 2024 last Sept. 14.
LOOK: Approved resolutions last #GASC57 and #eGASC2024
These resolutions are expected to be implemented by the student councils across the UP system throughout the academic year.
