Asst. Prof. Emerito Gonzales of the Faculty of Arts and Letters won a second term as president of the UST Faculty Union (USTFU), carrying all candidates under his Sulong party in a landslide victory.
Gonzales obtained 677 votes, defeating Prof. Revenendo Vargas of the Institute of Religion, standard bearer of the Faculty for Academic Integrity and Rights (FAIR), who received 386 votes, election results released on April 30 showed.
Elections were conducted on April 28 and 29, except for the Graduate School and Civil Law, which voted on April 25.
The two first faced off in 2021 when Gonzales won the presidency by a narrow margin of 440 votes over Vargas’s 419.
Gonzales is set to serve another five-year term until 2031, with a decisive mandate to lead the union panel in renegotiating the economic provisions of the 2021-2026 collective bargaining agreement (CBA), a deal that outlines the terms and conditions of work.
The election result is also a validation of sorts of the negotiating stance of Gonzales, a philosophy faculty member.
Gonzales built consensus around a proposal that called for a 100% hospitalization benefit and involved filing a strike notice to force mediation with the UST administration.
Sulong’s landslide victory also turns the page from the divided board of directors that hampered decision-making during Gonzales’s first term.
Deciding votes
Artlets, the faculty with the largest number of voters, delivered 115 of 129 votes to Gonzales. He also received 92 of 101 votes cast by the Senior High School faculty.
Under the Sulong slate, Arts and Letters Faculty Association President Rene Tadle secured the executive vice presidency with 635 votes. He defeated Ser Allan Bodoraya of the Institute of Religion under the FAIR party, who got 411 votes.
Unopposed Sulong candidates Maria Victoria Bongar of Nursing and John Vincent Ignacio of the Artlets philosophy department won the internal vice president and external vice president spots, respectively.
Other Sulong bets also swept key positions: Jonathan Aganan secured the spot as vice president for labor education and research; Jennifer Lam-Saludo as vice president for grievance and complaints; Danielito Jimenez as vice president for legal affairs; Katherine Alonday as secretary general; Franklin Prieto as treasurer; Leonid Lintag as public relations officer; and Ulysses Parado as sergeant at arms.
For the position of director, the 10 candidates who got the highest votes were Marvin Zapanta (Artlets), Dr. Edilberto Gonzaga (Science), Rebecca Adri (IPEA), Ed Paolo Aguinaldo (Senior High School), Crisencio Paner (Science), Ruth Bangaoil (Pharmacy), Adrian Romero (NSTP), Danilo Guinto (Engineering), Robinson Laxa (IPEA), and Dr. Elvis Llarena (Medicine), all of whom are from the Sulong slate.
In an April 30 Facebook post, the FAIR party expressed gratitude to its supporters as it conceded the elections.
“The general membership has spoken, and we fully respect the mandate given to the newly elected leadership,” Vargas said.
“While we may not hold leadership positions, our identity as a principled and engaged ‘academic union’ committed to upholding professional dignity remains unchanged,” he added.
Continuity, heavier mandates
In a news conference on April 30, Gonzales said his reelection signaled the faculty’s preference for continuity, but acknowledged that expectations were higher.
“[A]ctually mas mabigat nga siya compared to before kasi kung nasimulan po namin, [kailangan] ipagpatuloy at lalo pang dadagdagan,” he said.
He said USTFU would prioritize the CBA renegotiations, alongside a review of the union’s 1981 constitution and bylaws and the 2014 election code.
The union and the management panel began renegotiating the 2021-2026 CBA on April 24.
Gonzales also vowed to address concerns over rising fuel prices, citing survey results showing faculty members’ stances.
“We’re asking for an increase in allowance… but at the same time, kung ano ‘yung masasabi naman ng administration na arrangements, we are willing to compromise,” Gonzales said.
In March 2026, Gonzales proposed shifting most classes online amid rising fuel prices.
