IN RESPONSE TO accusations of indifference towards student concerns, the Student Council (SC) published a statement assuring that it had fulfilled its responsibilities during the Academic Year 2024-2025.
Among the criticisms circulating online were allegations that the Student Council (SC) had dismissed student concerns, with some members reportedly responding with remarks such as “Iba na kasi generation niyo” and “Dati pa ‘yan ginagawa.” One of the more vocal critics at the time was then-candidate under the San Bigkis Party (SBP) Ramon Gabriel Ledesma, who has since been elected as the new Internal Vice President.
In a direct rebuttal of these “passion-fuelled” statements, the SC, in a Facebook post published last April 9, reminded instances such as the student ID processing concerns, the disbarment of the San Beda University (SBU) Band, and reforms in mandatory ticket selling where the Council argued how it had reached out to the CAS Dean and followed up on these matters persistently.
Among the contents of the SC’s statement included a comprehensive transparency report on the allocation of the Student Activity Fund (SAF), alongside letters sent to university administrators.
In an interview with The Bedan, Mari Okol, outgoing SC President, cited the necessity of breaking the perception of the SC’s alleged inaction.
“That is definitely not a message that we want to bring to the students because it breaks the trust between students and student-leaders,” she said.
In meeting this end, the second Student Assembly (SA) held last February 15 was opened to provide a transparent avenue for the students to voice their concerns. As Okol affirmed, “One of the reasons why we held a general assembly is to include the students and to make them feel included in discussions.”
Matters at the student assembly
During the SA at the Jonathan Sy Auditorium, a dialogue on key issues such as budget allocation, policy proposals and matters concerning the student body were opened.
The event began with the SC presenting their plans in streamlining the Student Activity and Budget Proposal (SABP) processes, with Lourenella De Leon, SC Secretary General, highlighting the creation of a collaborative SAP and SABP.
Afterward, Okol outlined her platforms focused on inclusivity. First among these were the ‘People’s Council’ aiming to provide a “recognized voice” for minority groups in the student body.
Moreover, she proposed “better policies” for student-athletes, saying “Dapat may involvement ‘yung Student Council para sa required sanctions for student-athletes,” underscoring a system like the Board of Discipline (BOD) wherein the jurisdiction will fall under two student-representatives who can vote on their sanction.
“Ang nangyayari doon kaya nagkakaroon ng gray area is because walang process on what happens if student-athletes violate the code. So that’s what we want to cover and what we want to protest,” Okol explained.
However, she also noted that while this may cause conflicts with the University administration, these issues can be fixed through proper dialogue.
Paskong Bedista
A transparency report on finance was then presented, highlighting “budgetary concerns” in the usage of the Student Activity Fund (SAF).
Among the concerns raised was the concert that took place during the Paskong Bedista 2024 held last December, wherein Okol admitted how choosing guest performer James Reid for the performance was “not a reasonable decision” due to his “high talent rate.”
Expounding on how this came to be, she said that it wasn’t a collective decision to have James Reid perform for the event.
“It was a very confusing time,” said Okol, elaborating that the SC had been requesting for the budget transparency for months which also included that from the previous semester. It wasn’t until towards the end of January when the SC learned the total cost for his contract.
“We’ve been requesting for the transparency of the budget for months. That also includes from last semester pa and it was only until February that we received the budget of the CAS,” said Okol.
In light of this issue, she concluded that the blame should not be placed on the performer, saying “Don’t put complete blame on James Reid, we’re definitely standing by that decision.”
Transparency on Pista ng Sto. Niño Tickets
The same pattern of obscurity was reiterated when a student raised a question on whether the purchase of the Pista ng Sto. Nino tickets were required.
“‘Yung official statement po kasi sa previous SOC [Student Organization Circle] meeting was that hindi required…pero nakita rin po namin sa lahat ng Batch Rep group chat sa first year to fourth year na yes, required po, ang sinabi naman po ng OPSA [Office of the Prefect of Student Activities] na required,” a student asked.
In response, the SC President stated that they only learned of the budget deduction of 855,000php from the SAF on the same day of the mentioned SOC General Assembly.
“During that day na pinaparequire ang mga estudyante na magbayad ng tickets for Pista, ‘di po namin alam na required pala,” she reiterated.
Okol also added that she messaged Prof. Marvin Reyes, PhD, the Prefect of Student Activities regarding the conduct of ticket sales.
“Sabi niya sa akin that this is a tradition, ‘just make sure to disseminate properly to the students’. Sabi ko hindi po ‘yun pwede, so I raised that this Monday that kailangan mag release ng memorandum si Dean.”
Coincidentally, in a letter addressed to Rev. Fr. Placido Ma. B. Acta, OSB, the Vice President for Finance, the SC was seeking clarification on the 855,000php dedication from the SAF as only 780,000php would be deducted from the raffle tickets.
Alongside this were other queries in the letter such as the exact amount to be returned to the SAF, and the day in which it will be reimbursed.
With this, Dean Christian Bryan Bustamante, Ph.D, spoke on behalf of the ticket sales during the assembly.
“The selling or buying of tickets by all stakeholders of the University was already a tradition when I was a student here,” said Dean Bustamante, emphasizing the mandatory nature of its purchase.
However, he expounded that, due to the ticket purchase being pulled from other college’s SAFs, the Accounting Office subsequently consumed the funds of the CAS.
After consulting with the Accounting Office, Dean Bustamante clarified that the arrangement in the CAS was different, prompting the SC and OPSA, OPSD to remind all class advisers to submit ticket sales on or before February 21.
Coincidentally, Dean Bustamante released a letter last February 20 stating that “all members of the community, administrators, faculty, non-teaching personnel, and students are required to purchase the tickets,” setting the deadline for the payments on February 21.
The same letter also details that if the student “does not want” to pay for the tickets, they should return the unused tickets to their respective class adviser, putting into question their status of being “mandatory.”
As of April 2, only 201,150php has been returned to the SAF, and the tickets are still currently being processed to reimburse the remaining amount deducted.
In light of these matters, The Bedan has interviewed Enrique Bonete, SBP Chairperson, on his thoughts and the party’s stance regarding the criticisms posed by the now-elected Internal Vice President from the slate.
“To give you the facts, this was raised by Gab noong February pa, ang sinabi niya na wala masyadong nagawa, ayun kasi ‘yung naramdaman niya as an ordinary student,” he said. With this, Bonete then was “reminded of his time” as an SC officer, highlighting the necessity of openness towards criticism.
“We always side with the students because we are the student’s council. We are the voice of the students,” urging that this should set the precedent for succeeding SCs.
Nevertheless, he acknowledges the necessity of getting both sides of the equation, and emphasizes that he does not say these against the outgoing council nor the school admins. “This is the stance of our party, ayaw namin iretract ‘yung statement kasi ‘yun ‘yung totoong nangyari,” Bonete concluded.
Conversely, while raising the same assertions of open communication, Okol reiterated how one must not “discard, disregard nor discriminate” an organization that they will eventually be a part of.
“You will also inherit the same problems and same struggles, let’s help each other, let’s educate each other, let’s get into a more in depth discussion rather than performative,” she closed.
(with Aliyah Buene Aya-ay)