ONLY three positions were filled in this year's Student Executive Council (SEC) general elections. As announced on the Bedan Electoral Committee (BELCOM)'s Facebook page last Apr. 26, the positions are the President, External Vice President (EVP), and second-year level representative, while eight seats remain vacant. From 529 total Bedan voters during the last special elections, the population decreased to 386 voters. 

     For the vacant positions of IVP, Secretary, Treasurer, Auditor, PRO, fourth-year level representative, third-year level representative, and first-year level representative, BELCOM announced the first-ever Snap Elections last Apr. 28. Changes are adopted for this election, such as waiving the interview process in favor of a document-based screening and the required number of votes from 20% to 15% of the overall tertiary school population. 

     BELCOM began the elections on Apr. 3 at the St. Bede Building Library, continued online via the SBCA Learning Management System (LMS), and concluded last Apr. 7 at the Multi-Purpose Hall. 

     According to BELCOM's post, 156 voters came from the first-year students, 160 from the second-year students, 52 from the third-year students, and 18 from the fourth-year students. The required number of votes to be elected was 194, which was 20% of the total population of the Tertiary Schools as set by the election code, except for the level representatives, whose quota depends on the population of the batch they represent.

     For the Presidency, Beatrice Talayaratne (II-BAIS), the former Auditor, was elected with 221 votes. She mentions wanting to connect more with the students and motivating them to take more active roles in the community. “I see that it is my responsibility to bring everyone together and empower the whole Bedan community,” Talayaratne said. 

     Two contested the EVP position, but Gabrielle Calañgi (II-BSLM), former second-year level representative, won with a difference of 133 votes from Shane Talusan (II-BSP), former Secretary. Calañgi feels excited to serve the student body and looks forward to collaborative work with numerous organizations, due to the lack of manpower since there are only three officers. The EVP also believes that being an independent candidate gave her a wider reach to share her advocacy and goals for winning the elections. 

     First-timer Mishka Dancel (I-BSBA-MM) with a quota of 74 votes was elected as the second-year level representative with 86 votes. She promises that her leadership will be defined with meaningful action: “The victory belongs to all of us, and I am committed to serving with passion and integrity,” she said. Dancel also mentioned being committed to boosting her batch’s engagement and encouraging active participation in leadership roles. 

     Among eight uncontested candidates, five candidates from the Bedistang Aktibong Naglilingkod sa Bayan (BedAN) Party were not able to secure the quota. 

     Niña Biscocho (III-BSE), former EVP, who was running for Internal Vice President (IVP), only acquired 167 votes; Natzumi Paderanga (II-BSE), who was vying for Secretary, only had 155 votes; Felicity Oliveros (I-BSLM), former first-year level representative and a candidate for Auditor, missed the position by 13 votes; Akio Paule (III-BSA) who was running for the same position as his former, Treasurer, only acquired  165 votes; Zameer Bashir (I-BSBA-MM), who was vying for the position of Public Relations Officer (PRO), only had 168 votes. The fourth-year level representative needed 61 votes; however, candidate Nathaniel Fernandez (III-BSE) only acquired 26. 

     In an interview with BELCOM Chairperson, Daniela Cronico (IV-BSA), addressed that the lower turnout of voters may be attributed to a significant number of fourth-year students undergoing their Internship, scheduling conflicts since some classes did not hold sessions on election day, and the fatigue from the special elections. 

     "We know that we did our best throughout the election process, and we are proud of the work we put in," she said, recognizing that the student apathy during this election was beyond their control. Cronico also mentions that the Committee plans to work closely with different organizations and utilize more creative and accessible methods to promote the elections. 

     From the previous candidates, Biscocho, Paderanga, Oliveros, and Bashir are running for the same positions they were previously vying for, which are still under the BedAN Party. 

      The Snap Elections introduce the Taratena party with the tagline, “Let’s Make Change Happen.” Jholhaimen Dimaporo (II-HRM), former President of the Junior People Management Association of the Philippines, is contesting Biscocho for the position of IVP. Vying for the same position as Paderanga, Juliana Garcia (I-BSBA-MM) is running for Secretary. Jose Gallardo (I-BSED) is running against Oliveros for the position of Auditor. Then, Earl Alejandro (III-BSA) ran unopposed for he position of Treasurer. 

     The guidelines do not restrict the formation of a political party; however, campaign materials and activities are centralized and managed by the Committee, and therefore, there is no mechanism to officially recognize or campaign under a party.  

     According to the timeline provided by BELCOM, the election period shall begin on May 2 to 3, and the proclamation of winners shall be announced on May 5.