The Forerunner

After the major upset in the previous Student Government (SG) election, the Katipunan Student Movement (KASAMA) has reignited its bid this year by filing its Certificate of Candidacy (COC) for the Local Student Council (LSC) of Bulacan State University (BulSU) Bustos Campus on March 6. Remarkably, the results of the 2024 SG election in BulSU Bustos did not favor KASAMA, which led to the BulSUOne (B1) group as the dominant force in the LSC of Bustos. This year, KASAMA seeks to reclaim power to serve the student body, led by Bustos Campus senatorial aspirant Jhessa Ramos and gubernatorial candidate Rommel Angelo Dela Cruz as the political party's standard bearers. Both Ramos and Dela Cruz are from the Teacher Education Program (TEP) and also ran the last election under the same party but did not win their positions. Ramos previously vied for vice governor seat, while Dela Cruz was unsuccessful in his bid for BSEd Board Member post, but still determined in serving Bustos community amidst setbacks. "My unsuccessful vice gubernatorial bid taught me the importance of community-based campaigning, and the need to [connect better] with the concerns of students," Ramos remarked as her takeaways from the last election. “My experience in the previous campaign has prepared me for this larger challenge,” she added as she pursued to represent Bustos Campus in the Student Government. Meanwhile, given with all his extensive leadership experience, Dela Cruz shared his thoughts after being nominated as the gubernatorial candidate of KASAMA following the dismissal of Sean Daniel Cristobal from the party: "Truth [be] told, I do not have any concerns with what position the party will put me into. As long as there is an avenue for me to continue serving the students, I'll be okay with it.” He also assured students that he will advocate for their concerns, no matter where it takes him. Joining Dela Cruz in aspiring for the local council is Merl Anshelo Dimla from Business Administration and Entrepreneurship Department (BAED) who held positions both in LSC Bustos and BulSU Bahaghari. Alongside them are the eight Board Member aspirants from different programs at BulSU Bustos namely: Yrrah Jade Tecson (BSEd), Micha Nerize Santos (BEEd), Mark Dale Valderama and King Adrian Cruz (BIT), Leandro De Guzman (Engineering), Jamie Lee Paligutan (Entrepreneurship), Jenoy Mario Silvio (BA), and Andi Moralde (BSIT). They filed their candidacies at the office of University Commision on Student Elections (UCSE) at BulSU Main Campus. | via Ar-Jay Salazar, THE FORERUNNER Photo via Aldrin Gipan #TheForerunner #UntiltheInkRunsDry