THE UST Arts and Letters Faculty Association (ALFA) and other faculty groups called for an extension of the UST Faculty Union (USTFU) one-day, onsite-only election to three days and the adoption of a hybrid voting system, citing the need to ensure accessibility and fairness.
In a letter submitted to UST COMELEC, ALFA said that a one-day voting setup limits the participation of faculty members without an onsite class schedule on the election date and forces them to “incur an additional travel time and transport expense.”
“We make this request not in a spirit of opposition, but in the interest of protecting the broadest possible exercise of suffrage by USTFU members in good standing and of ensuring that the 2026 election is not only orderly, but also genuinely accessible, fair, and representative,” the letter, dated April 6, read.
Under the current schedule, the Graduate School and Faculty of Civil Law elections will be held on April 25, with the rest of the colleges will hold theirs on April 28.
However, ALFA described the current election setting as “unduly burdensome” for the majority of its members, citing the ongoing transport and fuel price issues.
Drawing the data from the faculty survey synthesis report submitted to UST Rector Fr. Richard Ang, O.P., ALFA, argued that responses from 20 colleges and faculties call for a “blended-first approach rather than a blanket, one-size-fits-all arrangement.”
READ: USTFU pushes for blended learning policy, financial help as transport costs rise
The Engineering Faculty Organization and the College of Information and Computing Sciences also cited the same concern in their respective letters.
In a separate document, faculty members of the Faculty of Pharmacy relayed similar issues, citing their inability to participate in the elections as the schedule conflicts with the college’s online modality. They also urged the COMELEC to reconsider and offer flexible voting options.
ALFA cited the 2021 USTFU election and suggested that its online voting implementation be adopted as circumstances require. The group invoked the USTFU’s constitution and the 2014 election code, arguing that the COMELEC should exercise its powers by ensuring that the requirements for a free election are “fully satisfied,” including participation of all members.
“A rule that is procedurally strict but practically exclusionary cannot be said to fully satisfy the requirement of a free and orderly election,” ALFA said.
The Artlets faculty group said it is open to discussing the request with the COMELEC and the USTFU authorities.
The election for the union’s directors and officers is held in April every five years, in line with the provisions of the USTFU Election Code. F
