Misprinted ballots, a neophyte coalition going toe-to-toe with an established party, and landslide victories, among others, characterized the 2010 Sanggunian elections.

Elections, it is said, is one measure of the health of a democracy. If anything, the 2010 elections showed Ateneo politics in a state of gradual evolution–familiar themes, speeches and promises are expressed onto the canvas of new media, one that is convenient, accessible and free.

No banking on fresh blood

The race for the top two positions was not even close. Presidential candidate Howie Uyking’s 375 votes paled in comparison with eventual winner Rob Roque’s 3,111 votes. Vice President Jojo Dumrique likewise got 2,563 votes compared to Quico Munoz’s 633.

For the top two, experience seemed to be the deciding factor as Ateneans favored Sanggunian veterans Roque and Dumrique over first-timers Uyking and Munoz. Student Denice*, for her part, said she based her decision–Rob Roque for president–on experience, and not just the will to lead.

“There is no room for mistake,” she said. “Running for [the presidency with only desire and no experience] is like going to battle with the courage but without the artillery.”

Incoming Finance Officer Reg Guevarra affirms this: “People saw the importance of having vision coupled with technical skills.”

Denice, however, voted for Munoz because she wanted the views of a Sanggunian “outsider” to be heard in the student council.

“[Sanggu] needs someone who actually came from the student body and saw the Sanggunian from a different point of view.” She adds that long-time members of the student council may have already formed biases that will affect their perspective on different issues.

The rise of student leaders

Noticeably absent from the elections was Partido Ignacio, which was not able to secure party accreditation for the elections. Nevertheless, the Ateneo Student Leaders (ASL), a coalition composed mostly of members of Partido Ignacio, emerged.

According to ASL co-founder and campaign leader, Jayvee Chun, establishing the ASL was done with a two-fold purpose in mind.

“First was to give deserving and selected candidates a chance to be of service to the student body,” he said. “Secondly, it was to pass the time of the retention policies of the [Ateneo Commission on Elections’ (Comelec) 2010 Election Code.]”

The Election Code mandates that a candidate who wishes to run under a party should be part of the party for a minimum of one year. Hence, as explained by Chun, the ASL also served as a means to facilitate the fulfillment of the one-year binding membership. Candidates who won with ASL can now begin to affiliate themselves with a political party of their choice while in office.

“It was a kind of levelling-off, to give everyone a fresh start with regard to the political party they wish to be affiliated with,” says Chun.

One, however, may ask whether the ASL is, in actuality, just Partido Ignacio as a coalition. Chun disagrees to this notion.

“True, a number of our candidates came from Partido Ignacio,” he says. “However, there is no connection between Ignacio. ASL is independent from Ignacio.”

Central Board candidate and Partido Ignacio member Darlene Haw says that her connections with the party encouraged her to sign up with ASL. “I’ve been asked by my friends from Partido Ignacio to team up with them under [ASL]. I liked the ideology behind the group and I also liked that they were getting leaders from various leadership backgrounds.”

Nevertheless, for all its successes, the ASL would cease to exist after the elections. As Chun explains, its goals have been reached, thus there would be no need to continue the coalition.

“[ASL’s dissolution will have minimal effects on Ignacio]. As of the moment, Partido Ignacio is picking up where it left off and is rebuilding itself. It aims to be true political party with true political ideologies and stands, hopefully by year-end.”

“Unavoidable evolution”

The proliferation of social networking sites and other forms of viral campaigning signalled a soft shift from traditional campaign techniques to new forms. The end result was a greater degree of awareness of the elections and the candidates’ platforms.

“Viral campaigning helped students get greater access to their candidates. Of course, this type of campaigning’s environment-friendly quality was something I, and many other candidates, appreciated as well,” says incoming Secretary-General Maan delos Santos.

Dumrique adds, “Viral campaigning made the elections cheaper for the candidates.” Rather than printing a number of posters and teasers to advertise themselves and their plans, candidates simply employed the use of cyberspace–free, convenient and accessible.

Munoz is one such candidate who used the Internet to bolster his campaign. Twitter, Facebook and Formspring were the avenues by which Munoz reached out to those caught up in this “unavoidable evolution” towards online media.

This inevitable trend towards Internet campaigning necessitated constant regulation during the campaign period. Ateneo Comelec requires every candidate to have all campaign plans and materials, whether traditional media or new media, approved before they can be released.

During the elections, Uyking and Munoz were sanctioned with a 25% reduction in their campaign cost ceilings as a result of posting unapproved materials on their Facebook fan pages.

Munoz claimed that there was ambiguity in the policy, ands called on Comelec to be more precise regarding online campaign materials. He suggests that little or nothing at all should be left to interpretation in the policy so as to facilitate election efficiency and relative convenience to the candidates.

Comelec Chief Commissioner Jessica Lazaro, meanwhile, defends its decision behind the sanction, as well as its stance regarding online campaign materials. “What the candidates have to understand is that the rules do not necessarily restrict the candidates in terms of campaigning; [they also protect them].”

She explains that the required Campaign Plan Proposal enables Comelec to monitor the posting of promotional materials. That way, the creation of fake accounts meant to tarnish a candidate’s reputation will be prevented.

Chun believes that online campaigning is here to stay and will become stronger, amidst regulation. He explains that with the tight space candidates are given to campaign in school, the Internet is essential in introducing oneself to and interacting with the student body.

“It is a tool for accountability and it would be a shame if it was disallowed in the future,” he says.

Looking back and going forward

“[The elections] was successful because again, we reached a quota, we have new officers, and they are, I believe, mostly the right choices to be put on seats of power,” Chun says.

Nevertheless, he believes that the unforgivable mistake of misprinted ballots should not have occurred, and implies a greater need for improvement with the Comelec’s systems.

“I understand [why the Comelec was strict] with regard to policies and deadlines but with our compliance to their rules [there should be an accompanying] promise to deliver [on their part],” he adds.

Lazaro says in response that the Comelec will undergo changes. “We are pushing for automation, [they can expect] the same “strictness” on implementation of the rules and less ambiguous provisions. They can also expect a more proactive Commission next year which will hopefully make the elections and plebiscites successful.”

The Sanggu, meanwhile, says it would continue its annual transformation into an entity recognized and respected by the students. Dumrique promises that next year’s Sanggu will “focus more on reaching students and on making the Sanggunian more visible, accessible and relevant.”

With reports from Emmanuel D. Delocado
*Name has been changed to protect the individual