TWO CANDIDATES have withdrawn from the UST Central Student Council (CSC) elections, allowing the remaining Executive Board bets to run unopposed.
Vice-presidential candidate Angelo de la Cruz and candidate for secretary Peter Estalilla told the Varsitarian they had withdrawn from their respective races due to health concerns.
“My withdrawal stemmed from a decision to focus on my well-being, which was prompted by the recent decline in my mental health,” Estalilla, the interim president of the College of Education Student Council, said in an email.
De la Cruz, the interim public relations officer (PRO) of the College of Architecture Student Council, said he would also seek other avenues in which he could serve the Thomasian community as he focuses on his health.
“Due to personal and external considerations, I believe that I would be much better if I were to serve my fellow Thomasians in a different capacity; one wherein I would have more control of my own time in consideration of my own holistic health,” de la Cruz said in a letter explaining his decision.
Their withdrawals came days after the UST Central Commission on Elections (Comelec) released the final list of candidates for this year’s student polls.
The Comelec has acknowledged Estalilla and De la Cruz’s withdrawals.
The remaining six candidates for the CSC Executive Board elections are Ierathel Tabuno (president), Aiah Jacinto (vice president), John Harold Peralta (secretary), Rafael Luis Pesuena (treasurer), James Ceñido (auditor), and Maxine Javier (PRO).
The campaign period for the student elections will be from March 6 to 8 and March 22 to 25. There will be no campaign activities from March 9 to 21 due to the moratorium period and academic break.
The candidates will face off in the annual Tagisan, the mandatory debates for candidates, on March 25, followed by the election period from March 27 to April 1.
Winners will be proclaimed on April 1. Karis M. Tsang with reports from Judd Ericka Marie F. Crescini
