How an Undermanned USC Handled a Year of Turmoil Amid Declining Student Participation

Turbulence rocked the start of the University Student Council’s (USC) term this academic year. Overwhelming abstentions in a race with a few candidates left the council with six unfilled positions, including the standard bearers, for four months. Special elections following the vacancies garnered the lowest-ever voter turnout at 8.29 percent. The USC ends its term with three vacant councilor posts. 

The council’s limited manpower had to address consecutive issues threatening its constituents from the university to national scenes, such as the commercialization of spaces, police intrusions on campus, and the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP).

While the USC delivered some of its campaign promises in securing democratic spaces and strengthening community relations, it was unable to revitalize the waning student participation sufficiently. As a result, the council’s presence diminished and its initiatives were compromised.

Rebuilding Relationships 

The USC initiated consultations with students in shaping its calls and plans. However, the council’s insufficiency to inspire participation from the student body hindered the reach and effectiveness of its efforts.

One of the main calls the USC carried throughout its term is the We Need Space campaign, which aims to secure spaces for the communities on campus. The council’s consistent efforts gave way to the recent granting of a student lounge at the Student Union Building, criticized for its limited and bureaucratic allocation of student spaces.

But the USC fell short of fully securing tambayan spaces for student organizations, said Mohammad Hamdi Tuan, a second-year computer science student and UP Muslim Students Association (UP MSA) member. The UP MSA lost its tambayan in Vinzons Hall due to renovations. 

“It would help if may concrete action plan or proposal [ang USC] on how you deal with the orgs na nawalan ng mga tambayan … to go beyond merely asking for student spaces. If meron man plano, I haven’t heard of it,” Tuan said.

The USC’s presence has diminished significantly, Tuan added. The council also lapsed in enforcing transparency and accountability mechanisms,  potentially eroding trust in an already waning relationship between the USC and the studentry.

The USC did not issue the monthly publication of its minutes and financial documents mandated under its Constitution and this year’s Citizen’s Charter. Moreover, nine out of the 10 general assemblies the USC conducted before the special elections were not publicized. Councilor Beatriz Pineda’s resignation in August, after reportedly being overwhelmed as officer-in-charge, was also unreported. These matters were conducted internally because of the overwhelming responsibilities the council juggled before the special elections, said USC Councilor Katrina Batac.

Lapses in ensuring transparency were most apparent when then Councilor Alvin Magno resigned amid strong criticism from the student body for failing to disclose his affiliations with the Alpha Phi Beta fraternity, a formation marred with a history of violence. The controversy eventually led to the transparency corner resolution where USC members must reveal their affiliations in a public directory.

Sectoral Security

The USC was more responsive this year to the needs of the wider campus sectors, echoing their calls through networks and alliances that strengthened community relations.

The council participated in the campaigns of sectors within and beyond the university. For one, it helped to establish the UP Not For Sale Network in response to growing threats of commercialization, such as the impending opening of DiliMall. 

Communication with the USC became easier and served to raise awareness on vendors’ plights, said Narry Hernandez, chairperson of Samahang Manininda sa UP Campus. The urgency to oppose commercialization projects improved compared to last year when contentions against ventures like the Gyud Food Hub came too late.

The council also actively participated in the jeepney drivers’ struggle against the onslaught of PUVMP. Even before most UP jeepney drivers were compelled to consolidate, the USC held dialogues with the UP administration and organized programs with the drivers during transport strikes.

As these campaigns were launched, state forces’ intrusions also accelerated, prompting the council to reinforce its lobbying for stronger security measures. In January, the USC created a student-led security committee. 

Mounting pressures eventually led to the establishment of a Committee on the Protection of Freedoms and Rights on March 1. But the resulting committee was not maximized due to disputes with the UP administration on its function, USC Chairperson Shine Reyes said. It also lacked a centralized channel and updates on its development have not been cascaded to the rest of the community.

Consolidating the Community

The USC’s difficulties stem from lapses to greatly energize the declining political participation of the student body and resolve internal issues that constrained the council’s manpower. 

Vacancies in positions caused committee inefficiencies, stretching out an already incomplete council. The first quarter of the USC’s term before the special elections was marked with compromises, delaying initiatives such as the University Freshie Month. 

“Mas nag-focus kami in filling the positions, kasi it would be a dysfunctional council if we were to push forward despite the vacancies,” Batac said.

College representatives led seven of the 17 committees because the USC was still short of one councilor even after the special elections. Some were overworked due to handling multiple committees, said Chloe Antonio, former USC councilor who resigned in March.

So-called cliques among members of the USC made an environment unfavorable for a united council, Antonio said. These divides fostered antagonisms against some councilors and hampered initiatives, she added. 

Reyes denied these claims and said that members in “cliques” developed closer relationships because of being active in on-the-ground activities, not as a deliberate attempt to divide the council.

Outside the office, the council’s lackluster efforts to rally the studentry to its causes and sectoral campaigns seemed to contribute to declining political participation. This may be due to the growing sentiment that students feel neither represented nor engaged, Tuan said. He also observed students’ lack of participation in local councils which further distanced them from political activities.

Absent solid backing from a strong student movement it should have fomented, the USC had to spearhead initiatives without maximum political support. “Ang kailangan pa gawin ng next term, aside sa ipagpatuloy, mas marami sila mapapakilos. Ang dami kasi talagang nangyayari on a daily basis, ang daming issues nangyayari local or national-wise,” Reyes said.

Ultimately, the USC must lead in fostering an active student body. The next elected leaders face the challenge of invigorating the student movement toward more assertive stances against an unheeding UP administration and tumultuous national situation. ●