ONLY TWO Thomasians have filed their candidacies for this year’s Central Student Council (CSC) elections, with no aspirants running for the positions of president, vice president, treasurer, and auditor.
Medical biology junior Meckia Villanueva submitted her candidacy for secretary on Sept. 9, while legal management sophomore Annie Agon filed for public relations officer (PRO) on Sept. 10.
This year’s elections, held following the mass withdrawal of all seven CSC Executive Board candidates last March, marked the lowest turnout of aspirants in recent years.
READ: No CSC bets this year as last candidate withdraws
In 2021, four candidates submitted their bids, followed by five in 2022 and six in 2023. Pre-pandemic, the number of CSC candidates regularly exceeded 10: there were 12 candidates in 2014 and 2015, 18 in 2016, 13 in 2017, and 11 in 2018.
The Central Commission on Elections (Comelec) announced the opening of the filing of certificates of candidacy (COC) on Sept. 4, with the official start of filing set five days later on Sept. 9.
The filing of COCs was initially scheduled to last only until Sept. 10, but the Central Comelec later extended it until Sept. 11. The final two days shifted to online filing due to the Tan Yan Kee Student Center serving as the Supreme Court’s headquarters for the Bar exams.
Bets’ plans
Lone secretary bet Villanueva, a former executive coordinator of the CSC’s Office of the Secretary, said the need for student representation prompted her to run.
“I felt like this is the right time for Thomasians to have a student leader who will really be there all throughout their journey,” she told the Varsitarian. “I am assuring everyone that I will not withdraw my candidacy.”
“What we need are bridges that will bring the concerns of the students to the admin, and that is what we need right now,” she added. “We need to step up.”
Villanueva also pledged to go beyond women empowerment and include other sectors of the Thomasian studentry.
“I will not just focus on the women to be empowered, but all those part of the Thomasian community who are in need of a representative to let their voices be heard,” she said.
PRO aspirant Agon, a former director for campaigns and advocacies at the Artlets Student Council, said she would use her platform to advocate for student rights, including freedom of expression and the right to organize.
“I am running for the position of PRO because I see it as part of a challenge, a challenge for all Thomasian to fight and reclaim their democratic rights. Ang pagtakbo ko ay part ng pagkuha ng espasyo ng mga Tomasino sa loob,” she said.
“Sa mas aktibong paglilingkod, gusto kong gawing plataporma ang CSC para ipaglaban ang mga karapatan ng mga Tomasino — laban sa arbitrary [tuition and other fee increases], freedom of expression, karapatang mag-organisa, at iba pang demokratikong adhikain.”
The Central Comelec will release the final list of candidates on Sept. 14. Carlo Jose H. Ruga with reports from Ella Mae A. Sison and Amador Denzel M. Teston
