Political inaction within the Lasallian student body is a recurring stumbling block in every campus election, including the recently concluded Special Elections 2024 (SE 2024).
The DLSU Commission on Elections (Comelec) and political parties, primarily Santugon sa Tawag ng Panahon and Alyansang Tapat sa Lasallista, invest a lot of resources into election campaigns and events like the Miting de Avance to engage students. Yet the turnout remains underwhelming, where attendance in such events seems to be mostly limited to party members and close friends of the candidates.
Lasallian attitudes during University Student Government (USG) elections mirror that of the Philippines’ national elections. While some exercise their right to vote, they seem disinterested in participating in activities outside the voting precincts. Moreover, it appears as if even voter participation is dwindling: SE 2024 recorded a bare-minimum final voter turnout of 53 percent, which is only 12,991 of the 24,487 entire student body. Notably, the Comelec even extended its three-day voting period to reach the minimum 50-percent-plus-one quota, a preventive measure against declaring a failure of elections.
The disinterest among Lasallians often stems from gaps in awareness and understanding of the political parties and their platforms. Many students enter the University with only a surface-level understanding of the two dominant political parties, making it difficult to decipher each party’s core values and stances. This ambiguity promotes apathy as students struggle to see how these parties directly impact their academic and extracurricular experiences.
“The campaign-related activities such as door-to-door and the Miting de Avance make their efforts conspicuous,” Thirdie Sanchez (I, BS-MKT) initially shared, noting that some of the candidates’ platforms resonate with students, such as plans to enhance student support services and improve campus facilities. However, he stated that “there are also a few issues that feel too repetitive or broad.” When such platforms fail to address the specific and immediate needs of students, it creates a sense of disconnect, further discouraging them from actively engaging in the electoral process.
The two-party system
DLSU’s entrenched two-party system has been a long-standing feature of campus politics, but it has also been criticized for stifling diverse ideas and representation.
“The two-party system limits my choices just a little,” Sanchez shares, referring to how the lack of alternatives can make elections feel predictable. “It doesn’t stop me from wanting to vote,” he clarified, “but it does make me more particular about whether I’m really choosing the best kind of representation.”
Expanding electoral choices to include independent candidates or new parties could revitalize the election process. This was recently realized during the Make-up Elections 2022, with the sudden rise of independent coalitions during the said polls.
As Sanchez suggested, “Letting in more voices could encourage candidates to focus less on tradition and more on genuinely innovative solutions.” Such a shift could also inspire greater participation as students would feel their vote could support meaningful change rather than maintain the status quo.
The politics of scandal
Scandals and controversies have always been a defining feature of Philippine politics, and the past USG elections are no exception.
The quality and authenticity of student representation in campus elections are often called into question because of its candidates, particularly when their character and past controversies frequently resurface and, in turn, overshadow their campaign. This was evident in the backlash Executive Secretary Denise Lauren received from her answers on The LaSallian’s Fast Talk and Ang Pahayagang Plaridel’s Paninindigan where she opposed the Right to Care Bill, supported declaring the EDSA People Power Revolution as a special holiday, and agreed with making English the medium of instruction in schools—despite her party’s platform of celebrating diversity and supporting national progress.
“Hearing these stories (controversies surrounding candidates) has not necessarily affected my willingness to vote. I still recognize the need to voice my opinions and participate in campus elections,” Joelle Ieca Caipang (III, AB-POM) shares. Caipang also explained that these stories have made her more cautious about getting to know the candidates as she wants to detach from the controversy surrounding them.
Beyond the democratic process, campus elections have also been weaponized by parties and candidates to unearth past issues to discredit opponents—mudslinging. Instead of focusing on platforms and advocacies, Caipang remarks that political parties have made campus elections into “avenues for controversy and unprofessional interparty conflict.”
With these comes an influx of memes and other social media posts making fun of student candidates’ controversies. Agnes* (II, CS-ST) states that jokes “are not a good thing, but obviously are expected.” She adds how these posts can deter students from taking the elections seriously: “It’s a way [for] students to… give their opinion about the people running [as well]… People are kind of turned off at the idea of… voting if these are the people that we have to choose from.”
The case of redundant roles
College student governments, alongside student-led organizations, are behind most of the activities in the University. Agnes brightened about the focus and efficiency of the latter that seem to overshadow the worth of college governments.
College president aspirants often promise opportunities for students in their college that aim to hone their skills and connect with peers in their fields. Despite this, many students still look toward student-led organizations for extracurricular activities, similar to how Filipinos turn to the private sector for economic movement and career opportunities rather than working in government jobs.
Agnes told The LaSallian that in the College of Computer Studies, she thinks student organizations have done more for her than the Computer Studies Government, and that she has gained more experience from being in other organizations than her college government. She also pointed out that there is a lot of similarity between the initiatives of student-led organizations and college governments, as they both often organize workshops, community events, and different support programs—making the role of the college government not stand out.
Agnes explained that unless college governments establish well-defined roles and projects that are out-rightly distinct from those of student-led organizations, college governments will continue to witness low activity levels among the students, which can translate into low activity during the elections.
*Names with asterisks (*) are pseudonyms.
This article was published in The LaSallian‘s January 2025 issue. To read more, visit bit.ly/TLSJanuary2025.
