With a new group of Sanggunian officers taking the reins, The GUIDON checks up on Sanggu 2009-2010’s platforms (See Did they keep their promises?) with an analysis from the Ateneo Debate Society and The Assembly. | Photo by Mark G. Tiu

“HAS SANGGU made any impact on my life in Ateneo?”

This was the question posed by Ateneo Debate Society President Gica Mangahas to this year’s Sanggunian. “I could live without them,” she said.

According to Sanggu President Gio Tingson, institutionalization is the student government’s main thrust this year. Sanggu, he said, was able to organize internal systems such as amending the constitution, making a template for communication, and creating the Sanggu brand, among others.

However, Secretary-General Kacci Morales admitted, “Externally, we are weak.” She said that tapping the students through concrete action did not become their priority this year.

The problem with institutionalization

Both Sanggu Vice President Jauro Castro and Morales agreed that they needed to work on Sanggu’s identity before going out to students. “If we’re not fixed internally, how could we represent on the outside?” Morales said.

However, The Assembly president Ross Tugade criticized this viewpoint. “Why does systematizing and being fixated on the internal need to be a prerequisite for a good Sanggunian?” she said in mixed English and Filipino. “[One] cannot suspend politics.”

A question of visibility

Sanggu Finance Officer Rob Roque had a different opinion on Sanggu’s lack of relevance to the student body.

“If there is no Sanggu, everything would be an administration decision,” he said in Filipino.

He added that Sanggu has been involved in issues that most students didn’t notice such as the dress code, Bring Your Own Baunan program, course review with the deans, tuition fee increase, and Ateneo Task Force 2010, among others.

“Should everything that we do have a Sanggu logo? That’s what politicians are doing now,” he said.

However, Mangahas finds it difficult to give any credit to Sanggu because she does not see the results of its work. “How do you appreciate people who might as well be ghosts?”

Availability

According to Castro, Sanggu has exerted effort in making themselves more visible and available to the students through the Sanggu website, Ateneo Online Bulletin, social networking accounts and the Sanggu hotline.

Students could also watch their meetings online or download the meetings’ minutes. “We renovated the Sanggu room to symbolize that we are a transparent and accountable student body,” Tingson added.

Castro also said that the School Boards devised systems of communicating with and representing the students. Each school was allowed to implement their own systems of communication such as focus group discussions or texting.

However, Castro admitted that some of their plans are not innovative enough to engage the students.

“I’m not saying we’re not creative enough, it’s just that we lacked the capacity to really promote what Sanggu has been doing this year,” he said.

Mangahas agreed. “If they try to be known to students, it’s not catchy or creative enough. Sobrang madaling ibalewala (It’s easy to neglect),” she said.

Bureaucratic government

Tugade also questioned Sanggu’s view on politics, which for her is very misleading. “Ateneo student politics is an oxymoron because politics is a self-revelation, [but this is] bureaucratization,” she said.

Tugade said that most of the time, Sanggu is not serving its function because it is closing avenues for the sounding board of the majority, and School Boards become mere liaisons officers disseminating information.

For her, Sanggu works on a top to bottom approach where the message comes from the top (Sanggu) and just trickles down to the bottom (students).

Potential. Incumbent Finance Officer Rob Roque gears up for the presidency. | Photo by Ean L. Dacay

However, Roque argued the opposite, and said the bottom-up approach fails because Sanggu’s mandate is small.

“Kaya hindi nagwowork ang bottom to top, kasi nga, 1500 lang ang reach ng Sanggu. (The bottom to top approach does not work because Sanggu can only reach 1,500 students),” he said.

Roque is referring to the results of the Sanggunian Satisfaction Survey where they gave out forms to all students through block representatives. Out of 8,000 students, only 1,528 answered the forms.

Tugade also described Sanggu’s projects in line with the coming national elections as “opportunistic.”

“Their political projects are not sustainable…I don’t think that if there are no elections, they would engage the students,” she said in mixed English and Filipino.

She added, “The structure [of the political projects] tells [students] that politics is easy. Banggaan ang pulitika (Politics is full of clashes).”

Political parties

Sanggu was also disappointed with the lack of political parties.

“I was really banking on bringing both parties back. [Political parties are] key indicators of a critical student body. They shape the [Sanggu] policies in terms of representation and they ensure the votes,” Tingson said.

From the two political parties two years ago, Partido Ignacio and IBIG-Agila, only the latter was reaccredited by the Commission on Elections.

Castro also said that two political parties could open avenues for discourse and a critical outlook on the policies and ideologies of each party. He added that candidates who are elected that come from parties require minimal training.

“They don’t have to undergo or spend weeks training kasi nagawa na yon (because that was done) beforehand [pre-election].”

Word of advice

Castro said that since the current Sanggu’s thrust was institutionalization, the next batch should focus on continuity.

“As to how that will go will depend on the incoming officers’ platforms. They could focus on externalization by promoting services of Sanggu or they could focus on implementation through enforcement within Sanggu. It depends on the next batch’s thrust. But I think what should be retained are what we [the current Sanggu] have started this school year.”

Tugade also cited some of her recommendations for Sanggu like having a clear agenda in terms of politics, exploring more issues, trusting the political capability of students and creating venues where students can discuss their stands on issues.

“They have to improve on [communicating] creatively, [capturing] the public, [and having] a concrete vision which people would be inspired to follow,” Mangahas said.

Editor’s note: For newly-elected Rob Roque’s platform for the presidency, go to blueballot.theguidon.com for The GUIDON’s special multimedia election coverage.