The Benilde Commission on Elections (COMELEC) held the Miting De Avance of the four candidates running under the Unido Benildyano coalition for the Benilde General Elections for Academic Year 2024-2025 at the Duerr Hall Auditorium, Taft Campus on Aug. 1.
The candidates running for a position at the Central Student Government (CSG) are the following:
Joshua Jeridan Castro for President
Yhanie Marie Magracia for Vice President of Operations
Merryl Kianne Rosales for Vice President of Academics
Andrei Albert Villanueva for Vice President of Externals
Ms. Nicky Templo-Perez, Vice President for Lasallian Mission and Student Life gave the opening remarks, emphasizing concern over the trend of only one candidate or party running unopposed among colleges and universities.
“It may seem that way at this time, that there is no choice, but I will say what Michelle Pfeiffer said […] there is always a choice.” Quoting the 1995 movie “Dangerous Minds” in her message, she encouraged students to run for the general elections next year. “Give yourself a chance to be of service to the students, to the young Benildeans of our college, and give yourself a chance to shine,” she added.
“When abstain wins, you lose your representation,” she added.
Ms. Templo-Perez was one of the three panelists. Along with her were the former President and current Secretary of the Benildean Scholars Association, Mr. Rain Tutor Demonteverde, and the Editor in Chief of the Benildean Press Corps, Ms. Jorel Magistrado.
The candidates gave their introductory speeches, starting with Castro, ID 122 BS-Information Systems, who is running for president. His platforms primarily revolve around the empowerment of the student council and the student body—highlighting issues in bureaucracy, finance, enrollment concerns, and the Magna Carta.
This was followed by Magracia, ID 122 AB-Multimedia Arts, who is running for Vice President of Operations. She discussed transparency and the cultivation of a vibrant student life through overseeing various institutional projects as her main initiatives.
The aspiring candidate for the Vice President of Academics position, ID 123 BS-Culinary Arts Management student, Rosales, emphasized mental health as her main advocacy.
Lastly, Villanueva, an ID 121 BS-Architecture student running for Vice President of External Affairs, focused on strengthening the image and identity of Benilde, as well as enhancing students’ affiliation with the professional world.
Aside from their advocacies and platforms, the candidates were tested on their stances on various national and college-wide issues in the “For or Against” segment. Their views are detailed below:
National Issues
Divorce - all are “For”
Same-sex marriage - all are “For”
Charter change - all are “Against”
Jeepney Phaseout - all are “Against”
Mandatory Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) - all are “Against”
College-level issues:
Term break extension - all are “For”
Tuition fee increase - all are “Against”
The replacement of old Benilde e-jeeps - all are “For”
The restructuring of CSG- all are “For”
Full face-to-face learning for A.Y ‘24-’25 - Magracia, Rosales, and Villanueva are “Against,” while Castro is “For.”
This segment was followed by two rounds of panel questioning. Candidates were given a minute and a half to answer initial questions, while 30 seconds were allotted for follow-ups. Ms. Templo-Perez began the first round with the question: “How do you propose to increase student engagement not just in school politics but also in student activities as well as the various college institutional activities?”
In response, Magracia highlighted the reestablishment of existing institutional activities from the student government that had become inactive, such as the Benilde League, an intercollegiate intramurals program. She also proposed potential partnerships with various student organizations within the Accredited and Recognized Student Organizations (ARSO) to discuss strategies for increasing student participation.
In support of this initiative, Castro further stated that they “hope to solve the lack of re-accreditation points needed by student organizations because we want to maintain them.” Regarding specific strategies, Vlillanueva suggested incentivizing students who will participate in various institutional activities. “In order for us to enhance our student engagement, we have to add value to [these events],” he explained.
Magistrado then opened the discussion on the concerns of student organizations regarding the amount of red tape in project implementations, specifically asking Castro and Magracia about possible solutions to streamline the approval process for proposed projects.
In response, Castro shared his personal experiences of red tape in project management within the CSG. “The solution to that, as [reminded] by our adviser, is [for] students to come up with proposed solutions to the [administration].” He cited examples such as the risk management template and contracts template developed by students to fast-track the organization of projects. “We need to push forward the student-proposed solutions,” he pointed out.
Magracia further elaborated on mishaps incurred in project management within the CSG due to lack of guidance. Echoing Castro, she emphasized the importance of student-initiated solutions to inform the administration about existing problems and subsequently prevent further disruption in carrying out projects and events.
Jumping into the discourse on red tape and project implementation, Ms. Templo-Perez challenged the candidates regarding their ability to deliver results if the administration heeds the call to accelerate project approvals. ”What is my assurance that you will at least double the amount of community engagement that we have now?” she asked.
Magracia assured that the student body is willing to build a vibrant community, drawing on experiences from alumni pre-pandemic and expressing hopes to revive active student life at Benilde. “We want to bring [back] the reputation of Benildeans [as a] very engaging student body,” she said.
In a discussion Castro had with other student leaders, he mentioned several projects that were postponed at the planning stage due to difficulties in logistics and the approval process. “The moment [these hurdles are removed, there will be several project proposals] for the next academic year,” he assured. “We hope to return [the vibrant student life] not just through CSG events but also through ARSO. It all lies on ARSO—on how [we are] going to train them, grow them, [and] take care of them.”
As a follow up, Mr. Demonteverde questioned the candidates about their general plan of action for training organizations to adhere to the requirements of ARSO (i.e, liquidation reports) after approval by the administration.
In response, Villanueva highlighted the importance of having initiatives and maintaining standards among student leaders. “We [will] try to make sure that all the student leaders we have will go through the right [selection] processes.”
The candidates also weighed in on other issues, such as the autonomy of campus journalism and bringing the Benildean communities from the Manila and Antipolo campuses closer together.
“Journalism should always be free from bias and not controlled by any authoritative power. That should always be the case [in] any academic institution,” Rosales expressed. “I am for the separation of the school journalism from the student government and the [administration].”
Regarding bridging the communities of Benilde Manila and Benilde Antipolo, Castro mentioned a shared desire with a fellow student from the Antipolo campus to conduct joint activities. “I guess it stems from—Samahang Lasalyano–the organization handling schools in [the] De La Salle system. We can tap them for not just Benilde Manila and Antipolo, [but also] all the Lasallian schools.”
The last part of the panel discussion focused on the perceived working relationship between the CSG and the Benilde administration. Ms. Templo-Perez specifically asked Mr. Castro: “Should you win, how do you see your working relationship with the administrators of the school?”
In response, Castro emphasized on dialogue and diplomacy, expressing his desire to build an amicable and smooth relationship with the administration “There will be more collaboration with the administrative body,” he added.
After the panel questions, the floor was opened for the attending students to ask their queries. Candidates were again bound by the aforementioned time limits.
One of the questions raised the importance of building good relationships between student organizations and asked the candidates of possible strategies on implementing this. Villanueva suggested for student leaders to be more open and creative in their collaborations. “We have to focus on the fact that [student leaders] can gain something from [building good relationships with another student organization].”
When asked about the candidates’ initiatives on the ethical use of artificial intelligence (AI), Castro replied positively, stating, “We are lobbying for a data privacy policy on the use of AI.”
Other queries also delved into the specifics of the candidate’s platforms and the need to revisit the CSG’s constitution and by-laws.
Before closing the floor, the COMELEC had one final question directed to all the candidates:
“There are issues about student [organization] heads who handle multiple organizations, stating that they tend to “abandon” their other [organizations] in situations wherein their home [organizations] needed them or when they are too busy. As student leaders, how will you balance your academic responsibilities with your multiple leadership duties and how will you ensure that you’ll do all your duties well?”
For Castro, he suggested that taking on one or two roles in organization is sufficient to avoid burnout. “It’s like in a relationship–you need to know your priorities.”
Rosales also added, “It’s important to recognize that it’s unfair to other people that you take more than you can give.”
Magracia then emphasized that academics should be a priority and there should be a strong commitment when participating in organizations.
On another note, Villanueva shared his insights and strategy as someone who juggled multiple roles in the past. He explained that it’s not a matter of “overworking” since “[organizations] are made out of people who are willing to help and who are willing to serve”—highlighting the importance of shared goals and team efforts. “You need to think of the fact that [the people in your organization] are capable and you are not your own island.”
The COMELEC encourages everyone to vote in the General Elections today, Aug. 5. For more updates, you may view their Facebook page here.
