Photo from: masscomm.upd.edu.ph
It
is late February, nearing the month of March and you are probably starting to
see students wearing long sleeves and slacks when you’re used to the sight of
jeans and various shades of oversized shirts. It is campaign period once more
in UP Diliman and candidates are going door to door in an attempt to convince
you that they are the choice, they are the solution and they are worthy of your
much respected and needed vote.
Why vote?
Have
you ever come across these words being said before?
“What is the Council doing?”
“If only I was a member of the
council…”
“Why did they decide to do
that?”
“The USC is so stupid, the
obvious decision is…”
Everyone
has an opinion about what is going on and everybody wants to do something about
the situation. However, we simply cannot have everyone shouting what they want
to say, that creates confusion and it usually ends up with no decision being
made. So we have the council to voice out our opinions, to voice out our
concerns. Since you have no plans for joining the council, you vote so that you
still have a part in the council. Vote for the person who in your opinion
thinks the way you do, that way, your opinion is heard via your candidate.
Voting can be a bother and you can get on with your life without having to
vote. However if you are dissatisfied with the way things are run, VOTE and get
someone you want into the council.
Who are running?
It
is too much of a bother to go into the candidates one by one, so we shall
attempt to bring light instead to the parties running.
KAISA (Nagkakaisang Iskolar para sa
Pamantasan at Sambayanan)
KAISA
is the newest party in UP Diliman, formed in May of 2005. It is a progressive
political party and dynamic student formation that envisions itself as an agent
of social change through competent student leadership, proactive political
action and effective social involvement. In essence, KAISA consider themselves
as scholar activists, a group of students who make use of their education in
order to be of use to the university and to society.
ALYANSA (Alyansa ng mga Mag-aaral para sa
Panlipunang Katwiran at Kaunlaran)
ALYANSA
is a leadership and service formation who follows by the principles of
· *Progressive Multi-Perspective
Activism
o
Big words, but basically they
consider all sides of a given situation, they act upon viewing these
perspectives and work to be progressive and prevent stagnation.
· *Academic Excellence
o
They consider academic
excellence to be an indicator of leadership and social responsibility.
· *Student empowerment
o
They believe that student
participation and representation are the answers to problems of student rights
and welfare.
· *Social Justice and Progress
o
It is UP’s role is to advocate
and fight for the rights of the marginalized and socially oppressed.
STAND-UP (Student Alliance for the
Advancement of Democratic Rights)
STAND-UP
considers the present educational system as colonial, commercialized and
repressive. STAND-UP fights for a change and has been at the forefront in
student related struggles, consistently fighting against UP budget cuts and
other commercialization schemes. They believe that a mass-oriented, scientific
and nationalist education is what the Filipino student should receive. They
believe that it is in a better education system that students will be oriented
towards service for its people.
Simply search in iskwiki.upd.edu.ph in
order to find out more about their campaigns, their history as well as the
basic principles that guide the student formation.
Independent
The
independent is basically a candidate who has no allegiance to any of the three
currently running parties. They believe in their own principles and that
despite the lack of a political party they have what it takes to represent and
serve the students. In order to learn more about their principles and
individual personalities, you should listen to campaigns and judge for yourself
So…
What now?
This
is just an overview of what the different parties are. In order to make a
proper, informed decision, one should listen to campaigns, read the papers that
they randomly give out and listen to the debates that will be happening in the
next few weeks. Ask questions about their opinions on current affairs as you
want individuals who feel the same way you do about current news. Don’t ask
questions about personal history nor about the history of their opponents, this
does not help you in making your decision; neither does it help other people in
making their decision. Be respectful and maintain tact in order to judge
properly the personality and the interests of a candidate. Consider all
candidates, their strengths, weaknesses, what they’re campaigning for and vote
for someone who will represent you the best. Do not be afraid to abstain if you
do not know enough about the people who are running, it is much better than
voting for someone who you barely know anything about. Abstain if you feel that
nobody deserves the position. DON’T FORGET TO VOTE! It is your right and it is
your chance for your voice to be heard.
Mykha Marie B. Tabuzo
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