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#USTHALALAN: AN ANALYSIS ON UST STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION

#USTHalalan: An Analysis on UST Students’ Perception of Independent Candidates Based on

the 2017 and 2018 Central Student Council Elections

John Gabriell B. Garcia

University of the Philippines

Author Note

John Gabriell B. Garcia, Department of Political Science, University of the Philippines

This research is in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the subject of English 13.

Contact: jbgarcia12@up.edu.ph
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#USTHALALAN: AN ANALYSIS ON UST STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION
#USTHalalan: An Analysis on UST Students’ Perception of Independent Candidates Based on

the 2017 and 2018 Central Student Council Elections

Three thousand two hundred seven.

This was the number of votes Steven Grecia, a Lakas Tomasino Coallition (LTC)

standard-bearer and the lone presidential candidate, needed in order to be elected as the 2017

University of Santo Tomas Central Student Council President and beat the votes to abstain. In

the end, Grecia earned a total of 12,596 votes while 15,803 voters opted to abstain. For the first

time in history, the Central Commission on Election proclaimed that the majority of the students

decided to abstain not only on the presidential position but also in the positions of vice-president,

treasurer and auditor. Therese Gorospe and Francis Santos, however, were proclaimed as UST

CSC’s Secretary and Public Relations Officer, respectively. It is important to note that the two

are politically non-affiliated and ran as independent candidates (Coloma, 2017)

Abstention of votes, although believed as a manifestation of indifference is different in

this context. According to an interview with Dennis Coronacion, the Dean of the UST

Department of Political Science, this phenomenon is an ‘indication of dissatisfaction’ from the

students (Ortiz, 2017). A report from Paloma (2017) states that the Central Judiciary Board had

ordered the Comelec to proclaim the candidates with the highest votes as the winner for each

position, naming Grecia, Gabriel Sepulchre, Daveson Nieto and Richard Javier (all of which are

from LTC) as the President, Vice-President, Treasurer and Auditor, respectively. Upon the

announcement, uproars from the students arose saying that this has tainted the democracy inside

the university through ignoring the power of abstain (Narra, 2017). According to Hayden (2010),

abstention can be a show of dissent and rejection towards the limited candidates presented to the

constituents. Grecia and the others were quick to resign from their position after the
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#USTHALALAN: AN ANALYSIS ON UST STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION
proclamation. The four vacant positions in UST-CSC were battled out by two most famous

political parties in UST: LTC and LakasDiwa. The positions for secretary and PRO were battled

out by the two parties and an independent candidate. With this, it is arguable that independent

candidates have higher trust ratings compared to those who are political affiliated since

independent candidates won over ‘abstain’ – a sign that students showed little dissent and are

more confident with non-affiliated candidates taking the position.

This study is significant in redefining the voting behavior of the Thomasian community,

especially since political partisanship is common in campus politics (Ezrow & Xezonakis, 2009).

The study will further divulge into the

Literature Review

As of this writing, there are insufficient researches that focuses on voting behavior and

effects of being an independent candidate, particularly on campus politics; nevertheless, some

studies have been essential in understanding the scope of this study.

Voting as a Foundation of Democracy

Everybody has the right to vote. According to Section 1, Article 5 of the 1987 Philippine

Constitution, suffrage is a fundamental right and may be exercised by any Filipino citizen who

are at least 18 years of age. The Constitution also mandates equality between voting stating that

“no literacy, property, or other substantive requirement shall be imposed on the exercise of

suffrage”. This study is based on the theories of voting behavior of an individual. Heywood

(2013 p.217) states that voting behavior is shaped by several influences including ‘party

identification’. One of the first ever voting behavior theorized was that people vote base on their

psychological attachment to an ideology or a political party. Given this, voting is a

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#USTHALALAN: AN ANALYSIS ON UST STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION
‘manifestation of partisanship’ and not of critical calculation of other factors such as platforms,

credentials, and issues concerning the candidate.

In fact, Lust (2009) said that people vote elites who are part of the party that can distribute

necessities to them. This phenomenon is called clientelism. It is a product of causation. Elites

stay in power because people elect them, knowing that they will benefit from it. Although

agreeing that bias due to personality and belief is inevitable in any election, Jung (2010) said that

voting according to partisanship is wrong. He argues that past examinations have discussed the

impact of partisanship while neglecting to investigate its connection to the expenses and benefits

of voting. However, he reiterated that bias should not be equated to the lack of rationality in the

act of partisanship, as suggested by the ‘party-identification model’ theory.

For Attansi, Corazzini and Passareli (2017), voters do not base their decisions on rational

thought but on an individual’s qualities of voting power, risk aversion and pessimism.

A dominant number of voters will be inclined to strategic or sincere voting (Acharya &

Meirowitz, 2017)

Abstention as a Form of Dissent

Abstention of vote have been around several elections for a long time and is considered

as a strategic rejection of participation in an election, but Allen (2017) argued that it can also be

a show of political dissatisfaction. If ‘abstain’ garnered the highest number of votes, there is a

heightened possibility that people think that their options are limited. Abstention then is not so

much being indifferent towards the results of the election, but as active dissent towards the

candidates (Ulrich, 2017).

Perspective on Political Partisanship

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#USTHALALAN: AN ANALYSIS ON UST STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION
There have been various thoughts about political partisanship, specifically on its

relevance and effectiveness. Political parties exist to represent a social organization with a

valuable set of ideals and beliefs. Political parties, then, embody a distinct influence on each

other as they have towards their voters. Ezrow and Xezonakis (2009) said that being involved in

political partisanship that has the same ideology and beliefs to the majority of voters increases

over all citizen satisfaction. However, Danzel (2011) noted that these parties have done

politically-motivated actions and went far to even saying that these parties can turn into ‘terrorist

organizations’ as a way to achieve their political goals. In reality, political parties do not even

have solid ideologies (Glazer, 2010). While they may share the same premise or be within the

same political spectrum, some members will lean more towards the left or the right. He also

stated that candidates usually join political parties not because it aligns with their political belief

but in it maximizes popularity for elections since his study suggests that being politically-

affiliated denotes higher chances of winning.

Representation in Student Government

The question remains: what is the significance of student government? Researchers

suggest that it is, in fact, one of the microcosms of our society. Lawrence and Print (2010) state

that involvement in campus politics is a good determinant factor for the students’ future political

engagements. Being able to vote in the scope of the university is positively related to how

student feel in electoral voting, political knowledge and ability for peaceful activism. For Ezrow

and Xezonakis (2009), representation within the political landscape is closely connected to

citizen satisfaction. Therefore, having a student representing them in various administrative and

university-wide events leads to consensual systems, which are kinder and gentler while

minimizing the difference between privileged and unprivileged.

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#USTHALALAN: AN ANALYSIS ON UST STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION

Method

Participants of this study are made up of people who self-select into the survey and were

chosen through voluntary sampling. This method is the best method to use in this case given that

some voters are not comfortable with disclosing their favored candidate. Only those who are

willing to participate and contribute to the study were interviewed on line. The only criteria

needed for the participants of this study were eligibility (if they are University of Santo Tomas

students (Thomasians) who participated in the 2017 and 2018 UST Central Student Council

Elections). The participants do not necessarily be affiliated or non-affiliated politically.

The online interview was a structured interview but additional insights on the matter were

also encouraged. Participants were also ensured that all date collected will be used for research-

purposes only, given the confidentiality of the information. Due to time and resource constraints,

this study is more exploratory than conclusive and should not be taken as a final finding on the

population.

This research will use a qualitative approach and a thematic content analysis based on the

following themes: dissatisfaction on political parties, complacency on independent candidates,

perception on political affiliations and future political engagement.

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#USTHALALAN: AN ANALYSIS ON UST STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION
Discussion and Analysis

Dissatisfaction on Political Parties

Dissatisfaction on Political Parties

5
4.5
4
3.5
3
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
Trapo-ness' characteristic of Political parties are involved in Peer pressure
political parties 'dirty politics'

Frequency

As seen in Table 1, 5 out of 6 respondents had brought up the “trapo-ness” characteristic

of political parties. ‘Trapo-ness’ is defined by the respondents as the state of being considered as

a traditional politician. Most of the respondents believed that these political parties have no solid

platforms or projects that they can actually pull off. The battle between the two parties,

LakasDiwa and Lakas Tomasino Coalition, became a battle of rhetoric of whose speeches were

delivered better than the other. According to one of the respondents, their speeches were

‘impressionable’, but they were not able to answer properly when asked about certain issues. A

traditional politician banks on charisma and focuses more on their curriculum vitaes and work

ethics without actually proposing concrete policies that are directed to their constituents’

problems. People are tired of traditional politics, thus the complacency on independent

candidates, who, on the other hand, display the opposite of a ‘trapo’. This dissatisfaction can be

related to what Danzel (2011) stated earlier that political affiliations can turn into terrorist
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#USTHALALAN: AN ANALYSIS ON UST STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION
organizations to achiever their political goals. In this situation, political parties in UST are for

political monopolization. Clear evidence of tis agenda resulted into the dissatisfaction of the

voters.

Meanwhile, three respondents stated that political parties in University of Santo Tomas

were no longer trusted due to the fact that LakasDiwa and Lakas Tomasino Coalition were

already bombarded with issues regarding their campaigns. For example, Lakas Tomasino

Coalition were suspended by the Central Comelec because of premature campaigning on social

media accounts. The involvement of these political parties had greatly influenced the

respondents voting behavior. As stated by Attansi, Corazzini and Passareli (2017), voters do not

vote based on rational thinking but on risk aversion. The issues involving political parties have

increased the risk of establishing a power-hungry student council so they opted to vote for those

who are not involved in black propaganda.

Lastly, it is important to note that one respondent was dissatisfied with political parties

due to peer pressure. During the 2017 elections, there was an emergence of anti-political party

stance. Students no longer see the marginal benefits of voting someone just because that

candidate is part of a political party. Since this had become a trend, some were pressured into

thinking that political candidates who are affiliated are automatically incapable of leading

without actually looking into their credentials and platforms. Contrary to the related literature, no

works have been cited about peer pressure being a factor in the voting behavior of the students.

Complacency on Independent Candidates

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#USTHALALAN: AN ANALYSIS ON UST STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION
All of the respondents showed positive reactions when it comes to independent

candidates, Francis Santos and Therese Gorospe. They all believed that the ideals presented by

the two candidates mirrored their own. More specifically, the respondents stated two familiar

themes on to why the two candidates won the 2017 UST Central Student Council Elections.

First, they were simply independent candidates. Independent candidates are considered to be

more genuine with their intentions in running for the position. Being tied with political parties

which are known to be tied with hidden political agenda of political monopolization has proved

the complacency in independent candidates.

Second, the campaign strategies of both were successful. With the rising number of

students being one with the anti-political party stance, independent candidates took on the ride to

support he students cause. This situation is where students felt the need to be incentivized to

support intendent candidates as support to their current ‘political ideology’.

This is a clear representation of what Acharya & Meirowitz (2017) stated. They argued

that even though they are being presented with several factors, voters will still tend to engage in

strategic and sincere voting.

Perception on Political Affiliation

Respondents’ perceptions on political affiliation were mixed. Some would say that being

politically affiliated is strategic and an essential part of politics. It helps a candidate be more

acquainted with the political landscapes and create connections. Political affiliation can greatly

affect how voters see the candidate especially when there arise certain issues on the political

party. Bad reputation is always a factor and a bad reputation of a party can always out shadow

the good reputation of a single candidate. Contradictory to that, respondents also said that relying

on political affiliations alone is irresponsible saying that political parties does not necessarily
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#USTHALALAN: AN ANALYSIS ON UST STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION
define a person’s character and work ethic. Collective idealism may run the risk of turning into

selfish ambition. They all agreed that affiliations matter the same way credibility and

competence do.

Future Political Engagements

Future Political Engagements

4.5

3.5

2.5

1.5

0.5

0
Trsut on Independent Candidates Refusal on Acknowledging Political Parties

Series 1

Among the respondents only two had reassured that they will continue to vote for

independent candidates for the election to come. Independent candidates hold true to their

promises compared to politically-affiliated ones since political parties have hidden political

agenda.

Meanwhile, 4 out of 6 respondents have shown their refusal to acknowledge political

parties for future political engagements. Political party affiliations should not be used as a

criterion for leaders. This is because the existence of campus political parties varies from each

university. One respondent stated that UST’s political parties are generally just for the name’

unlike University of the Philippines’ political parties which are more delineated and have clear
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#USTHALALAN: AN ANALYSIS ON UST STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION
stances on social issues. As long as the candidate reflects the principles of an individual and most

fit among the slate, then there is a possibility that they can be elected in the position. This aligns

with Glazer’s (2010) argument that political parties do not even have solid ideologies, causing

dissatisfaction from voters.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the 2017 UST Central Student Council Elections has proved two things

that are significant in studying certain voting behaviors. First, independent candidates do not

necessarily reflect a higher trusting rate than politically-affiliated ones. It just so happened that

parties in UST, LakasDiwa and Lakas Tomasino Coallition, were involved in several issues that

the students of UST leaned towards having an anti-political stance. Second political affiliation

matters as much as credentials and credibility does. Being politically affiliated does not

necessarily mean that they are power0hungyr candidates. One should always align oneself to the

political party that supports one’s political ideology. It is the responsibility of the voter, on the

other hand, to check upon these candidates beyond their affiliation based on heir competency and

experience.
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#USTHALALAN: AN ANALYSIS ON UST STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION
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Behavior, 101, pp. 121-131. DOI:10.1016/j.geb.2016.03.010
Allen, T.J., (2017).Exit to the right? Comparing far right voters and
abstainers in Western Europe. Electoral Studies,
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Attanasi, G., Corazzini, L., Passarelli, F. (2017).Voting as lottery.
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