There are just a few campaign days left, and I’m honestly looking forward to election day, as we can all stop this exhausting endeavor of convincing people to vote for you and your party against a full slate opposition.

Last Monday, as the two aspirants for chairperson in Mass Comm, Karol and I were interviewed together over DZUP. He was as jolly as he usually is. It’s laughable how some people seriously pit us against each other. We never had bad moments with each other even as members of the incumbent student council, even when we were debating on our positions regarding the tuition increase proposal a few months ago. All’s well (or so I’d like to believe).

Anyway, as the program progressed, one of the main differences between Karol and I are exposed. As expected, Karol and his party, ISA, finally admits that they are for tuition fee increase, while we in STAND-UP are, from the beginning, against its approval. To people who’ve been asking what’s the different between the two parties, perhaps that can serve as a factor on how they will decide next Tuesday. Are we not afraid of losing votes because of our position? Honestly, no. This is our stand, and we are being honest and unpretentious about it. We lay out all our cards in campaign, and if a fellow Mass Comm student firmly believes otherwise, then due respect is given. We will not compromise these positions during election campaign to simply garner votes.

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Many of the STAND-UP candidates in the student council elections, including Mikas and I, went to the youth sector mobilization yesterday. It was a demonstration similar to the youth sector rally a few weeks ago. This rally was scheduled towards the end of February because it is during these times when school administrations across the country conduct ‘consultations’ regarding tuition hikes for the next academic year.

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There are relatively few classes and students in Mass Comm during Wednesdays, which makes it a small breather among the days of the week in campaign. I nevertheless did not campaign in the morning because my groupmates in documentary film class and I went to Sampaloc, Manila to shoot footages for our documentary.

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I’m overwhelmed sometimes. Running during last year’s Mass Comm student council elections wasn’t this hectic. Most of us in the slate, including Marella and I for Film Department Representatives, were running unopposed. There was very little pressure that time. This year is a lot different. Our party is running with a full-slate opposition, which as I’ve mentioned in a previous entry, is similarly determined to win the elections.

[These pictures were taken from our makeshift campaign booth during the afternoon of the first day of campaign period]

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It’s been a hectic first two days of campaign. I didn’t expect it to be this tiring. I wish I could blog about it everyday but see, I get home at around 8 every night, do some studying and other home works first then I immediately fall asleep. Then I have to wake up for my 7AM class the next day–it leaves me no time for blogging, again since I spend the whole day in Mass Comm. Whew. With all humility, I must say that student council elections in UP, even at the college-level can be stressful, what with me belonging to the militant student alliance/party with its own share of antagonists and with us having to run against a similarly determined opposition. Hehe.

Perhaps I can write a better entry tonight. Today is reserved for a shoot for documentary class.

It shouldn’t have come as a surprise, but when I checked my Bloglines feeds to catch up on my blog reading list, I was met with more than a thousand new entries from all the blogs I follow. Whoa. And I was just offline for a little more than a week.

Anyway, my fellow STAND-UP CMC candidates and I are here at home for final planning before campaign period begins on Monday. Yesterday, we had another training workshop prior to the elections. Whew. I’m quite apprehensive as I am not naturally a ‘traditional political’ campaign person who can smile his way all the time and spontaneously give out speeches, but I’m nevertheless looking forward to the next two weeks.

I’ve been such a sleepyhead the past days. Whenever I get the chance, I sleep on benches in Mass Comm, or during class, or when I’m alone at the student council office. Perhaps not all has been recovered from all the sleep lost last week.

I’ve been getting back to routine this week. I’ve been attending my orgs’ regular assemblies, attending my classes, doing favors for friends’ productions, doing homework at home and other such regular activities for me.

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I don’t know where to start. I’ve been away for more than a week. It feels weird to be typing an entry in my blog after such a long while of not even having to have time to surf the internet.

I just came from a dinner meeting with the my fellow STAND-UP College of Mass Communication candidates for this coming student council elections. I haven’t had the chance to meet with them the previous week so I had to be at this one, being standard bearer and all. I’m really glad things are working out. It’s the first time STAND-UP is facing a full slate in Mass Comm and so we’re extra motivated to do well.

I also had to do a lot of catching up with friends. The past week has given me very little time to be with or even see them. I didn’t even see them much during my birthday. Yes, I turned 19 last February 6. Despite all that was happening with me, my friends made me feel very special during that day.

Babawi ako this week onwards.