EXPLAINER | Decoding the ‘historic’ Student Regent Selection Code

For two years, the transition of PUP Student Regent (SR) has been marred with anomalies such as delaying tactics, unwanted presences of two unnamed secretariats, and muting incidents, derailing the sanctity of the selection. As the sole representative of more than 95,000 students in the Board of Regents (BOR), such irregularities long undermined genuine student representation, until the 24th ANAK PUP takeover in 2023.

On March 16, 2025, a resolution authored by the 18th Student Regent and 24th Alyansa ng Nagkakaisang Konseho ng PUP (ANAK PUP) President Miss Kim Modelo was passed, establishing the first-ever PUP Student Regent Selection Code (SR SC).

ANAK PUP is a federation-alliance unifying all student council and government presidents across the PUP system.

The SR SC aims to institutionalize a more “democratic” selection and affirms that it is solely a student affair, barring admin and other external interventions. It is also stated that any conflicts and protests regarding the SR selection process shall be “resolved through the mechanisms established by the ANAK PUP Commission on Elections (COMELEC).”

The composition of the ANAK PUP COMELEC is also defined, stating that it should consist of all student council COMELEC chairpersons systemwide. The commission’s own executive committee shall be elected through a meeting presided by the incumbent ANAK PUP President.

It also establishes the Search Committee, led by the incumbent SR, composed of incumbent ANAK PUP Executive Committee (Exe Com) members, a Secretariat team tasked with administrative affairs and secretarial tasks such as documentation of meetings, and a Creative Team tasked with publicity materials during the selection process.

Who can become a Student Regent?

The Student Regent serves as a “bridge” between the studentry and university administration, therefore requiring active leadership and transparency. Being in a university hailed as the bastion of activism, the SR SC also emphasizes the need for an SR who “upholds militant and collective principles of leadership” that will amplify the calls, interests, and rights of the students in the BOR, the highest governing body in the university.

Article III, Sec. 4 of the SR SC states that the SR shall serve coterminously with other members of the Exe Com, meaning that the SR’s term begins and ends at the same time as the committee.

During the federation-alliance’s transition period, student council and government presidents across the PUP system select upon themselves leaders who will make up the Exe Com, with its President automatically becoming the SR.

Article VII, Sec. 1 of the SR SC sets the criteria of eligible nominees for the regency in accordance with the prevailing ANAK PUP Constitution: must be a Filipino citizen, a bona fide (as defined by the Code, enrolled) student with at least one year residency, and is currently serving as a student council or government president in any PUP campus.

Sec. 2 of the same article states that no qualified student shall be disqualified from running as SR on the basis of academic standing.

On Nominations

What sets this SR SC apart from the previous student regent selection is the inclusion of individual students and student formations in the process, therefore giving them the power to nominate from the 40 student council presidents systemwide. Before, only ANAK PUP members (SC presidents) could nominate prospective SRs within the federation-alliance.

However, student publications are exempted from this given their mandate to maintain nonpartisanship as watchdogs of the selection process.

Described as the first step towards “democratization,” Article IX outlines the nomination process which begins with at least a one-week call for nomination disseminated via ANAK PUP’s social media accounts.

A template of the nomination letter posted by the Search Committee on March 26, 2025. (Screengrab from ANAK PUP)

Any individual student or student formations, except those from student publications, who wish to nominate a qualified student for the regency may fill in the following information in the online nomination form cascaded by the Search Committee: (1) Date of the Nomination, (2) Name and Designation of the Nominee, (3) Reasons and/or Basis for the Nomination, and (4) Name and Signature of the Student Nominating.

Meanwhile, student formations are required to include in their group nomination letter the signatures of at least a simple majority of their executive officers, as well as their names, regardless if they sign or not.

Though not stated in the Code, ANAK PUP later prohibited self-nominations on its Facebook post.

Nominated presidents will be informed by the Search Committee within 24 hours and are given the right to accept or decline the nomination. Upon acceptance, they will be asked to submit further requirements to formalize the nomination.

The Search Committee can also extend the nomination period in case there are no nominations submitted.

On March 26, the Search Committee opened the nominations until April 1. As of 1 PM on April 1, there have been 10 valid nominees recorded. The official list of nominees will be released on April 9.

On Campaigns

The nomination period will be followed by a ten-day campaign period, which in this term will be held from April 10 to 19, 2025. Any form of campaign is allowed as long as it abides by the university’s rules and regulations, especially the Student Handbook.

Individual students, student formations, and PUP-affiliated leaders from outside the university can endorse their desired candidate for the regency, except for incumbent SC presidents to ensure impartiality given that they will be voting during the ANAK PUP convention. Violation may lead to disqualification.

According to the SR SC Orientation presided by 24th ANAK PUP Executive Vice President Carl Ianne Ramos and Secretary-General Danniel Jiro Fernandez, additional guidelines for campaigning shall be determined by the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) to be released by ANAK PUP COMELEC.

Any deliberation activities, such as public events that provide a platform to scrutinize candidates, organized by student formations, publications, and even the Search Committee are allowed in order to promote student participation and engagement. However, coordination with the Search Committee is required when official nominees are invited to such events to enable them to map out the selection period calendar.

On Voting

The distinction must be cleared: individual students and student formation can only nominate, but cannot vote. Only members of the ANAK PUP assembly remain to have voting power, yet.

On the federation-alliance’s First Semestral Convention, which is scheduled for April 24 to 26 for this term, the selection proper will commence. It entails the reading of the Code, Presentation of Vision Statement of the student regency nominee, a Miting De Avance or question-and-answer portion, and the voting of incumbent student council presidents. 

Fernandez explained during the orientation that there are two voting processes that the assembly can utilize in the selection: single voting and instant runoff voting. On one hand, single voting can be used in case there is only one nominee for SR, making the SC presidents’ choice between affirmative or opposite. The nominee is selected if they garner higher affirmative votes.

On the other hand, instant runoff voting is applicable when there are multiple nominees for the position. Every president will rank the nominees in order according to preference, with the rank one as the “top choice.” The placement they get constitutes the number of points they will garner. 

The candidate who will get the least number of points is seated as the Student Regent because they are most preferred among presidents. 

The Code also emphasizes that there is no abstention in the voting process given that "the selection process is already democratized" and compels the electorate to explain to the studentry the basis of their vote.

If ‘democratized,’ why exclusive to SC prexies?

During the orientation, The Catalyst Editor-in-Chief Jenevy Napal questioned the supposed “democratization” when the Code did not allow student formation presidents to run as student regent. Fernandez clarified that it would become inconsistent with the ANAK PUP Constitution and By-Laws currently in effect.

Article VII, Sec. 4 of the 2019 ANAK PUP Constitution only allows elected student council presidents to be part of the Exe Com. This is in line with Article IV, Sec. 2 stating that membership in the federation-alliance is only exclusive to presidents of “all the central and supreme student councils in all campuses and branches.”

If the 24th ANAK PUP opened the nominations to other student formation presidents at this point in time, it would be deemed unconstitutional.

It is the 25th ANAK PUP that can amend this constitution, Fernandez said, which is possible given that there are no other documents in the university other than the constitution confining the federation-alliance to SC presidents. Once amended, student formation presidents can eventually run too.

The 24th ANAK PUP deems this as the first step towards democratization of the student regent selection by involving the rest of the student body, bestowing nominating powers, for now.

On April 26, PUP will be selecting its 19th Student Regent. The SR SC sets a precedent for formalized and organized transitions that safeguard genuine student representation.

With reports from Kristine Jhoy Castulo and Raven Gabriel Cruz

Article: Mary Rose Maligmat

Graphics: Marc Nathaniel Servo