Despite boasting of more or less an 8,000-strong student population, the SSC Miting De Avance (MDA), touted as the largest in the university, saw a meager turnout, with only 16 students attending in person, while 25 tuned in via livestream, April 24.
With only several viewers and attendees, the SSC COMELEC still conducted the Miting De Avance with ASAP, showcasing their plans, platforms, projects, and aspirations for MSU as a green university.
“During the HARAPAN 2024, few people attended the event and even fewer watched the Facebook live,” Rubal Joules Patron, SSC COMELEC chairperson said in an interview.
He also expressed that the SSC COMELEC was saddened by the fact that the SSC elections 2024 do not have a huge engagement despite the commission’s efforts to inform the studentry.
“I think either the MSUans are taking this election season for granted because there is no opposition or they are just mostly apolitical when it comes to electing their future student leaders. We hope we are wrong about this,” Patron said.
SSC COMELEC admitted that they might have lacked dynamic strategies to grab people's attention regarding the MDA, and they apologized and said they really tried their best.
However, COMELEC hopes that the MSUans will exercise their right to suffrage on April 29, 2024.
ASAP's 9-point agenda
The slate exposed their nine-point agenda, which are, the Student's Rights and Welfare (STRAW) , Student's Educational Services and Assistance - Academic support and assistance); Transparency and Accountability: highlighting the full disclosure bill, the external and internal collaborations of various university organizations and outside, Gender Inclusivity and Sensitivity, Peace Development, Media and Information Literacy; and the representation of Minority Students through policies and programs promoting the rights and welfare of minority groups.
They also propose mobility and empowerment through participation in socio-political issues: university, local, national, international, MSU ganap guide application for track of departmental, college, and organizational activities and
put attention to issue based campaigns and statements and student evaluation of university office services.
Eyeing Green MSU
Focusing on the benefit of the student body, continuing former SSC projects, and fostering more programs to enhance the council's service, ASAP on their agenda, Peace Development will not only collaborate with the Fundamental Peace Education (FPE) faculty and students but will also pursue a green university.
“We will create more seminars or educational discussions regarding environmentalism. We will invite talagang maalam na mga speaker na talagang merong track record on how to penetrate communities in order for those communities to be environmentally responsive. It's not enough na, like, mag-invite lang tayo ng speaker dito, mag-talk about this. We need to be smart in strategizing to raise awareness about environmental issues. And I hope that in our administration, if we're given the mandate to lead, we focus more on that first, and then we'll try to gauge the sentiments of the students,” Angela Torbolento emphasized after answering a question about their platform for pushing MSU to become a green university.
Moreover, Leonard Tucjayao said that they see that the university has insufficient current policies that could not suffice for the proper disposal of waste, and there are a lack of seminars and actions regarding environmental conservation and emphasized that they will really push MSU for a green university.
Hopes for the next admin
"I was a bit saddened to learn na isang party lang ang nag file ng candidacy for this year’s SSC elections,” Tucjayao said.
Despite the automatic victory, Tucjayao mentioned that the one-party election will de-legitimize the election process of SSC this academic year.
“Many would think na bakit siya sad? Na parang manalo naman agad sila. As a PolSci student, its an issue of legitimacy, because ang mangyayari nalang kasi when you are a lone party running for an office, that would mean ang election is ceremonial nalang and to formalize nalang," Tucjayao exclaimed.
"'Yan 'yung parang challenge namin for our administration na-eempower lahat ng MSUans to participate like in the SSC elections, sa mga department or college organizations," Tucjayao added.
The SSC president candidate said in his aspirations that for the next election, students would engage more on student politics.
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