Here’s the thing with the recent elections: if the Liberal Arts Academic Organization (LAAO) had shades on and went into the elections blindly, then El Consejo Atenista (ECA) would be the untrained dog leading the blind to cross the very congested street of student governance.
The urgent mandating of the Judicial Council – El Consejo Atenista (JC) for the Ateneo Electoral Commission (AELECOM) to conduct a redo of LAAO Special Elections is appreciated. However, the declaration of vacancies of the LAAO Governor and Vice Governor positions by the JC is not better late than never.
Its failure to announce it after the regular elections in 2023 left the first-year LAAO students of Academic Year 2023-2024 clueless about the sudden occurrence of and their participation in the Special Elections. The responsibility to be informed was unsolicitedly transferred to the hands of the first-years—leaving them to feed their curiosities themselves and eventually grasp the need for Special Elections. Sure, hearsay may somehow answer queries about the Special Elections; however, the credibility of a primary source cannot be denied at a crucial time for their AO, which JC deprived LAAO of.
In an interview with John Doe, the late declaration of the Special Elections was questioned.
“Noong nakita ko yung statement ng JC, naisip ko bakit ngayon lang nag declare? Bakit walang declaration ng vacancy before sila nag SE?” John Doe elaborated further that there was no clarity about the sudden occurrence of the 1st Special Elections.
“I understand, if, for example, freshie ako tapos ‘di ko alam anong nangyayari and hindi ako mag vo-vote.” says John Doe on the concerns of low voter turnout. The voter turnout by first-year students could have been higher if only JC had released that there was indeed a vacancy. Thus, uninformed voters cannot be blamed for not voting as they did not know the reasons for doing so in the first place.
ECA, as a body, needs to step up its game by adjudicating and holding the AELECOM officers accountable for their violations rather than only reprimanding them. Calling out the AELECOM for their violations through a memorandum by the Board of College Governors (BOCG) should simply be the start and not the end of handling the issue.
It has been revealed that a meeting between both parties will take place to discuss what has transpired during the Special Elections. However, a simple discussion of what went wrong is not enough. Words can only go so far. We seek for actions from the Consejo similar to how the BOCG was investigated and held liable last 2022. ECA was able to reprimand and suspend the BOCG for their wrongdoing then, so there is no reason to not apply the same for AELECOM.
The most stringent response ECA had to these lapses of the Judicial Council and the rest of AELECOM is to act as if there was no lapse at all. Instead of talking in hushed whispers from the safety of their circles, maybe ECA would serve students better had they had the balls to be honest.
Another question to be raised is the competency and credibility of the commissioners elected. They have been promoted from volunteers to election officers before becoming commissioners themselves. The AELECOM moderator Ms. Erica Joy Losabia has been with the commission for years already, indicating her familiarity with the intricate details of the election process. They can be deemed as a dream team along with their moderator.
But despite this, why is it that the lapses continue to occur?
It might even be effective for the commission to have new leaders unaffiliated with the current commissioners appointed to provide another perspective on the management of elections. If the same people handle the same task twice, considering their violations, the probability of committing the same lapses is inevitable. But, now, we’re asked to give them the benefit of hindsight. It is unlikely for the SLA community to have the same faith in the commissioners like the first time.
There is more to be done by the Consejo as a body and AELECOM for the next second Special Elections and even regular elections to be transparent, just, and fair. Perhaps, they can start by defining what “transparent, just, and fair” actually look like.
To truly serve the unrepresented SLA student body, ECA must prioritize the needs of LAAO constituents and actively encourage their participation using incentives, fostering a greater sense of engagement.
Without a willingness to adapt and enhance its services and leadership, it becomes undeniable that LAAO, in its current state, is being led by ECA without a clear vision or direction.