FIVE THOMASIANS have filed their certificates of candidacy for the 2025 Central Student Council (CSC) Executive Board elections, which, for the second time in a row, will not have an aspirant for the presidency.
This year’s elections drew five candidates for four Executive Board positions — vice president, secretary, auditor, and public relations office (PRO) — an improvement from last year’s polls which only had two candidates, the lowest in years.
Annie Agon, a legal management sophomore who was elected CSC PRO just last November, filed her candidacy for vice president. She took a leave of absence from her post before formalizing her candidacy.
Agon said she wanted to push for a more progressive student government if elected again.
“Gusto natin na magkaroon pa siya (vice president) ng more progressive takes and magawa niya ‘yong mismong description niya — na hindi lang malimitahan sa statement [kundi] talagang ma-push ‘yong mismong campaign and advocacy,” she told the Varsitarian.
“Since student institution ang CSC, dapat daluyan talaga siya ng campaigns,” added Agon, a former director for campaigns and advocacies at the Artlets Student Council and chair of Kabataan UST.
Biochemistry junior Nashville Mauricio was the lone applicant for CSC secretary.
If elected to the post, Mauricio said he would call for the revision of the 22-year-old CSC Constitution.
“My current plan is to be here and fight for our constitution. Until now, there’s still no cause for an update on our constitution,” Mauricio, who serves as coordinator to the CSC secretary, told the Varsitarian.
Also running unopposed is Joseph Coronel, who filed his candidacy for CSC auditor.
A former auditor of the Artlets Student Council, Coronel emphasized the importance of filling the CSC position, which had been left vacant in the previous elections, to ensure checks and balances.
“Unfortunately, napapansin natin na una, kulang ng student representation pagdating sa CSC, at pangalawa, nakikita natin kung ano ‘yong importansiya lalo ng pagkakaroon ng isang auditor sa isang konseho,” the third-year political science student said.
Seeking the position of PRO were financial management freshman Nathan Blaza and political science junior Heavenly Nerizon.
Blaza, the executive associate to the vice president of finance of UST Community Achievers Association, said he would work to strengthen the connection between the CSC and the student body, and the students and the UST administration.
“I want the Thomasian community and the council to strengthen their connections […] and the CSC [to have] a voice in administrative meetings,” he said. “Para maging representative ‘yong council sa mga administration; para magkaroon ng boses ‘yong mga Tomasino.”
Nerizon is a member of CSC’s human resources committee.
The Central Commission on Elections (Comelec) accepted applications for the CSC elections from Feb. 24 to March 3.
Candidates will have until March 4 to cure deficiencies in requirements, if any, before the Central Comelec releases the final list of CSC bets on March 17. with reports from Sydney Venice V. Berba, Janica Kate J. Buan, Fernando Pierre Marcel B. Dela Cruz, and Amador Denzel M. Teston
