UP ALYANSA has fielded two candidates in this year’s elections—a break from its two-election streak of single nominees. 

For this year’s campaign, UP ALYANSA boasts the slogan “Tayo ang UP,” which aims to foster a sense of community among the student body through active participation in enacting changes within the university. Through this campaign, they aim to return to the council, slash their four-year electoral drought, and govern with a clearer mandate.

With vice chairperson candidate Chloe Antonio and councilor candidate Ynigo Panghulan, the party hopes to bridge the council and the students, and ensure participation and adequate representation for the community. But they will have to contend with the echoes of past campaigns, when students rebuked the party for their unclear solutions.

Seeking New Solutions 

For two consecutive elections, the party endorsed a single nominee following its failure to win against abstention in the May 2023 regular polls, despite running unopposed in standard bearer posts. It has also failed to win a single seat in the USC since rival party STAND UP’s sweep in the 2021 USC elections.

The party’s current platform, centered on championing student welfare through additional spaces and assistance programs, reflects the party’s commitment to consultative leadership, UP ALYANSA Chairperson Robin Traballo told the Collegian. 

But while the party has prided itself on its consultative approach, it appears to carry over the lack of sectoral campaigns from past ALYANSA-led councils, particularly concerning the vendors opposing the construction of DiliMall. In its specific plans of action, the party has focused solely on student campaigns and has not mentioned specific programs concerning other members of the community. 

This has been a recurrent issue for the blue party, which was previously called out by Edna Sinoy, former president of Samahan ng mga Manininda sa UP Campus, during the UP ALYANSA-led USC in 2017 for the lack of solid solutions. 

Although they assured that they are actively working with the sectors to promote safe working conditions, the stance was underscored after Antonio answered “disagree with reservations” on the DiliMall boycott during the CSiyasat 2025 forum, despite university-wide calls from sectors. 

“Boycotts without concrete community support plans risk becoming symbolic at best, and harmful at worst. Our approach is not to reject but to contextualize it: how can we protest the presence of DiliMall, while ensuring no one is left behind?” Traballo clarified. 

During room-to-room campaigns, students also nudged the party over the lack of new solutions to long-standing issues that have been ignored by the university’s administration. In their Friday room-to-room, Eduk students criticized the party’s approach to addressing the lack of spaces for organizations, arguing that mere consultations with the administration are insufficient to prompt concrete action. 

Redefined Strategies 

While the party has historically struggled to field new solutions, it remained committed to its consultative approach, usually ending their room-to-room campaigns asking about the individual struggles of the students. 

Following criticisms from social media questioning their year-round presence, UP ALYANSA has initiated campaigns and initiatives with students in hopes of rebuilding the bridge between the party and the students, including Bida Isko, Para sa Bayanihan, and Liwanag sa Diliman—programs rooted in organizing and creating dialogues with the student body on both national and university-wide issues. 

“In terms of specific targets, we didn’t reduce these interactions to a quota. What we can say is that we made a conscious effort to bridge student organizing with the community wherever we could,” Traballo said.

But even their physical presence has struggled, with the campaign period coinciding with final examinations, presentations, and online classes. This has made it harder for the party to visit classrooms, especially with their limited time and manpower. 

Beyond standard room-to-rooms, the party has resorted to visiting org tambayans to consult with members. While this is a big leap from typical campaigns, candidates have noted that students are more vocal during these types of meetings, showing how engaging with student organizations may be an alternative way to connect with the student body.

Although the party mainly focused on reworking its strategies to offer concrete plans, it continued to anchor its approach in progressive multi-perspective activism—a significant departure from the previous stances of Antonio, who was formerly under STAND UP NCPAG that has since disaffiliated from the university-wide party, and now stands as the sole standard-bearer of UP ALYANSA.

“Pareho pa rin ang mga paninindigan ko simula’t simula—paninindigan para sa libreng dekalidad na edukasyon, karapatan ng kababaihan, at iba pa. Pero sa ALYANSA ko natutunang may iba’t ibang paraan para isulong ang mga adbokasyang ito nang sama-sama,” she told the Collegian. 

Progressive multi-perspective activism has been one of the core principles of the party, but critics have pointed out how it disables the party from standing true to its stances. 

This brand of activism has subjected the party to hot water with their changing stances. Antonio, during the CSiyasat forum, also disagreed with the removal of the University of the Philippines College Admission Test, a shift from the party’s support to abolish the exam in 2021. 

Struggles in Participation

UP ALYANSA’s loss to abstain in the 2023 regular elections, took a toll on party members and members of affiliated organizations, said Traballo. This caused ALYANSA to struggle in finding people in the party who are willing to commit to the council. 

Still, the party continues to stand its ground on abstain as a valid vote, stating that it is an indicator of the gap between the students and the USC. 

“We are not repeating 2023. This campaign is built from the ground up–not just for students, but with students. We’ve anchored every round platform, project, and conversation on what students need and what’s been missing from the USC,” Traballo said. 

They now highlight the importance of local college participation as a foundation for increasing student participation. Their campaign is now centering on working with member organizations from various colleges and securing the post of the vice chairperson, a convenor of the League of College Councils, in hopes of bridging the gap between colleges and the USC. 

But for now, the challenge for the party lies in reaching out to the electorate with a clearer, more attainable mandate—one that not only resonates with students but also offers concrete solutions to existing problems in the university. ●

EDITOR’S NOTE: A sentence misrepresenting Akbayan’s stance on armed struggle has been removed. The article was also updated to reflect that UP ALYANSA fielded only one candidate for two consecutive elections, not years. Furthermore, Antonio was mistakenly identified as a former USC councilor under STAND UP. The article has since been revised to reflect that she was only ever a part of its NCPAG chapter and never ran under the university-wide party.

The campaign period will end at 5 p.m on May 14, the same day as the miting de avance. Voting will run from May 15-16 at halalan.upd.edu.ph.

Read our report on Laban Kabataan coalition's campaign for the 2025 USC regular elections here.