WITHOUT elected Central Student Council (CSC) officers, the Central Board has taken on the responsibilities of UST’s highest student body, a situation its members have decried because of the challenges posed by dual roles at the local and campus-wide levels.
As the legislative arm of the CSC, the Central Board is composed of elected presidents of Local Student Councils (LSCs) and is “responsible for formulating policies, rules, and regulations” concerning students.
However, the last student council elections in UST were marred by an unprecedented mass withdrawal of Executive Board candidates, forcing the Central Board to temporarily assume the CSC’s functions to prevent a leadership void.
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This situation has resulted in an overlap of duties between the executive and legislative branches, as well as between local and University-wide councils, said John Clarence Bautista, Central Board speaker.
“There is a reason why there is a Central Student Council and there are (LSCs). Kahit sa local pa lang, mabigat na ‘yong responsibilities,” Bautista, president of the College of Architecture Student Council, told the Varsitarian. “Kapag humalo pa ‘yong sa Central, magkakaroon talaga ng challenges.”
Recently, the Central Board formalized the appointment of its members as interim officers in-charge of all seven CSC positions. According to a resolution, this move was meant to distribute the workload among Central Board members.
READ: CSC gets interim officers to fill vacancies in Executive Board
Although wielding both executive and legislative capabilities may seem ideal on paper, “realistically, it’s not like that,” according to Bautista.
“We took an oath, and we ran for office na local, so hindi namin siya puwedeng basta-basta lang iwan for a higher calling such as the Central (CSC),” said Bautista, one of the three officers in charge of the CSC Office of the President. “Our promise is to our fellow stakeholders in our academic units.”
“Iba ‘yong atmosphere sa central and sa local,” he added. “Hindi rin namin alam kung paano talaga kami gagalaw sa central, kasi nga mas bihasa kami sa local.”
Short-term challenges
Mark Alpas, deputy secretary general of the Central Board and CSC Office of the Secretary interim officer, pointed to the difficulty of balancing commitments, especially during major events like the freshmen welcome rites.
“We all have initial commitments with our colleges, especially during the Welcome Walk. Talagang nahati kami with, let’s say, volunteering, kung saan talaga ‘yong duty namin,” Alpas told the Varsitarian.
“There were others who really couldn’t commit with the CSC and just devoted [themselves] to the local student council,” he added.
Alpas admitted that their temporary tenure as interim officers meant that they could not set long-term goals.
“Kung ano na lang ‘yong kaya naming gampanan in a short timeframe para ma-accomplish ‘yong mga ‘yon […] Ang hirap mag-plan ng long term kung hindi rin kami guaranteed kung hanggang kailan kami rito and kung hanggang saan ‘yong capacity ng responsibility na mayroon kami,” Alpas added.
Six months after the withdrawal of all CSC bets, the Central Commission on Elections (Comelec) announced the holding of new regular elections, in which the Executive Board officers for Academic Year 2024-2025 will be selected.
Aspiring student leaders may file their candidacies until Sept. 10.
