For the second time in three years, the University Student Government (USG) saw a General Election (GE) without Santugon ng Tawag ng Panahon (Santugon) and Alyansang Tapat sa Lasallista (Tapat), instead featuring independent candidates and various coalitions.
The lead-up
Candidates from independent coalitions Hanayan, Tinig, and Laban Lasalyano, along with unaffiliated aspirants, campaigned in the absence of the two-party contests that had long defined USG elections.
Hanayan FOCUS2025 batch legislator candidate Jerard Benitez (II, BS-CHY) said the coalition deliberately stayed outside the existing parties, arguing that its members wanted a different model of governance, with some having previously belonged to Santugon or Tapat.
For Tinig, Laguna Campus Student Government (LCSG) campus president candidate Amiel Pelobello (III, BSIET-GD) said a coalition allowed candidates from different organizations to work together without following a single party line. He added that their common ground centered on practical service and accessibility at Laguna Campus.
Independents likewise framed their candidacies around representation. FAST2025 batch legislator candidate Dani Padrique (II, AB-ISE) said her small campaign team had to reach 1,066 ID 125 students from the College of Liberal Arts within two weeks, making classroom visits and direct conversations central to the campaign.
EDGE2025 batch legislator candidate Carl Reyna (II, BHUMSRV) also entered the race as an independent. A first-time candidate, he based his bid on improving University policies through legislation and said campaign impact could influence whether students chose to vote.
In the Tañada-Diokno School of Law (TDSOL), the election also marked the first contests for its batch government. Jana Norin Hilado (II, ABLSSD) and Ysabella Gonda (II, ABLSSD) ran independently for batch representative and batch legislator, respectively.
Both candidates said that they wanted to formalize channels for concerns in the school’s young undergraduate community. Their campaigns focused on representation, academic support, and procedures that future TDSOL student leaders could build upon.
The election proper
GE 2026 left behind a mix of strong victories, close contests, and failed elections, not far from recent history within DLSU’s student elections. Without the traditional political parties, independent candidates and coalitions took several seats.
In the Manila Campus, several candidates secured decisive victories despite varying levels of voter participation, with independent coalition Hanayan securing several positions.
Hanayan candidate Jerard Benitez won the FOCUS2025 batch legislator race with 67.41 percent of the vote. Jillian Tang (III, BSPHY-ECO), Janret Galvez (III, BSMTH-CAP), and Tala Erandio (II, BSBIO-MBB) also won their respective FOCUS batch government races with 74.11, 63.49, and 60.85 percent, respectively. Pauline Galias (III, BSPHIMS) also won the College of Science presidency with 64.55 percent of votes.
On the other hand, independent candidate Carl Reyna ended the race for EDGE2025 batch legislator with 71.17 percent of the vote. However, the turnout was recorded at only 44.31 percent, ending in a failed election.
Reyna previously acknowledged student apathy as a challenge. “I don’t blame the students for not voting, as it is often dependent on the impact of one’s campaign whether they would be willing to vote,” he noted.
The FAST2025 elections presented a similar outcome. Laban Lasalyano’s Theo Carpina (II, AB-ISE) received 47.65 percent of the vote for batch representative, losing to a close 52.35-percent abstention vote, resulting in a failed race. Meanwhile, for batch legislator, independent Dani Padrique received 47.65 percent of votes against Laban Lasalyano’s Zenaida Ilao’s (II, AB-PLM) 23.54 percent. However, the 49.81-percent turnout still resulted in a failed election.
For the first run of TDSOL’s elections, independent candidates Jana Norin Hilado and Ysabella Gonda each received 94.44 percent of the vote for batch representative and batch legislator, respectively. The results for TDSOL recorded an 81.81 percent turnout, with only a mere 5.56 percent abstaining for both positions.
In the Laguna Campus, GE2026 was marked by a particularly strong performance from the Tinig coalition. Amiel Pelobello sealed the LCSG presidency with 80.56 percent of the vote.
Tinig candidates Carl Bien Dela Cruz (II, BS-PSYC) and Ethan Manalasan (II, BS-PSYC) also won their respective races, receiving 93.10 and 77.59 percent of their respective votes.
The contrast between the races of the two campuses was evident in the election results. While both Manila and Laguna saw candidates win with substantial margins, most notably in Manila’s inaugural batch government for TDSOL, some Manila races experienced considerable abstention or failed to produce an elected candidate. Laguna, meanwhile, saw particularly high support for several winning candidates.
Still, even with the results in, the conclusion of General Election 2026 still leaves the USG with vacancies and failed elections that raise questions about what lies ahead for the Lasallian undergraduate population.
What comes next
Glaring vacancies remain across the USG, with 45 vacant positions and three failed races in GE 2026. This is most evident in its Executive Board, following the graduation of USG President Lara Capps and the resignation of Vice President for Internal Affairs Hart Llamada.
According to the 2025 USG Constitution and a resolution released by the Legislative Assembly, the Vice President for External Affairs (VPEA) is next in the line of succession, meaning that VPEA Mielson Miranda will assume the USG presidency until the end of Term 1.
Following Miranda’s assumption as USG President, Dionisio Tamonan was appointed VPIA officer-in-charge (OIC), with Maureen Hermosa being selected as VPEA OIC. Their terms as OIC will conclude after a special election is held to officially elect an officer. However, Elisha Nazario, who was appointed Executive Secretary, remains subject to the discretion of the executive board.
The USG Comelec has called for a special election in Term 1 of AY 2026-2027 to address these vacancies. In the meantime, incumbents who are still eligible to serve as USG officers will extend their tenure by one academic term to ensure continuity of government.
The LaSallian reached out to Santugon ng Tawag ng Panahon and Alyansang Tapat sa Lasallista, but has not received a response as of press time.