Last night, September 26, 2021, the Sandigan ng mga Mag-aaral para sa Sambayanan (SAMASA PUP), PUP Students' Party for Equality and Advancement of Knowledge (PUP SPEAK), Laban PUP, and the Independent CPSPA, released a joint statement, together in light of the recent meeting that was held by the PUP COMELEC.
Their call for a hearing last September 25 was heard where they addressed issues and concerns of the Iskolars ng Bayan regarding the discrepancies and lapses in the conduct of the casting and canvassing of votes and permission of student publications in the process of verification of votes. This follow-up joint statement stated that the COMELEC agreed on their call to allow student publications to participate in the second verification of voters during the period of canvassing of votes. “They [COMELEC] will issue a resolution and fair guidelines for the student publication to cover and be our guard in the process of verification of votes. This is an important gain in upholding the right to press freedom and the right of the students to be informed of all the proceedings of the elections.”
They also added that they recognize these gains with the COMELEC, however, there were still concerns that were appeased but are yet to be resolved including the releasing of another set of publication materials detailing their protocol for the canvassing of votes, instead of the operational plan that the parties involved initially recommended, in line with the Election Code. There was also the ma5tter of verifying loopholes that were pointed out in the PUP Webmail platform, where the Commission will stick to their original plan of the second verification in coordination with the Office of the Student Services (OSS).
The post also included the issue regarding the political implication of OSS Director Distor's participation in the process, considering how Distor has recently been involved in an incident in the Psychology Department of CSSD for railroading a partnership with the Hands Off Our Children (HOOC), a state-backed organization for red-tagging and has long been notorious for endangering democratic dissent. The concern regarding OSS Chief Sagun was also brought up, on the subject of his possible ties to student political parties in PUP. This, however, similar to OSS Director Distor’s case, the Commission still have no clear plan, but has reiterated that the OSS will have no direct interference during the verification process.
“During this process, the poll watchers of each party and representatives from student publications are now allowed to guard its entire duration which will be held in the vicinity of our University. It is commendable for the Commission for ensuring the integrity of this crucial part of the elections. However, we as Iskolars ng Bayan, must still observe and secure the whole election period, and must help not just the COMELEC but the whole community in the process of these elections.” SAMASA added.
They also shared that the COMELEC expressed their dismay regarding their previous unity statement, specifically on the words used in describing the Commission’s actions. SAMASA PUP, together with PUP SPEAK, LABAN PUP, and Independent CPSPA, believe that by recognizing their own lapses, and working together, can we realize the elections that the Iskolars ng Bayan deserve.
These political parties and independent slate of CPSPA reiterate their calls to the Commission and Community to protect the sanctity and integrity of the most crucial part of the electoral process, the casting and canvassing of votes. They believe that this can be done by adopting the following recommendations that they posted below:
a) Releasing of the operational plan for the conduct of the casting and canvassing of votes in order to level off both the electorate and all interested parties;
b) Thoroughly prevent any possibility of administration intervention or any form of tampering and manipulation, by any offices required of admin coordination;
c) Mitigate all the loopholes and discrepancies in the PUP Microsoft Forms to prevent non-bona fide students from voting, and for multiple votes to be entered;
d) Maintain transparency to all the students, particularly the student publications regarding all updates and activities of the COMELEC during this period.”
They ended the post with the message below:
“This call is not directed to the COMELEC alone, but to all the members of the PUP Community who play a significant role in this election. It is only through this action, that we can fully disseminate information to all, protect the integrity of this election, and uphold the right to suffrage of the Iskolar ng Bayan.
In the height of numerous alarming reports and information circulating in social media, we, as a united front, are also calling for students to reach us and report any violations and atrocities in the process of this Student Council Elections. We will not let anyone infringe the sanctity of the process of choosing our leaders. Together, we must stand united- the community together with the commission, in ensuring that the student council elections are always for the Iskolar ng Bayan. Such acts will be prevented and those involved be held accountable to the Commission.
As we are also geared towards the upcoming 2022 National Elections, it is our moral responsibility to make our own student council elections, as a reflection of the interests of our constituents, a platform for principled and student-centered politics to exist, and as an opportunity to advance our struggle for genuine social change in our campus and the nation as a whole.”
You can see PUP SAMASA’s original post on the link below:
https://www.facebook.com/pupsamasa/posts/10159128129736185
-Julia Raine Morales/TF News
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