Transparency, Unity, Good Governance, Outstanding Service, and Nurturing Leadership (TUGON) Party failed to defend the presidential seat in the University Collegiate Student Council – Department Student Council (UCSC) 2024 Elections.
In contrast, the Coalition for the Advancement and Unity of the Students of Enverga (CAUSE) Party reclaimed the presidential seat, marking a significant shift, especially after the previous UCSC administration was led by student leaders from TUGON.
CAUSE posed a landslide victory which denied their competitor positions in the UCSC, with 13 out of 14 candidates securing positions in the council on September 23, 2024.
Gianne S. Pagana, the presidential candidate from the CAUSE, won the presidential race with 2,857 votes, against her opponent Miguel Carlo U. Medenilla who garnered 1,669 votes.
Alongside Pagana, three major positions in the “Big 5” were taken by candidates from CAUSE namely, Secretary-General Radhakrishna C. Nicodemus with 3,120 votes, Treasurer Angela Isabel C. Quillope with 2,929 votes, and Auditor Carl Jaypee R. Austrial with 2,271 votes.
The CAUSE also swept the polls for the department representatives as all of their candidates secured their seats in the UCSC.
Art Mcnight P. Balane, John Rev Remo, and Argybelle M. Francia were elected as representatives for the College of Architecture and Fine Arts, College of Arts and Sciences, and College of Business and Accountancy, receiving 205, 394, and 207 votes, respectively.
In other colleges, Mary Joyce B. Bala won the seat for the College of Criminal Justice and Criminology with 403 votes, while Daryll Cris B. Celestial secured the College of Computing and Multimedia Studies seat with 284 votes. Shaira M. Luna was elected in the College of Education with 115 votes, and Klyd Andrei E. Galvez claimed the College of Engineering seat with 772 votes, more than doubling his opponent’s total.
The College of Maritime Education saw Jhuna Crezell M. Marin won with 185 votes, and the College of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences elected Jozel M. Ampeloquio with 296 votes.
Despite CAUSE’s overwhelming victory, TUGON managed to retain two key positions. Nicole Alissandra N. Ello won the vice-presidential race with 2,539 votes, while John Paul R. Piezas secured the CIHTM representative seat with 508 votes.
In a Facebook post, CAUSE reaffirmed their commitment, “patuloy nating isulong ang progreso, tapat na paglilingkod at mas maliwanag na kinabukasan para sa ating pamantasan.”
While the election results were noteworthy, voter turnout was lower than last year’s 63%, with only 54.86% of students (4,590 out of 8,367) casting their votes. The College of Engineering had the highest turnout at 70.88%, while Enverga Law School had the lowest at 25.29%.
The newly elected UCSC-DSC officers took their Oath of Office on September 24, 2024, at the AEC Little Theatre, facilitated by the University Student Comelec.
