Suspended pol parties SENTRO La Salle, R.E.D. Alliance establish TATAG Lasalyano, YUGTO LASALLE

In preparation for the 2018 University Student Elections, the suspended political parties for this academic year (AY) 2017-2018, SENTRO La Salle and R.E.D. Alliance, have established two new political parties, namely TATAG (Transformative Actions Towards Active Governance) Lasalyano and YUGTO LASALLE, respectively.

As announced by the Student Commission on Election (SCE) earlier this semester, SENTRO La Salle and R.E.D. Alliance are suspended this AY due to their non-compliance with the event requirements for existing political parties, as mandated in the Implementing Rules and Regulations of the 2016 Amended Student Election Code Article V, Section 5.

After SCE started accepting the filing of new political parties last October, members of the suspended political parties filed petitions for the accreditation of their new political parties on October 25 and 26, respectively.

On November 3, the SCE, as allowed by Resolution No. 6, Series of 2017-2018 with due notice and deliberation, accepted the accreditation of the new political parties.

TATAG Lasalyano

Following its suspension, SENTRO La Salle posted a statement on its official Facebook page on November 5 emphasizing the “drastic change” in the management of their organization.

TATAG Lasalyano Chairperson and former SENTRO La Salle member Cesar Gayo said, “As specifically mentioned in our official statement, SENTRO encountered challenges internally as far as management is concerned and it is on this ground that TATAG Lasalyano would want to come.”

However, TATAG Lasalyano clarified that the new political party is not entirely a “solution” to SENTRO La Salle’s suspension since it is in the members’ personal interests to form the new political party TATAG Lasalyano.

“It is a collective decision of the members of the party (SENTRO La Salle) to pursue the same principles and objectives with different approach and leadership,” Gayo said.

TATAG Lasalyano, headed by Jahanara Osman, Louise Gabriel Alonzo, and Cesar Gayo, shares the same political beliefs and ideologies with SENTRO La Salle, such as giving importance to the “students’ rights and welfare, nation-building, and democracy.”

In coming up with the name of the TATAG Lasalyano, “We (TATAG) want to be that political party who would embody firmness in our stances regardless if it is unpopular, dependability to produce some projects, and toughness to represent the students in the best way possible,” Gayo emphasized.

The word tatag is a Filipino term which refers to strength, solidity, or the state of being strong.

In preparation for the 2018 University Student Elections, TATAG Lasalyano plans to create a screening process for candidates, wherein they will be educated and informed on the status of the student council leadership and other relevant issues inside and outside the University; trained through programs and activities; and willing to widen their understanding of leadership by establishing partnerships with outside student organizations, emphasizing TATAG Lasalyano’s tagline “empowering the ordinary.”

YUGTO LASALLE

Meanwhile, YUGTO LASALLE President Aya Funaki, the only remaining member from R.E.D. Alliance in the new political party, headed the formation of the new political party along with the R.E.D. Alliance alumni.

“We felt the need to continue what R.E.D. Alliance started and what it is standing for, so ito na po ‘yong YUGTO [LASALLE],” Funaki said.

With the organization’s aim to continue what R.E.D. Alliance has started, the name of the new political party is rooted under the same principle. As the Filipino term yugto means “fundamental transition”, Funaki furthered that R.E.D Alliance is transitioning to YUGTO LASALLE.

Funaki mentioned that YUGTO LASALLE started with the objective to foster student leaders within the University and to get them involved in socio-political discourse outside the university.

Using the ancient Filipino script Baybayin in their logo, Funaki shared the advocacy of YUGTO LASALLE, which is to “re-introduce” the roots of the Filipino culture and relive the Filipino values such as being hardworking and perseverant.

“We tend to forget the roots of our traditional writing. We wanted to introduce, re-introduce to them the roots of the Filipinos,” Funaki said.

Recruiting new members

Given that TATAG Lasalyano and YUGTO LASALLE are newly-established political parties, the need to recruit members to sustain their plans for the student body is still present.

As for YUGTO LASALLE, they have started recruiting members even before the suspension of R.E.D Alliance as students have been aiming to join their political party, Funaki mentioned.

On the other hand, TATAG Lasalyano has yet to start their ‘official’ recruitment. However, Gayo said that the political party has started with their online recruitment.