3 UPV students face allegations of bribing GASC members —Page 3 Philippine Collegian Opisyal na lingguhang pahayagan ng mga mag-aaral ng Unibersidad ng Pilipinas - Diliman 28 Pebrero 2012 Tomo 89, Blg. 27-28
Novelties Terminal Cases Delfin Mercado
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hese days, as expected, I have been finding myself in friendly but heated debates with friends over issues in the upcoming University Student Council elections. Of course, I am more careful now, having lost a friend or two during the past years’ hostilities. What strikes me most about this year’s campaign is the attempt to sell the idea of novelty. From the usual red-versus-blueversus-yellow showdown (and therefore traditional activism versus its “multiperspective” and “inclusive” varieties), there is now, at least in the race for the position of chairperson, a very conscious strategy to bank on something that sets one apart intrinsically, instead of the usual face-off of credentials and track record. In particular, two candidates are trumpeting, respectively, their gender and nonpartisanship as selling points. Of course, there is nothing wrong with selling points per se; the campaign period is like a drawn-out television commercial with candidates and parties instead of detergent and soft drinks. The problem arises when the debate ends there and the novelties are presented as if they are reason enough to deserve victory: I am part of a historically oppressed gender; vote for me. I do not belong to these warring parties; vote for me. Thankfully, the UP student body has shown that it is capable of seeing through potentially simplistic publicity. At least in social networking sites, debates have raged beyond the dubious one-liners. Personal accounts have been circulated to counter potentially empty rhetoric. What, for instance, is the relevance of gender vis-à-vis the university’s most perennial problems? For certain, I recognize that the fight against homophobia and bigotry is a highly justified battle to wage, but why insist on its centrality when dealing with, for instance, the budget cut on education or the issue of campus security? Why insist on a difference when students – men and women, straight and gay – must stand united in examining and fighting society’s ills, one of which is, yes, gender inequality? In the case of the candidate who is running independently, the move comes straight out of the national political stage, where voters are taken to be tired of politicking and party-hopping, a marker, this candidate said, of principle. But even then, claims from fellow incumbents in the USC have been raised about his subpar performance, one that is corroborated by multiple accounts. Clearly, independence is admirable on one hand as it eschews divisiveness, but also dangerous, for it can simply mean, as testimonies attest, that one doesn’t work well with a team. And so as the university becomes dressed in, alternately, red and blue, yellow and colorless (for the independent), there seems to be a more pressing need this year to scrutinize beyond the jingles and slogans. Facebook and Tumblr have made information during campaign period more accessible, but in the process they also made catchphrases more dangerous. It is easy to be awed at posts and Tumblr entries with the words “first” and “only.” I am troubled, though, when these are taken hook, line, and sinker, and the rest of the debate fades in the background. Maybe I should not be so afraid to lose a few friends for my political beliefs. ●
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