FOLLOWING THE FAILURE of the first Student Assembly (SA) last December 1, 2023, the Second SA convened last February 21 at the Pamanang Bedista was finally able to meet a quorum to provide for a definitive vote authorizing the revision of the “issues and lapses” present in the Student Council (SC) Constitution and the Omnibus Election Code (OEC).
Responding to those questioning the need for constitutional revision, SC President Eunice Bermudez, emphasized that “considering the status quo, the norms and customs that we have right now at San Beda University (SBU), how student politics in the University work, there are some provisions which have to be amended so that we can match what is happening…to uphold democracy and proper representation of the [College of Arts and Sciences (CAS)] students.”
Reiterating the issues that were discussed during the last SA, Bermudez cited some of the major revisions within the constitution that must be addressed, such as the qualifications of some of the SC officers, as well as laying down the guidelines and procedures for the SC Executive Committee. These concerns are still up for deliberation with the SC in collaboration with the ten newly elected representatives who were tasked by the members of the SA to write the revisions to the charter.
The planned revisions to the Constitution include, but are not limited to, (1) Art. I, sec.1 – specifying the title of “CAS Student Council” within the constitution; (2) Art. IV, sec. 2 – seeking to create a separate article for General qualifications of the Executive Council and Executive Committees, and reassess the GPA requirement; (3) Art. IV, sec. 3 – opting to allow the position of Vice President for Internal Affairs to both 3rd and 4th year students; (4) Art. V, sec. 5 – specifying the duties of the Treasurer to “prepare and process the budget…”; (5) Art, VI – realigning which existing committees shall form part of the standing committees; and (6) Art. X, sec. 2 – to include a provision of grounds for impeachment for officers, among others.
Subsequently, planned revisions for the OEC were also enumerated by Rochelle Soriano, one of the commissioners of the San Beda Electoral Board (ELBO), who cited several issues which include (1) Art. II – which lacks a provision for impeachment of members of the electoral board; (2) Art. IX – which requires a review of penalties provided; (3) whether to include a provision for the power to extend the voting period; (4) Art. XIII, sec. 1, (par 1), and Art. XIV, sec 2-5, which requires an update to conform with the use of an electronic system for voting; and lastly (5) a discussion on the application of abstention in a “first-past-the-post” process.
Ayrah Celline Asis, the ELBO Chairperson, seconded the need for revision to realize “a more coherent and predictable election that is free from numerous issues that we have experienced in the past elections. We are trying to close the gaps… to address the issues that happened before.”
Given the time constraints, Bermudez mentioned that revisions of the Constitution will not be ratified this academic year but rather in the next one. She clarified that, “Dapat five months before the plebiscite ‘yung start ng drafting, but it’s already February, so by July siya matatapos which is already the end of the semester. So, what’s going to happen is that we will draft the revised version of the SC constitution and once we’re done, since there will be no ratification, but there is an initiative to break free from the old constitution…that means that the SC and SA for this academic year are initiating this movement so that we can endorse this to the next SC.”
Upon reaching the quorum for the election, covering 47 votes, the election to revise the SC constitution succeeded with a tally of 44-2. Thereafter, the SA moved straight to electing ten members from the Assembly who would form part of the team of student representatives to assist in the revision process. 37 respondents from the SA voted “yes” in favor of the elected ten representatives which include: Angelo Lobio, Shara Esteba, Faisal Armano, Bianca Valencia, Rochelle Soriano, Enzo Ochoa, Kasten Hernandez, Nico Delfin, Leisha Medollar, and Lianne Casino. Their oath-taking took place at the at St. Anselm’s Hall last February 26.
Hoping to garner the support and cooperation of the student body to represent them properly, Bermudez said that “This time we will be initiating a big change because the SC constitution not only affects the SC officers or the executive committee officers, but also the whole CAS studentry. So, we hope for your support in terms of collaborating with us so we can hear your suggestions as well.”
(with Nathaniel Soriano)