After abstentions swept the polls last May, the special elections filled only four university-wide seats, leaving ten council positions vacant.
Independent chairperson candidate Sean Kirby Latorre was proclaimed chairperson-elect with 3,747 votes, narrowly surpassing the 3,670 abstentions. Andrew Ronquillo, meanwhile, obtained 2,342 votes in his bid for the top council post.
The two were formerly partymates under Student Alliance for the Advancement of Democratic Rights in UP (STAND UP) and were elected as USC councilors in 2021.
In 2023, Latorre secured the USC vice chairperson position after running independently and unopposed during the special elections.
Meanwhile, Franz Beltran was elected as vice chairperson with 3,136 votes. He previously served as vice chair of the UP University Freshie Council in 2022 and the National College of Public Administration and Governance representative to the USC in 2023.
Therese Jan Mangussad, sole candidate running under a political alliance, UP Alyansa ng mga Mag-aaral para sa Panlipunang Katwiran at Kaunlaran (UP ALYANSA), ended her second bid for the vice chairpersonship with 2,928 votes.
Independent candidate Ron Dexter Clemente finished last in the vice chairperson race with 1,390 votes, trailing abstentions by a margin of 1,000.
Councilors-elect Kristian Martin Mendoza and Joaquin Buenaflor will join Beltran and Latorre at the USC. Reelectionist Mendoza obtained the highest number of votes among the councilor candidates. Buenaflor, who emphasized UP’s shortcomings in delivering basic student services, finished second in the race.
Only Buenaflor and Mendoza were proclaimed as councilors as 3,377 abstentions defeated the campaign bids of Olivia Herrera, Aimee Ramos, and Ramon Christian Placido. All three candidates belong to a unity alliance based on a “10-point common agenda” formed during the last leg of the campaign.
Three college representatives also joined the USC, namely, Nimra Gonzales from the College of Arts and Letters, Ariannel Manoos from the College of Home Economics, and Ruver Abanto from the College of Science.
With ten councilor posts in the USC remaining vacant, council members will face the daunting task of rebuilding the council and re-engaging students with political campaigns. It has been two years since all USC councilor seats were filled, with STAND UP candidates securing all twelve positions in 2022.
While the future of USC’s campaign remains uncertain due to the council’s current short-staffing, turnout numbers in this year’s special elections suggest that student participation in campus politics is on the rise.
During the two-day voting period, 9,771 students, or 37.13% of eligible voters, participated in the elections, marking the highest turnout since the 2022 elections. The College of Mass Communication achieved a majority turnout of 55.8%.
In the election proclamation’s closing remarks, Assistant Professor Jay-Ar Igno, coordinator of the UPD Office of Student Projects and Activities (OSPA), noted the rise in student participation.
“Isa itong magandang simula para mabalik muli ang sigla ng partisipasyon ng mga estudyante,” Igno said.
Students may file post-election protests from Nov. 4 to 8.
Here is the list of the proclaimed winners of the 2024 USC special elections:
Chairperson: Sean Kirby Latorre – 3,747
Abstain – 3,670
Andrew Ronquillo – 2,342
Vice Chairperson: Franz Joseph Beltran – 3,136
Therese Jan Mangussad – 2,928
Abstain – 2,390
Ron Dexter Clemente – 1,305
Councilors:
Kristian Martin Mendoza – 4,225
Joaquin Buenaflor – 3,495
Abstain – 3,377
Olivia Herrera – 3,216
Aimee Ramos – 3,118
Ramon Christian Placido – 2,928