A Sure Cause

It is said that everything we do in college is in preparation for the real world. With that point in mind, campus politics should be no exception. Exercising our rights of suffrage by participating in campus elections prepares us to vote for the right candidates in our country’s actual elections. The student government is an excellent training ground for students who aspire to become future leaders of our country.

Every last Wednesday of February, the Silliman University Student Government (SUSG) elections are held. The 2006 edition was held two days ago and it offered the chance for students to elect their leaders for the next school year. Unfortunately, like the previous years, the voter turnout seemed low, although I couldn’t confirm this personal observation yet.

Nevertheless, the elections ran smoothly that day. There were a couple of power interruptions during the counting that night but it really wasn’t a big deal. (It’s not like there’d be some ballot box-switching or something!). In fact, the results were ready around midnight.

This year, there were 3 political parties which include the well-established Concerted Action for the Upliftment of Students’ Endeavors (CAUSE) and Students’ Union for Reforms (SURE) parties, both of which have become a byword of student politics in Silliman. The third party is the NSTP (I couldn’t even recall what the acronym stands for). The last time there was a third party in the SG elections was in 1999, the time I ran for (and luckily won as) High School Representative. They were called the CURE party, obviously a combination of the two leading parties. In fact, that was their slogan, as they claim to be the “cure” to all the political bickering between CAUSE and SURE, which had already extended at that time for about a decade and a half. Unfortunately, the CURE party weren’t able to complete all the necessary requirements, and for this reason, even if they were already posting their campaign materials, they were disqualified by the COMELEC.

I have been a member of the CAUSE party for almost 8 years now. I have seen almost everything good and bad in student politics. I have seen how potential leaders climb the political ladder on their way to the highest position in the student government and how they overcome their shyness to become great leaders.

On the other hand, there are also some dark sides. These range not only from mere black propaganda and misinformation, but even up to frat wars. From the stories I’ve heard, years ago, fraternities take sides and their differences in party affiliations cause trouble between these feuding frats. Fortunately, over the past years, political tension has lessened somewhat. Gone were the frat wars and confrontations. Perhaps the only bad thing that continues to exist the last couple of years is black propaganda (although I’m glad to share that as far as I know, there is zero existence of such this year!). The sources of these controversies are not known. The mudslinging may come from the party itself, or from a group of loyalists in support of one party. It is even very possible that an outsider (not from CAUSE or SURE) could start all the character-destroying propaganda that could cause one party to blame the other. Then the “political war” heats up. Issues and stories – some true, some made-up, start surfacing. Political figures are targets of black propaganda, aiming to ruin their reputations.

Over the years, both parties have experienced ups and downs that make politics dynamic. The good thing is that members of the two parties remain friends (I have a lot of friends from the SURE party). It is probably only during the election period, when the election fever heats up, that loyalty to the party somewhat takes over. The friendship is not forgotten, it is always there. After the elections, when winning candidates from both parties take their places in the student government, a new working relationship is created. After all, at this time, one cannot say that he or she represents the CAUSE party or the SURE party, but he or she now represents the SUSG.

Now back to the election results. After four consecutive years of CAUSE presidencies, the streak was broken as the SURE party bet, Razcel Salvarita, won. Although I am a loyal supporter of the CAUSE party, I do not have any problems with the results. In fact, I believe all who ran as standard-bearers were very much qualified to handle the positions they vied for. The fact that they voluntarily offered their services is admirable, knowing that there is no monetary compensation for the work they would be doing (Believe me, I had been a part of the SG for several years, and honestly, it’s really a tough task). All the parties had good intentions, and that is to serve the student populace.

Knowing his background and capabilities, I’m sure Razcel would be a good student-servant. Besides, one person does not make up the SUSG. There is the entire set of other elected and appointed officers to work with him. Ultimately, the success of the administration would lie on how well these officers could work together and implement their plans.

For vice-president, Lycar Flores of the CAUSE party was victorious. I know her personally and she is really dedicated and committed to serving the students. Hopefully the Razcel and Lycar partnership at the helm of the student government would do good. As for the college representatives to the SUSG Assembly, I’m quite certain that as always, it will be a good mix of personalities coming from both parties. I hope they would really be there to “represent” their constituents and be their voice in this student legislative body.

In the end, my support for the SUSG perhaps would overshadow my support for one party. The responsibility you have as a student leader is such a privilege and at the same time a challenging undertaking. I hope that more students would realize that there is genuine satisfaction when you serve with sincerity. True leaders are not after the recognition or awards, but are there for the commitment to serve.