The Polytechnic University of the Philippines Student Council (PUP SC) (Filipino: Konseho ng Mag-aaral ng Politeknikong Unibersidad ng Pilipinas), formerly known as Philippine College of Commerce Supreme Student Council (PCC SSC) before 1972, is the official undergraduate student union and prime representative of the student body of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines – Manila Campuses. It represents the interests of the students on the university, national, and global issues.

As the collective student representation in the university, the central and college student councils are composed of members elected amongst the student body of Manila Campuses, mandated to organize and direct campaigns and activities to defend and promote students’ rights and general welfare. Furthermore, it provides direct services to the student body.

The PUP Student Council is composed of the Sentral na Konseho ng Mag-aaral (SKM), also known as the PUP Central Student Council (CSC), the local student councils of all existing colleges, including Open University System (OUS) and Institute of Technology (ITech); and four (4) independent bodies namely: Student Council Commission on Audit (SC COA), Student Council Commission on Elections (SC COMELEC), Student Council Commission on Student Organizations and Accreditation (SC COSOA), and Student Council Student Tribunal (SC ST).

The Executive Committee of the PUP SKM is composed of the President, Vice President, Secretary-General, and Treasurer, who, together with the presidents of all college student councils from the Manila campuses, constitute the PUP Student Council Assembly (SCA), the highest decision and policy-making body of student councils at the PUP Main Campus, undergraduate level.

In contrast, the Alyansa ng Nagkakaisang Konseho (ANAK) PUP serves as the unified alliance and official federation of all student councils across the entire PUP System, including satellite campuses outside the Main Campus.

History and advocacies

In 1969, then-Philippine College of Commerce (PCC) President Nemesio Prudente included the student council in the board of trustees of the college.

In 1972, the student council was abolished due to the proclamation of martial law. Five years after the PCC was converted into a chartered state university and renamed Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP), the student council was eventually revived in 1983 with its constitution and by-laws being drafted and ratified.

In 1990, Prudente, who was reappointed as PUP president, assigned the student union hall (now called Charlie del Rosario Building) and certain rooms in the main academic building to the PUP SKM, accredited student organizations, cultural groups, and major student publications.

PUP SPEAK's domination (2016 - 2021) From 2016 to 2021, the Students' Party for Equality and Advancement of Knowledge (SPEAK) had been the ruling political party of the PUP Student Council.

In July 2019, ahead of the fourth State of the Nation Address of President Rodrigo Duterte, the College of Communication Student Council (COC SC) was among the youth groups invited to Rappler's MovePH Huddle to discuss on several issues. On the youth sector's efforts to campaign for a coal-free Negros, COC SC's Neilvin John Aventurado shared that "the government should be listening or they should be aiming for the protection of our environment and the people who benefit from it" after expressing sadness by the fact that the youth had to conduct protests just to be heard.

In February 2020, the PUP SKM, together with various organization under the leadership of PUP Office of the Student Regent (OSR) held a benefit concert on the university oval grounds to support the mid-to-long-term rehabilitation of the communities affected by the Taal volcano eruption. The concert, which was attended by over 15,000 people, was headlined by Parokya ni Edgar, Itchyworms, Gloc-9, and Rocksteddy.

In April 2020, the PUP SKM joined in decrying the detention of Rexon Aumentado, a mechanical engineering department and community volunteer, over alleged violations of the enhanced community quarantine. Joining the call to release the student were human rights lawyers Chel Diokno and Erin Tanada, who called the arrest a form of "harassment".

In April 2021, the College of Accountancy and Finance Student Council (CAF SC) urged the university to extend the "academic break" from April 5 to April 11 amidst rising COVID-19 cases. It insisted that the students and the professors are "not mentally and practically ready to start the new semester,” as it also pointed out that they were immobilized due to the extended community quarantine and its border restrictions.

In January 2021, the PUP SKM was among the stakeholders of the university to condemn the proposal of Duterte Youth Rep. Ducielle Cardema to Department of National Defense to abrogate its 1990 accord with the university, a day after the abrogation of its 1989 accord with the University of the Philippines. The accord stated that the police and military forces must give prior notification to the university president before conducting any operation on any PUP branches and campuses. PUP SKM President Jonero Dacula and PUP Board of Regents student representative Ellenor Bartolome submitted a position paper to Cardema opposing the termination of the PUP-DND agreement. In their position paper, Dacula and Bartolome highlighted a key provision in the PUP-DND accord, which recognized the right of all students “to freely advocate their ideas on the campus with utmost tolerance, understanding and guarantee, without fear of interference and intervention or repression from the state, or any of its agencies and instrumentalities.”

SAMASA PUP's return to power (2021 - present) In September 2021, Miss Trans Global 2021's Duchess Global Albiean Revalde, an engineering student, was elected as the first trans woman president of the PUP SKM; and Sandigan ng Mag-aaral para sa Sambayanan (SAMASA) became the ruling political party of the PUP Student Council once again after five years.

A day after the International Human Rights Day in 2021, the PUP SKM declared the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) and Hands Off Our Children Movement (HOOCM) persona non grata in the university after claiming the NTF-ELCAC's "records of baseless red-tagging and HOOCM being an enabler in silencing progressive youths through a facade of psycho-social services."

In April 2022, the PUP SKM endorsed the presidential bid of Vice President Leni Robredo, vice presidential bid of senator Kiko Pangilinan, senatorial bids of Chel Diokno, Risa Hontiveros, Neri Colmenares, Leila de Lima, Luke Espiritu, Teddy Baguilat, Elmer Labog, Sonny Matula, Alex Lacson, and Carmen Reyes Zubiaga, and congressional bid of Kabataan Partylist. It believed that Robredo and Pangilinan were "the best option to prevent a possible resurgence of a Marcos and a Duterte", who they insisted had been historically proven as "murderous, corrupt, and self-serving." Both Robredo and Pangilinan would eventually lose the national election to both Bongbong Marcos and Sara Duterte, respectively.

In October 2022, several student leaders across the universities in the Philippines including the PUP's Sentral na Konseho ng mga Mag-aaral opposed the mandatory Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) in the schools. The incumbent vice president of the student council, Benhur Queqqegan, said "ROTC would only be a financial burden to students and waste taxpayers' money."

In 2023, Kim Modelo was elected as the 2nd transwoman SKM President unopposed. She also became the 1st Transwoman Student Regent of the University.

Re-emergence of Independent Coalition Slates Independent Coalitions always existed in PUP, but since 2022, PUP Manila has seen a scattered opposition coalitions. In the upcoming 2026 Student Council Elections, Independent Coalitions are in full swing, with candidates fielded in Sentral na Konseho ng Mag-aaral, as well as in various Local Student Councils. Parties gunning for the top post were from the incumbents SAMASA PUP, which had held the top position unopposed from 2021, as well as newly-formed coalitions of PUP SINTA and Sinagtala Coalition .

As part of their campaign for the 2026 Student Council Elections, aptly named "PUP Halalan 2026", Sinagtala Coalition put up a manifesto in PUP's Malayang Paskilan, calling for a Clean, Healthy, and Fair Student Council Elections. All parties from Central and Local Student Councils are present and participated in the event.

Composition

Sentral na Konseho ng Mag-aaral / Central Student Council

2026 to 2027 Name Position Party CollegeTBDTBD SAMASA PUP Sinagtala Coalition PUP SINTATBD

2025 to 2026 Name Position Party CollegeJohn Paul Y. AzusanoPresident SAMASA PUPCCISTracy Althea RamosVice President SAMASA PUPCOCMichael Dave BolimaSecretary-General and Councilor SAMASA PUPOUSSuharto Darling Buleg Jr.Treasuer and Councilor SAMASA PUPCAFNoriko Wade AlsistoCouncilor SAMASA PUPCHKFrank AranetaCouncilor IndependentCOCTrejvor DayaoCouncilor SAMASA PUPITechChristian Lloyd DelanteAppointed Councilor SAMASA PUPCPSPAKimberly Akisha EugenioCouncilor SAMASA PUPCSSDJohn Joshua EvangelistaCouncilor SAMASA PUPCTHTMLeif Josef HizonCouncilor SAMASA PUPCoEdVon Eiron PlicerdaCouncilor SAMASA PUPCoEdLorenzo SalvadorCouncilor SAMASA PUPCSSDJelaine Avril TupazCouncilor SAMASA PUPCAF

Student Council Assembly The Student Council Assembly (SCA) is the highest decision- and policy-making body of Student Councils at the PUP Manila Campus, undergraduate level. It is composed of the president, vice president, secretary-general, and treasurer of the PUP SKM and presidents of the local student councils of various colleges in the university.

SCA affirms that education is a constitutional right that must be accessible to all and serve as a tool for advancing the Filipino people’s interests and critical consciousness. It recognizes systemic inequities in the current education system and upholds the university’s role in responding to national needs. The Assembly has continuously committed to being progressive, democratic, and militant, actively defending students’ and people’s rights, fostering pro-people leadership, and uniting with marginalized sectors in pursuit of a just and democratic society, guided by its motto, “for the students and the people, we remain.”

The composition of the 17th Assembly is as follows: Name Party Position Committee DesignationJohn Paul "JP" Azusano SAMASA PUPSKM PresidentExecutive Committee Tracy Althea Ramos SAMASA PUPSKM Vice PresidentMichael Dave Bolima SAMASA PUPSKM Secretary-GeneralHead, Committee on Secretariat and Records Management

Executive CommitteeSuharto Buleg Jr. SAMASA PUPSKM TreasurerHead, Committee on Budget and Appropriations