Despite the constant schedule changes, the Benilde General and Frosh Elections 2022 were able to push through, starting with its campaign period from Nov. 9 to the election dates from Nov. 16 to 18. The Benilde Commission on Elections (COMELEC) announced the final list of elected candidates on Nov. 24, with a final tally of 559 valid votes from the entire student body.
Compared to the previous academic year, where all schools of De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) were able to participate in the Frosh and General elections, this year’s elections only included four out of six schools, namely: the School of Diplomacy and Governance (SDG), and the School of Management and Information Technology (SMIT), School of Arts, Culture, and Performance (SACP), and School of New Media Arts (SNMA).
This leaves out the School of Hotel, Restaurant, and Institution Management (SHRIM) and the School of Deaf and Applied Studies (SDEAS).
The vote count also dropped from 1,291 votes last year to 559 votes this year, a 732-vote count difference.
Originally planned to commence in October 2022, the Frosh and General Elections 2022 officially began its campaign period on Nov. 9 to 15, live-streamed its Miting de Avance on Nov. 15, held its election day and tallying from Nov. 16 to 18, and finally announced the official elected officers on Nov. 24 via their Facebook Page.
The newly-elected School Student Government (SSG)
School of Diplomacy and Governance (SDG)
Patreece Abbygale Tan won as the SDG President with a total of 41 out of 58 votes (70.69%). Her platforms to look out for in the remainder of the academic year include the improvement of monthly constituent checks on SDG students, student assistance for F2F classes, SDG night, SDG SSG teambuilding, a partnership database, and an SDG Survival Guide.
Elizabeth Sakura Kakizaki won 121 Batch Representative with 16 out of 16 votes (100%), succeeding her previous position as Frosh Representative. Her platforms include resolving information dissemination issues through her SDG Telegram Channel, which aims to help students receive urgent messages, a continuation of the previous administrations' advocacies on the revamping of the SDG portal and website, maximizing the SDG social media accounts, as well as an onboarding seminar for SDG students.
School of Management and Information Technology (SMIT)
Editha Eunica Rose Dagsaan was elected president with 109 out of 130 votes (83.85%). This follows her position as a frosh representative in the previous academic term. Her platforms envision a structural reform for technological initiatives in SMIT. This involves her SMIT One Stop Inside (SOSI) program and SMIT Media Relations that will maximize their school’s social media accounts to bridge students and administrators and encourage students to participate in student leadership activities. She specifies the SMIT Dean’s office has general assemblies where students can volunteer to do groundwork while maintaining confidential information only accessible to elected officers.
Joshua Jeridan Castro won as SMIT Frosh Representative with 83 out of 109 votes (76.15%). His plan of action is based on two principles: a safe and comfortable work environment and honoring the values of the institution. He looks to implement an Integrated Student Rights and Concerns Platform (SRCP) to bring the SSG to the ground level as opposed to what he believes is the stigma that the SSG is only on the upper level. He elaborates that this program will display what is going on in the SSG and what their future plans are.
School of Arts, Culture, and Performance (SACP)
Under the (SACP) with a total of 71 votes, Zidan John Diamond Orido was elected as Frosh Representative (56 votes, 78.87%) against Zebedee Luke Mercado (15 votes or 21.13%).
Orido’s platform aims to improve the user interface of BigSky and the Student Information System to a more accessible and user-friendly interface after experiencing struggles with his online application to Benilde along with his friends. Having started a discord server where pending requirements are posted for students to keep updated with, he hopes to continue this upon his term and to have a checklist provided for their activities. Orido also hopes to generate social-political awareness with an exhibition project that will include topics such as LGBTQIA+, women’s rights, and more, in different phases.
Moreover, he aims to advertise music catered to music production, not just performances. Part of his platform is also redesigning the Design and Arts Campus (DAC) floors to express the different course programs that each floor represents.
School of New Media Arts (SNMA)
Irish Cristobal was elected as SNMA Frosh Representative with 277 out of 300 (92.33%) votes.
Her platform includes an archive week for lower batches with information and advice from upper batches regarding art-related subjects. This will include donating items such as clothing down to lower batches, and students from each block section are invited to sell various artworks and share their talents. This proposed archive week is to have a specific beneficiary for the money it generates. Cristobal hopes to achieve an interaction between the upper and lower batches and help struggling students, especially with their mental health.
For more information, you may check the official Benilde COMELEC Facebook page.
