Why I'm voting for Titus Tan—again

The on-going campaign trail for the University Student Council has so far been unforgiving. The room-to-room campaigns, the impromptu speeches, and the hurried handshakes have taken their toll on the candidates. It's amazing how, despite the sleepless nights spent on planning and organizing, they still manage to put up a good show. Every time.

Candidates from Alyansa, KAISA, and Stand-UP were in Yakal Residence Hall tonight for the annual Ligwakan, an avenue for dormers to test—rather, grill—each candidate based on their answers to questions, their substance, and their platforms.

The most important point raised was the proposed revision of the dorm admission policy. Presently, the Office of Student Housing assumes the responsibility of centralizing the admission process. Based on the number of deserving people who've been booted out of the dorms or transferred elsewhere, this process has been far from ideal.



Titus Tan, KAISA's standard bearer, outshone the rest of the candidates in his plan to include student representatives in drafting the rules for the dorm admission process. This will empower the dormers—who are, first of all, students—and give them an active role in improving the current policy.

It's no secret, of course, that I'm voting for Titus Tan this coming election. I haven't changed my mind about what I've written about him during the days when he was still running for vice-chair:

I can tell you that Titus is a good leader. He did well as chairperson of the College of Science Student Council (CSSC). The students felt that there was something good going on. Finally the Council was at work. In a sense, under Titus's leadership, CSSC's role in the studentry was redefined and broadened.

Titus is a hardworker. He sacrifices his time (which should otherwise be spent writing his lab reports) for the Council. He is dedicated. He is honest, humble, and never self-serving.

And, as I look at his yellow posters pasted around campus, these last words remain true as they always have:

I think I know Titus well enough to say that he's far better than what he claims to be. And he can do so much more.