Hues of Lasallian politics

The campaign period is the time University Student Government (USG) aspirants go room to room to talk to the voters at the Amphitheater or in their classrooms,speaking in rhythmic voices in an attempt to instill their platforms in the minds of every Lasallian.

In an attempt to organize and color code themselves, candidates can usually be found wearing the same color or in some cases, the same outfits. De La Salle University’s two political parties Alyansang Tapat sa Lasallista and Santugon sa Tawag ng Panahon uses red, orange or black and blue or yellow respectively.

Yet while the two parties have used the same colors in the past years, many students still do not know the meaning of the aforementioned parties’ colors.

Orange and black

“Vote Straight Tapat!” cries the candidates and members of Alyansang Tapat Sa Lasallita, De La Salle University’s oldest political party. Founded during the Marcos Regime, Tapat adheres to the five P’s: principled, pioneering, progressive, professional and personal.

According to Tapat Vice President for Externals Affairs Miguel Buluran, his party uses the color orange because it is a mix of the colors of red and yellow, which initially represented, “the two prominent sides who were opposed to the Marcos Rule.” These colors represents where the party stood in terms of principles towards the end of Martial Law.

Red, traditionally, represents the extreme leftists. These were the communists, the radicals. Adhering to the principles preached by Karl Marx, the former USSR and at present China, fly these colors as a symbol of communism/socialism. Buluran furthers that the color yellow represents those who supported Cory Aquino. These were the centrists, who were more peaceful and conservative.

Plotting Tapat in the political compass, the party is on the left of the center, which means that, according to Buluran, the party is, “neither centrists nor extreme communists.”Another way of looking at it is that it is in the middle of red and yellow. The party has used the color orange since it started 27 years ago.

Black complement’s the signature Tapat orange. Putting orange against a black background, he says,“symbolizes our belief that it is in darkness that light shines the brightest.”

Blue and yellow

Santugon is the, “only socio-political party at DLSU.”Literally translated as the call of times, Santugon is founded on the values of family, integrity, individuality, faith and responsibility and passion for service.

Santugon outer core President Ikee Tolentino narrates the meaning of the party’s main colors, blue and yellow. Blue stands for Marian Devotion since, “we were founded in the years of EDSA [Revolution],and it is close to our beliefs that we have close relations to God and our faith.”

The color yellow stands for dynamism. Tolentino furthers,“Kaya nga tawag sa party Santugon sa Tawag ng Panahon cause we adjust to the call of the times. Whatever the time being, we adjust to it, we adapt to it.”

Another color was added in celebration of the organizations 25^th year anniversary, silver.

Strategies and supplies

The parties have a set of strategies in clothing their candidates and color-coding their slates. Both parties plan their strategies beforehand for reasons that cannot be disclosed to the public.

Well, both parties procure their garments from their suppliers and get their funding from their candidates, who pay a fee to the party to fund their campaign materials, and Electoral Mobilization Crews (EMCs) that order campaign kits (with shirts and IDs).