By: Andrea Eleanor Cabaron
Photo screen grabbed from the Letran COMELEC official document.
The Letran Student Council election activities will be held online, as announced in recent Resolutions No. 003 and 004 in response to the jeepney strike and heatwave conditions affecting the onsite classes in the Colegio.
The shift to a complete online election modality for 2024 will include all campaign activities from April 11 to 15 and the Miting de Avance on April 16 via Zoom.
Letran Commission on Elections (COMELEC) Chairman, Reign John Bench Almendras encourages Letranites to vote for this year’s Student Council election.
“Mahalaga ang pagboto sa kabila ng bilang ng mga kandidato dahil tayo lang ang daan upang makapag produce ng tatayo para sa atin sa harapan ng mga administrators at sa harapan ng lahat ng hamon ng paparating na bagong Academic Year,” COMELEC Chair Almendras said.
Last year's 2023 election had 60% voter participation, which was significantly lower than the 80% participation rate in the 2022 LSC election. Chairman Almendras says they have consulted with their adviser, Mr. Emil Carreon.
“This year, we are planning to not only post the links but also to conduct call brigades to RSO Presidents to tap them about the status of voter turnouts sa kabilang program and to tap all professors to help in ensuring that their students are aware that they can vote at bumoto as well.” COMELEC Chair Almendras explains.
To pull the majority—if not all—Collegiate students to vote, Chairman Almendras says they are preparing the means to remind students to vote when inside the Colegio. At the moment, he emphasized they are waiting for approval from the administration for these new approaches.
“Panghuli, mas gagawin naming malinaw na students can drop by sa headquarters ng Commission during the Elections para sa mga katanungan o kung gusto lang nila ng updates sa boto,” The COMELEC Chairman states.
In last year's student council election, there was a predominance of abstentions. The COMELEC Chair reiterated they had already addressed this issue during their review of the Election Code.
“If abstains dominate the affirmative votes, a second wave of elections will be held. All guidelines are in the prevailing Election Code naman na,” the Chairman says.
According to the Letran COMELEC, plans for the voting on April 17 to 18, followed by the proclamation of final election results, will be released in their official social media pages once approved by the concerned departments, namely the Department of Student Affairs (DSA), Auxiliary Services Department (ASD), and the Alumni and Public Relations Department (APRD).