Ella Marie L. Dimaculangan
11 February 2009
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�Yes� votes dominate in the Codified Rules for Student Regent Selection (CRSRS) referendum. Based on the final and official results, out of the 47, 365 students in the UP system, more than 55 percent or 26, 118 participated in the referendum. 19, 068 or more than 73 percent voted �Yes� while 6, 747 or almost 26 percent voted �No�.
To present Student Regent, Hon. Shahana Abdulwahid, the referendum was a success. She said, in an article published in the Philippine Collegian, �Isang kolektibong tagumpay ang naganap na referendum. Muling napatunayan ng mga estudyante na hindi sila apathetic at handa nilang proteksyunan ang mga institusyong sila rin ang nagtaguyod.�
To those who campaigned for �Yes�, it was also a victory. But what really is behind a "Yes" vote and what does it mean to a UP student?
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The referendum, for Rima Jessamine Granali, a senior Journalism student from UP Diliman,
served as the power of the student to approve or reject the CRSRS.
This is based on a provision in the new UP charter. RA 9500, better known as the new UP charter entails ratification of the existing CRSRS as a means of choosing the student representative in the Board of Regents through a system-wide referendum where a 50 percent+1 cut-off should be met. Granali said she was able to get most information regarding the referendum on the internet particularly in social networking sites like friendster, facebook and multiply which were used by different groups to disseminate information. She was also able to see flyers and posters and witness room-to-room campaigns. |
 USC Councilor Bikoy Villanueva tallies the votes in the CRSRS referendum canvassing Monday afternoon. Photo by Laurice Claire Penamante |
Numerous ways were used to propagate information about the referendum but Granali find those ineffective. She said she was lucky to be given the task by an academic organization she was a member of to write about the CRSRS because that obliged her to conduct research and made her understand the matter fully. If not, she said, she might be one of the many who got confused with what the referendum is really about.
�Hindi masyadong effective yung pagpapakalat ng information regarding the referendum. Yung mga dorm mates ko nga, walang masyadong alam kung bakit kailangan nilang bumoto,� said Granali.
 Dr. Oscar Ferrer of the Office for Student Affairs (OSA) signs tally sheet during the CRSRS referendum canvassing Monday afternoon. Photo by Laurice Claire Penamante. |
�Yung nangyari kasi parang naging labanan ng political parties. STAND-UP na Yes ang stand at Alyansa at Kaisa na No dahil may mga gustong iammend sa CRSRS. Naging political yung issue kaya naguluhan yung mga estudyante. Naging propaganda war, kung bakit yes or no. Hindi masyadong na-clear kung ano yung layunin ng referendum,� added Granali. Granali was referring to the campaigns of the political parties in UP Diliman regarding their opposing stands on the CRSRS referendum. STAND-UP pushed for the �Yes� vote while KAISA and Choose to Know, an alliance of members of student councils from across the UP System, advocated for a �No� vote. To Granali, her �Yes� vote means securing the Office of the Student Regent. The student regent for her serves as the voice and protects the rights of the students. �Mahalaga ang Student Regent lalo na ngayon na katatapos lang maipasa ng TOFI (Tuition and other Fees Increase) at nakakaranas pa ng iba�t ibang political repressions ang mga estudyante. Kailangan talaga siya para mavoice-out yung mga complaints ng mga estudyante sa BOR,� said Granali. |
Granali chose to vote "Yes" becasue she thinks it is the vote that guarantees student representation in the BOR. �Sa provision kasi sa UP Charter, walang nasabi kung anong mangyayari kung manalo ang no-votes. May mga speculations na kapag nanalo ang no-votes, magkakaroon ulit ng referendum tapos mananatili pa rin si Shahana eh graduating na sya. Dahil hindi clear kung anong mangyayari pag no yung nanalo, nakakatakot. In a way baka ma-threathen pa rin yung OSR,� said Granali.
Though busy with her thesis and other requirements to be able to graduate in April 2009, she really find time to study the issue and vote. She said, �Bilang esudyante ng UP, kahit gagradate ka na, kailangan mo pa rin isipin yung mga nakababatang maiiwan mo na maaapektuhan ng issueng ito.�
