The University administration is still in the process of revising the long-overdue Anti-Sexual Harassment Manual, a document that will replace and clarify processes for handling sexual misconduct on campus.  According to Loyola Schools (LS) Legal Counsel Attorney Nina Patricia Sison-Arroyo, the drafting of the manual is a directive from the Office of the President in compliance with the Safe Spaces Act. In crafting the manual, the school administration is also making use of feedback from members of different units in the University and the external audit on the school’s systems and processes for handling sexual harassment cases.

University President Jett Villarin, SJ’s announced plans to create the manual a day after the October 15 on-campus protest that called on the school to improve its systems for processing sexual misconduct cases. Although the manual was initially set for release by the end of 2019, the third working draft is still in the works due to the delays brought about by COVID-19 pandemic. 

Considering stakeholder insights

The reviews on the content of the manual are being done through focus group discussions (FGDs) with student and faculty representatives from the different sectors in the University, such as Basic Education, the Professional Schools, Central Administration, the Sanggunian Commission on Anti-Sexual Misconduct and Violence (CASMV), and the President’s Cluster. Sison-Arroyo added that it is up to the FGD participants to consult with their constituents and consolidate their comments for submission. 

Sison-Arroyo said that after comments from the FGD participants are gathered, she uses this input to create a working draft for the manual, which is then handed over to the manual’s Technical Working Group (TWG). She further explains that the TWG then reviews the working draft and goes into “more technical details and wordsmithing” when composing the final draft. Afterwards, it is submitted to independent auditor Jeanne Illo, PhD and the President’s Council for review before it is circulated back to the FGD for further scrutiny. 

“We hope that this manual serves as the foundation for ensuring that all cases are handled properly and that justice may always be given to the survivors,” said CASMV Co-Commissioner Arianna Sunga.

Though the anti-sexual harassment manual was originally set for public release at the end of 2019, Sison-Arroyo stated that the TWG reviewed the manual’s first working draft on January 27 and the second working draft on March 2. 

According to Sison-Arroyo, the third working draft was supposed to have been presented to the TWG on March 13, but the meeting was canceled due to the constraints brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, this draft is currently being reviewed by the TWG online. 

The draft is expected to be circulated back to the FGD participants in early July once the TWG completes its technical review. Given the setbacks brought by quarantine measures, they are planning to have the final manual released before the August 12 deadline. 

External feedback

Alongside its legal counsel, the University collaborated with Illo who is also the Gender Equality Adviser of the Canadian Embassy in Manila and Ad hoc Gender Adviser of AusAID. Sunga mentioned that Illo is currently observing the school’s proceedings for sexual harassment cases and reviewing if these are properly conducted. Illo’s findings and recommendations for the manual were to be released this April 2020 for review among the participants of the FGDs.

According to Sunga, Illo was only given the first draft of the manual and relevant documents from CASMV. These include the CASMV’s August 2017-July 2019 final report on the status of sexual misconduct cases in the LS as well as their recommendations for survivor support, gender sensitivity, inter-office coordination, degree and proportionality of sanction, and transparency.

Sison-Arroyo clarified that they only provided Illo with the first draft to give her an idea of the structure of the draft. Illo will then be given the final copy of the manual to review as part of her audit report.

Need for further transparency

Aside from improving the anti-sexual harassment manual, the University is also creating initiatives to talk about sexual harassment more openly. LS Gender and Development Focal Committee Chair Maria Elissa  Lao, PhD, stated that the Interim Commission on Decorum and Investigation conducted their first session on Understanding Sexual Harassment and Gender Relations last December 6, 2019. She clarified that their second session was postponed due to the enhanced community quarantine.

Despite the University’s efforts, Sunga points out that they can still improve on the limits when sharing information on sexual harassment cases. While she acknowledged that there are limits to sharing information on certain cases, she added that the school could consider extending the provisions in non-disclosure agreements between the investigative body and survivors. 

“The University should work to create a protocol for when a respondent is proven as a threat to the entire community as students may understandably feel unsafe, especially if the respondent is a professor they may have contact with,” said Sunga.

ERRATUM: An earlier version of this article stated that each draft will be presented to the FGD. It failed to clarify that the TWG’s working draft must first be reviewed by Illo and the President’s Council before it is circulated back to the FGD for further comments. The article has been edited accordingly. We apologize for the oversight.