01 February 2014, 7:50 p.m. – TWO rival political parties will again contest this year’s Central Student Council (CSC) polls.
Lakas Tomasino Coalition (LTC) and Lakas ng Diwang Tomasino (Lakasdiwa) will field bets for all six positions in the council. No member of third party Alyansa ng Kristiyanong Lakas (Aklas) filed for candicacy last Jan. 30, the deadline set by the Central Commission on Elections (Comelec).
Incumbent CSC Secretary and Clinical Pharmacy junior Ina Marie Angela Vergara, standard bearer of the ruling LTC, will run against third-year Marketing major and incumbent Commerce Student Council President Eisaku Ivan Bernardino of Lakasdiwa.
Third-year Occupational Therapy student Elmo Luis Nicolas (LTC), incumbent external vice president of the College of Rehalitation Student Council, will go against Nursing junior and incumbent assistant secretary of the local student council Jose Ian Bautista (Lakasdiwa), for the position of vice president.
Contending the secretarial post are Accountancy junior Tiffany Keam Mercado (LTC) and Pharmacy student Rosvielentine Rosales (Lakasdiwa). Kristi Celyn Banks (LTC), third-year Philosophy student and incumbent Faculty of Arts and Letters Student Council secretary, and Dianne Rose Fuensalida (Lakasdiwa), Accountancy sophomore, will run for treasurer.
Competing for the position of auditor are Travel Management student Patricia Alexa Canoza (LTC) and Chemical Engineering junior Ann Christine Baual (Lakasdiwa). Civil Engineering freshman John Jacob See (LTC) and fourth-year Architecture student Mark Mao Tao Yi (Lakasdiwa) will vie for public relations officer.
The campaign period for this year’s elections will be on Feb. 6 to 19, while the mandatory debate will be on Feb. 17. The new CSC officials will be proclaimed on Feb. 22.
Voter turnout must be at least 25 percent of the student population, otherwise, failure of elections will be declared. Last year’s election had a voter turnout of 61.93 percent, with 26,768 students voting out of the UST student population of 43,221. Lord Bien G. Lelay and Gena Myrtle P. Terre
