Five of the six vacancies in the University of the Philippines Diliman University Student Council (UPD USC) have been filled as independent candidates are proclaimed winners of the special elections, at the Student Union Building on Thursday, Oct. 12.
After less than two days of online and on-site voting, only 8.29% or 1,972 out of 23,792 students from UP Diliman participated in the special elections.
This is way lower than the 36.7% turnout of the USC polls last May 2023, which ran for around 12 days and resulted in the non-election of a chairperson, vice chairperson and four councilors after an active abstention vote from the student electorate.
READ: New USC short of standard bearers, swept by independent councilor bets
Lone, independent chairperson candidate Shine Reyes was proclaimed chairperson-elect as she garnered 1,349 votes against 623 abstentions.
Reyes is the outgoing USC vice chairperson who previously ran under the Student Alliance for the Advancement of Democratic Rights in UP (STAND UP), the ruling party on campus for the past two terms.
She disaffiliated from the party earlier this year, following controversies that surfaced during the Aktibisita forum last May 4 regarding “mishandled” sexual harassment cases among the party’s members.
This is also the same reason why several local STAND UP chapters and councilors elected this year, namely Kat Batac, Bin Magno, Charles Shi, Erwin Media, Ian Mercene and Siege Navalta all disaffiliated from the systemwide red party halfway through the campaign period.
RELATED: CMC slate leaves STAND UP banner, runs independently
Meanwhile, vice chairperson candidate Sean Kirby Latorre, also unopposed and independent, secured the second highest post with 1,335 votes against 637 votes for abstention.
Latorre became the UP College of Mass Communication Student Council chairperson last year after sweeping all seats of the local council alongside his fellow STAND UP candidates.
Reyes will be the first independently-running candidate to head the USC since 2000. Meanwhile, it will also be the first time since 2005 that an independent candidate won as vice chairperson.
All independently-running councilor candidates managed to fill three of the four remaining councilor vacancies. Chloe Angeli Antonio topped the race with 1,110 votes, followed by Alexandra Sophia Laquian with 1,073 and Kristian Martin Mendoza with 995.
A total of 615 students abstained from choosing any councilor.
As the special elections concluded yesterday, only one post remains vacant in the council as 13 elected students who ran independently occupy the USC.
Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and University Student Electoral Board (USEB) chair Prof. Jerwin Agpaoa in his speech challenged the winning candidates to be effective student representatives despite the trials they will face.
“Isang malaking hamon ang inyong kinakaharap kasama ang mga nauna nang nailuklok na bahagi ng University Student Council. . . Sana ay maging bukas ang ating komunikasyon sa isa’t isa upang higit pa nating mapagsilbihan ang ating mga estudyante sa pamantasan,” he said.
Students may file post-election protests from Oct. 13, 8 a.m. to Oct. 20, noon.
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Here is the list of proclaimed winners of the USC special elections:
Chairperson: Shine Reyes – 1,349
Abstain – 623
Vice Chairperson: Sean Latorre – 1,335
Abstain – 637
Councilors:
Chloe Antonio – 1,110
Alexandra Laquian – 1,073
Kristian Mendoza – 995
Abstain – 615
