Independent bets vie for BMAS representative seats after 2-year vacancy

Two Broadcast Media Arts and Studies (BMAS) independent candidates contend for department representative seats in this year’s special elections, following the position’s two-year vacancy in the College of Mass Communication Student Council (CMC SC).

Third-year students Jephmar Francis “Jeph” Lagdan and Josh Christian “Seph” Velilla’s campaigns are centered on demanding more student spaces and calling on Congress to reverse budget cuts to state universities and colleges.

Read: Fate of UP’s budget now in the Senate 

Despite running independently, they campaign together as the “Jeph, Seph, Go!” tandem, similar to the roster of independent candidates who ran under the #SumabayNaMaskom slate during the May regular elections. 

Their general and specific plans of action (GPOA) focus on cultivating a collectively responsible community, promoting a holistic learning environment with student-led projects, and forming an interconnected community within the BMAS department.   

BMAS, Dinig!’ centers on opening communication channels for the BMAS student body and gathering their perspectives on issues both inside and outside the university.

The ‘BMAS Agenda,’ meanwhile, aims to consolidate departmental demands with the college-wide CMC Agenda, especially with the approaching college dean selection. 

Other programs include the production library and masterclass class workshops. 

Accordingly, Lagdan and Velilla also aim to establish a messenger-based BMAS-wide channel to reach the wider student body.

Reviving participation

In the recently held On the Spot election forum organized by UP Radio Circle last Oct. 22, Lagdan and Velilla faced the CMC student body as they answered questions about persisting student council vacancies and low political participation among UP students. 

Velilla acknowledged the “lack of political action from the studentry” could be resolved through bridging nationwide and university-wide issues. The declining political participation of students contributes to a larger problem that transcends beyond the university, Vellilia said. 

Kaya ‘yung sa GSPOA namin naiuugnay pa rin sa problema sa BMAS kagaya ng lack of equipment, facilities and resources, [habang] itinataas ‘yung call for budget,” Velilla added. 

(That’s why our GSPOA is still connected to the problems within BMAS, such as the lack of equipment, facilities and resources, while amplifying the call for a budget increase.)

Only one in three students voted in the council elections last May, marking the lowest turnout in a regular election in Diliman.

Lagdan believes this trend can be rooted from the students’ lack of awareness about the campus politics’ dynamics as he recognized that many still get confused with how it works. 

Ang pagmumungkahi sa representation ay hindi lamang pagpapakita…kundi pagtawid din sa mga impormasyion sa pamamagitan ng mga channels na gusto naming ilunsad,” said Lagdan. 

(Proposing representation is not just about being present… but also about bridging information through the channels we want to launch.)

This is the first time since 2022 that BMAS had candidates running for the representative position in the CMC SC. Fresh graduates Frances Antonio and Godwin Noel Manalo served as the last BMAS representatives who ran under the Student Alliance for the Advancement of Democratic Rights (STAND UP) slate. 

Read: STAND UP retains seats in CMC student council  

However, Antonio resigned from her post after seven months of her term to “focus on well-being and academics.”

If both candidates were elected, the CMC SC would still have four vacant positions: the treasurer, one Journalism representative and two Film representative seats.

Voting lines for this year’s special elections will open from Oct. 29-30 after the Student Electoral Board adjusted the calendar.