POLITICAL APATHY in the university is a long-standing problem that has plagued almost every batch of Sanggunian officers.

Pioneers of the Christian Union for Socialist and Democratic Advancement (Crusada) believe that solving this issue begins with relevance.

Crusada Secretary-General and Presidential candidate Bian Villanueva said, “If it’s relevant to people, they’ll start caring… Crusada wants to find relevance in things that the students find relevant,” he said.

Established in August 2010 by a group of Political Science majors, Crusada is a neophyte political party that announced its full-pledge participation in the Sanggunian elections.

Villanueva said that the party stands for political participation and engagement, which Crusada members believe is lacking in the university due to apathy.

“These people don’t care about politics inside and outside campus. So we want to bring back politics, try to make people care again. They don’t leave politics when they leave Ateneo,” Villanueva said.

A breath of fresh air

Rooted in the ideology of social democracy, Crusada President and Vice Presidential candidate James Roman said that the party prioritizes ideals such as social justice, freedom, and solidarity, among others.

“Being a Christian union, we see social democracy [as something] very parallel to that of the Christian morals [and something which] gives individuals importance in society,” he said.

Party Premier Miguel Rivera also added that having elections, political systems and projects aren’t sufficient indicators of the existence of politics in a particular community.

“Students are so desensitized from democracy… they vote for their friends… and the people in the student council start forgetting to consult their constituents. They start doing some projects that don’t really address the issues,” Rivera added.

Furthermore, Roman said that the parties in the university are “just a microcosm” of the political parties in the Philippines.

“They do the same things. They don’t have ideologies behind decisions. In politics, however, motives and advocacies are important,” he said in a mix of English and Filipino.

Rivera said that their goal is not only to create and train candidates to become representatives of the students; they want to train “paradigm-changing leaders.”

With high hopes

Rivera said that he hopes Crusada members will win positions in the elections, adding that the outcome is dependent on how the other parties run their campaigns.

“We think and move very differently from the other parties…We have a definite identity, a definite strategy, and a definite platform. Unlike them, we don’t change things around depending on the mood of the elections,” he said.

Roman added that the structure of their party encourages other parties to exist. “We want competition because that’s important in politics. As a community, we don’t believe in just one ideology. We hope more political parties will be established,” he said in a mix of English and Filipino.

Current Sanggunian officers likewise share Crusada’s anticipation for the upcoming elections.

Third year School of Humanities (SOH) Central Board Representative Lance Viado said that having a more diverse political environment is beneficial to the community.

“It provides the students [with] more viewpoints in terms of voting because it engages the students in thinking about the platforms of the candidates more carefully before casting their ballots. A more politicized community is a more critically thinking one,” he said.

Finance Officer Reg Guevarra said that how Crusada handled the issue of the College Fair proved their consistency in terms of their commitment to their values.

“I only ask of them to be more open to studying the institution such as the constitution, the existing sectors and departments, administration committees that Sanggu represents the student body in. However, I have yet to see if they will be relevant to the student body,” she said.

Furthermore, she said that the university needs more students like them to lead and to initiate the “further politicization of the community.”

Rivera said that he appreciated the support they’ve been receiving from the community. However, he also said that this support comes with high expectations.

“We’re only starting… We haven’t been in the game as the other parties have been. [But] it’s going to be a very, very exciting elections,” he said.