One chairperson candidate, two vice chairperson candidates, and eight councilor candidates are campaigning across colleges on the campus to convince voters to choose them in the 2025 USC elections. The campaign period runs from April 28 to May 14.

This page will be updated every time a college-wide MdA concludes. 

USC Candidates Divided Over Melchor Cafe, Eng’g Spaces, MRT-7 in First College MdA

By Alex Lauricio

Candidates running for the University Student Council (USC) remain divided on Eng’g issues, including the opening of ILO Cafe in Melchor Hall and the transfer of Eng’g organizations, and on the MRT-7 University Avenue station, during Wednesday’s VotEng’g, the first college-wide Miting de Avance this election.

Incumbent Eng’g Chairperson Vherwyn Nuñez, the sole councilor candidate from Eng’g and part of the Laban Kabataan Coalition, was the only candidate who agreed with reservations on the ILO Cafe opening, despite the rest of his coalition disagreeing. He clarified during the open forum that he was against commercialization, but not ILO Cafe itself. 

ILO Cafe’s opening on April 26 finalized the displacement of the Materials Science Society and 49ers, both Mining, Metallurgical, and Materials Engineering student organizations, from their spaces in Melchor. The cafe is a small extension of the cafeteria on the building’s first floor.

USC candidates’ stances were made known by raising colored flaglets. Green and red stood for decisive agree and disagree, respectively, while shades of blue were used for agree and disagree with reservations. (Sarah Gates/Philippine Collegian)

But this may only be the first in a series of org relocations, with an order from the Eng’g administration for organizations to move to their respective departments and buildings being cited during the open forum. Melchor Hall historically housed all Eng’g organizations, with most department buildings allotted for laboratory and classrooms having little space for org tambayans.

Both UP ALYANSA’s candidates disagreed with the supposed directive, while the Laban Kabataan Coalition had mixed stances. Nimra Gonzalez and Fatima Mendoza agreed with the directive, while the rest disagreed.

For some organizations, their buildings do not house enough indoor spaces. Outdoor spaces are risky as trophies, accolades, and other storage materials from the organizations may be exposed to harsh weather. (Sarah Gates/Philippine Collegian)

The establishment of an MRT station along University Avenue also elicited mixed reactions from the candidates. Both UP ALYANSA standard-bearers agreed but had reservations, while the Laban Kabataan Coalition candidates were divided between agreement and disagreement with reservations.

UP ALYANSA’s duo consistently had the same answers, while the Laban Kabataan Coalition was divided on some issues. (Sarah Gates/Philippine Collegian)

The ILO Cafe and the MRT station are just some of the many concerns prompted by the Miting de Avance’s list of questions that scrutinized the candidates’ stances on some national and university issues, including repealing the 1987 Philippine Mining Act, the sufficiency of the two-year org relocation transitory period, and the Philippines rejoining the International Criminal Court.

The candidates were not given any chance to explain their stances during the flag-raising portion of the Miting de Avance. Notably, none of the questions contained any mention of the abstain vote, in a college where 42.74% of students voted to abstain for the USC chairperson position in the 2024 special elections.

Meanwhile, during the open forum held after the platform presentation, multiple candidates like UP ALYANSA’s Ynigo Panghulan and Laban Kabataan’s Alyssa Alano noted that the USC’s current term is not efficient, while others like Mendoza noted that it was because of the vacancy of seats this year. 

This was also Amanda Echanis’ first Miting de Avance, which she attended online from a jail cell. Despite being detained for trumped-up charges since December 2020, the Malikhaing Pagsulat student still vies to be the first political prisoner councilor in the USC. 

“Hindi ako naniniwala na walang pakialam ang mga UP students noon, at lalo pa ngayon. Kailangan natin ipakita na kailangan ang student council, [na] ang pagkakaroon ng student representation ay ating demokratikong karapatan,” Echanis said in an open forum question prompted regarding declining student participation.

Echanis was arrested as the country’s youngest political prisoner at that time. Her father, who was also an activist, was murdered two months before her arrest. (Sarah Gates/Philippine Collegian)

The College of Engineering is the most vote-rich college, having 5,819 available voters and comprising 21.6% of the student body on campus. A plethora of issues still remain that must be addressed by the candidates moving forward. ●