During the last Sanggunian General Election, candidates resorted to name-calling, mudslinging and alleged instances of coercion, supposedly to guarantee a win.
Passive-aggressive behavior became the norm, from “cryptic” status messages on Facebook (that weren’t cryptic at all) to circular retorts online, which students didn’t understand anyway.
Does the “average” Atenean care about all this? I’m pretty sure he or she does; after all, the elements of this year’s elections felt a lot like they came out of a bad Filipino political drama, and drama always sells. But does that mean that the “average” Atenean is politicized?
Despite the growing popularity of the Sanggu Bantay Halalan 2011 group on Facebook, and the overwhelming voting turn-out (53.9%, including the seniors, according to The GUIDON’s Blue Ballot), electoral talk is still mostly limited to the circles that traditionally care about the elections; that is, the candidates, the incumbents, other student leaders and well, The GUIDON’s Blue Ballot team.
The Sanggu Bantay Halalan 2011 Facebook group is the first step to involving everyone else, albeit a very small one. Facebook makes it easy to reach a huge population (the group has 1609 members as of press time) but reach doesn’t equate to the discourse everyone keeps talking about because really, the same names and faces (profile photos, at least) populate the group.
It also doesn’t help that many of the replies in the group are long and highfaluting; using big words on Facebook can make students click “close window” faster than a Rick Astley or Eduard Kill (of http://trololololololololololo.com) internet meme.
A very cynical friend captured the situation when he said, “Ang ingay lang ngayon kasi campaign pero by June, wala na rin yan (There’s only a lot of talk now because it’s the campaign season but when June comes along, nothing’s going to change).” The same friend, despite my constant badgering, opted not to vote during the elections, and I don’t blame him for feeling that way.
For now, the incumbent Sanggunian and those who care can breathe a sigh of relief. Election controversies and Comelec inefficiencies aside, the elections were a success. At the very least, a new set of officers have been sworn in and voting automation was a success.
For Drew Copuyoc and the rest of the newly elected Sanggunian officers however, relief is a luxury. Much hype and fanfare surrounded this year’s election but we have yet to see investment in the Sanggunian grass roots.
Come June 2011, when Copuyoc and company begin the real work, I’ll rightly be detached from the Loyola Schools. However, Facebook will still be there and I have a feeling that I will still know if my friend was right or wrong.
With the unprecedented (at least, for our generation) level of activity related to the General Elections, come the pressure for this year’s would-be Sanggunian officers to deliver. So before Mr. Copuyoc gets caught up in a daze of congratulations and turnovers, here’s an unsolicited Sanggunian wish list from a General Elections “veteran.”
1. Revive the Athletics Council. The GUIDON’s Sports section has attempted to bring into the open the difficulties of the varsity teams. If time and energy can be spent to discuss a College Fair, it shouldn’t be too difficult to listen to our athletes.
2. Revise the political party system. The dissolution of political parties two years ago was a major setback for Ateneo student politics. For the coming years, political parties should function as political parties—they should remain active throughout the year, and not just during campaigning.
3. Transparency. Someone in the Sanggu Bantay Halalan forum raised a valid point when he suggested more transparency in the Sanggunian officer’s daily activities. Sure, it might get mundane but that’s the social media world for you—a lovely mix of the “important” and the ordinary.
4. Don’t get tired of us. While most students still have no idea what a CB is or what ASCC means, it’s no reason to give up. In the words of the wise Barney Stinson, “challenge accepted.”
