Except perhaps for the wide glass windows lining its beige walls, not much would tell the average Atenean that Room 200 of the MVP Center for Student Leadership is, in fact, the official seat of the student government—it can be so easily mistaken for just another org room.
Indeed, this is probably why former student leaders had made it a point to have the windows installed; unlike any other student group, the Sanggunian has a unique covenant of transparency with the student body. The windows may be symbolic, but the opening of Sangguians’s offices to public view signifies how Ateneo’s student leaders are supposed to value transparency.
Similar to most other windows, though, the windows in Room 200 are two-way—just like the relationship between the Sanggunian and the world. While the world is allowed to peer into the offices of Ateneo’s student government, the Sanggunian, too, is allowed to perceive the world—and respond accordingly.
But how exactly does the Sanggunian respond? How does it react to the signs of the times, not just in its immediate setting of the Ateneo, but in the larger context of the Philippines? The approach has varied through the years, but ever since the political awakening of Ateneans in the mid-60s, one thing has remained true: much of the Sanggunian’s significance now relies on its relevance to the outside world.
Historic roots
The Swinging Sixties arrived alongside an Ateneo Student Council that was little more than a logistics office; its functions were, for all intents and purposes, just like those currently held by the Office of Student Activities. By 1962, however, the Student Council had succeeded in creating a Board of External Affairs, tasked to spearhead student participation in the happenings outside of school.
By the time of the Student Council’s dissolution due to Martial Law around ten years later, it had become deeply engaged in national discussions and demonstrations on social justice, the role of the Church in the Philippines, and the push for a genuinely democratic Constitutional Convention. When Marcos’ repression went on full swing, the Student Council devised means to express distaste for the regime, though in subtle or covert ways. Some former student leaders even chose to go underground to fight the dictatorship.
The growth of political maturity among Ateneans led to late February 1986, when one-third of the student body, led by the Student Council, joined the nation during the People Power Revolution. It was a climax of sorts for the student government, as it served to further solidify social involvement as one of the cornerstones of the Ateneo Sanggunian.
Sanggunian and today’s world
The context of the Sanggunian today is a lot different from that of its forerunners. There is no authoritarian dictator and the activities of Ateneans are no longer placed under the scrutiny of the military.
Still, involvement in external affairs constitutes a large part of the Sanggunian’s agenda. Perhaps the most memorable in recent years is its widely publicized efforts to join the fight of different peasant groups, such as the Sumilao farmers.
What is interesting about Sanggunian’s recent efforts on such fronts is that it mirrors the past practice of students tying up with outsider political parties. This current phenomenon, which has been studied before in a September 2009 article in The GUIDON, reminds one of how competing student factions during the late 60s to the early 80s had allies from political groups outside the school.
There were national democratic groups, such as Samahang Demokratiko ng Kabataan, and moderate groups, such as the (former) National Union of Students of the Philippines; these groups had respective chapters in the Ateneo. Social democrats also figured in Atenean student movements, but back then, they weren’t as organized as the other groups.
Ateneo and Akbayan
Today, this past reality is repeating itself, but with an inversion: the social democrats are gaining popular support among Ateneans.
In an interview with The GUIDON last year (for the mentioned September 2009 article), former Sanggunian Secretary-General Kacci Morales stated that the student government cannot do away with assistance from such groups as the social democratic Akbayan, because these outsider parties are helpful in shaping Sanggunian’s stands and initiatives on external matters.
Akbayan has, in fact, figured quite visibly in previous initiatives by Sanggunian, such as the anti-Charter Change campaign and the campaign for the passage of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program Extension with Reforms Bill.
Gio Tingson, last year’s Sanggunian President, who had been involved in such Akbayan-aided initiatives, agreed with Morales in the article. “[Assistance between the parties and Sanggunian] is mutual,” Tingson said. “We sometimes ask participation from them because we need alternative views to [present to the student].”
In the current Sanggunian
Under the current administration of Sanggunian President Rob Roque, there are indications that Akbayan has maintained its influence on Sanggunian’s approach to external matters.
Nearing the end of the first semester this school year, Sanggunian officials met and decided to form several task forces to tackle national issues. The issues for the task forces were selected based on a survey that asked respondents what their priorities are when it comes to national issues. Some of the selected issues were the K-12 education reform, human rights, agrarian reform, the Student Rights and Welfare (STRAW) Bill, and the Mindanao peace process.
Of these selected issues, however, Sanggunian has formalized the creation of task forces only for two—the RH Bill and the STRAW Bill. The RH Bill Task Force is a product of the recent midterm conference of Buklod Atenista, a coalition of the student councils from the five Ateneo universities in the country. On the other hand, the STRAW Bill Task Force has materialized due to Sanggunian’s commitment to the Student Council Alliance of the Philippines, an affiliate and staunch ally of Akbayan Youth. The STRAW Bill is also authored in Congress by Akbayan representatives.
Speaking about the task forces, Roque says that the basis for the initiative is Sanggunian’s efforts for greater student involvement and volunteerism. “The idea is to be able to organize a group of students who are passionate about the issue,” he explains. Roque says these task forces have to “promote awareness and provide opportunities for action by the community on the issue.”
Bureaucratic limitations
Sanggunian’s efforts on social and other external issues are, however, limited by problems of manpower and finance. This is, in fact, a major factor as to why only two of the proposed task forces were formalized.
Still, Roque assures, “[The current task forces] will be given full institutional and financial support.” The amount of money to be released to these task forces will be subject to the approval of the Sanggunian, and will depend on the scale of the task force’s activity.
Expansion, continuation
The creation of the task forces also goes in line with Sanggunian’s current strategy of improving its services by expanding both internally and externally. From the inside, Sanggunian has changed its structure to include new departments in the hope of covering more ground and involving more students. In fact, earlier this year, the Sanggunian created five new departments, including a Department of External Affairs.
For many, this expansion is a welcome development; critics of the Sanggunian have previously pointed to an exclusivist tendency in the student government. Indeed, most of those who get involved in Sanggunian projects are block representatives, members of the Central Board and School Boards, and students from other Sanggunian branches. For the new initiatives, though, Roque assures, “The members of the task forces need not be elected officers.”
Still, a question of continuity inevitably arises: will the Sanggunian maintain these task forces even after the school year ends?
Roque answers in the affirmative. He believes that the passage of the bills is not the be-all and end-all of the task forces. For him, it is just as important to consider its impact, the issues it will raise, and how these bills will ultimately affect Philippine society. Accordingly, he promises that his administration’s projects will be passed on to his successor, and that these issues will be closely monitored whether or not they are the subject of the dailies’ headlines.
With reports by Judito C. Tadeo, Andrew C. Syling, and Luther B. Aquino
