08 November 2013, 6:45 p.m. – CENTRAL Student Council (CSC) President Miyuki Morishita has resigned following a decision to drop her studies in UST to personally resolve nationality issues in Japan.
Her resignation took effect when she did not enroll at the College of Education for the second semester.
Psychology major Gabriel Kintanar, the CSC vice president, immediately took over the presidency of the student government.
The half-Japanese, half-Filipino Morishita, who was on her last year as a secondary education major, said she had no choice but to vacate her office as she must leave for Japan to acquire Japanese nationality before turning 20 in February.
“It is with a heavy heart that [I] inform each and everyone of my resignation as the President of the Central Student Council…I wish I didn’t need to do this, but I cannot be selfish,” she said in a statement posted on her Twitter page. “UST needs a student leader who can be there both emotionally and physically,” she said.
Morishita said acquiring Japanese nationality was important to resolve differences with her Japanese father’s family. “Being half Filipino has always been an issue and choosing to study and reside in the Philippines just made the situation worse. But despite all this, the only thing that they wanted us to do for them to be appeased is to acquire our Japanese nationality,” she said.
“My parents and I have done everything that we can just so I can finish my term of service and graduate on time, but to no avail,” she added.
As a result of the succession process, the CSC vice presidency has been left vacant. One of the Central Board members or local student council presidents can take over the No. 2 post, Kintanar said, citing the CSC constitution.
“But we could not follow through with this…Taking them from where they are now would result in the same situation we are experiencing,” Kintanar said in text message to the Varsitarian.
The new CSC president said it was difficult for the Central Board to lose Morishita in the middle of the academic year. But he assured the Thomasian community that Morishita’s departure won’t affect the CSC’s services. “Thomasians should expect us to be on our feet, to continue, further improve, and deliver the advocacies and services we have for the next half of this school year,” Kintanar said.
Morishita, former secretary of the Education Student Council, scored an upset in the CSC elections last February, beating the standard bearer of the dominant Lakas Tomasino Coalition and becoming the only one from the opposition Lakas ng Diwang Tomasino ticket to win a post. Celton F. Ramirez
