Change of guards. Megaforce is set to replace Leopard on Sept. 3. Photo by Ryan Y. Racca.

AFTER NINE years of keeping watch over the entire Ateneo campus, Leopard Security and Investigation Agency (LSIA) is passing the torch to Megaforce Integrated Security Agency (MISA) on September 3.

In a memorandum dated July 19, Ateneo President Jose Ramon Villarin, SJ announced the change in the security agency.

“After thoroughly evaluating the proposals of Leopard Security and Investigation Agency… and those of other security providers, I have decided to affirm the recommendation of the committee tasked to assess the proposals,” Villarin said in the memo.

In an interview with The GUIDON, Villarin said that the “playing field was level” and that the recommendation of the said committee was “professional.”

“It’s good practice to change every so often,” he added. “It’s not good to be too familiar, especially with security.”

A stir among students

The change, however, surprised many students, some of whom lamented the lack of student consultation in the administration’s decision.

Last July 22, Crusada Party Premier Miguel Rivera took to Facebook to call for a proactive response from students.

“While everything that the administration has done is legal, I am calling on the Party [Crusada] and on students to oppose the shift,” Rivera said. His statements were later posted in the Sanggu Bantay Halalan Facebook group.

He said the employees do not want to leave the campus, as they have been “a vital part of the Ateneo and the students’ life.” Additionally, he said that the guards are well compensated by their current security agency.

But his main argument was that students were taken aback by the move, an action that he interpreted as non-consideration of the students’ role as stakeholders “in the interest of the security and well-being of the campus.”

Council of Organizations of the Ateneo (COA) President Ken Abante expressed his personal “loving bias for the security guards” and called on students to also adopt the same preferential stand.

Not everyone, however, had the same sentiments. Ateneo Debate Society member Peterson Poon argued that the change is actually a welcome improvement to the security situation on campus. He explained that when guards become too comfortable with the school and its students, their effectiveness decreases.

He also said that it is not fair to claim that the school administration treated the guards as “disposable” for choosing not to renew the contract.

(Turn to Inquiry page 1 for a full feature on the school’s contractualization practices, a point of controversy that has been central to the whole debate.)

The bidding process

Facilities Management Office (FMO) Director Jose Arnulfo Batac said that no bidding had taken place for the past nine years, although ideally it should be held every three years “just to make sure that [our security] providers are on their toes.”

He added that as it has always been the school’s policy to outsource security personnel, the bidding process serves as a review of the agency’s performance.

“The basis of the bidding is not because we are dissatisfied,” Batac said. “We’re not really replacing for the sake of replacing them. We’re going through a process.”

A bidding committee was formed last April to review proposals of eight bidding security agencies. The technical and financial aspects of the bids constituted 75% and 25% of the overall score, respectively.

“Megaforce [MSIA] stood out in either aspect,” Batac said.

After the presentations, the committee reviewed all proposals and did background checks on all applying security agencies.

Originally, the winner of the bid was set to be announced on May 15, but delays in validation and discussion resulted in the late announcement of the decision.

Prior to the official turnover come September, the new and incumbent security agencies will work together for familiarization with the system.

Action, not just consultation

Sanggunian President Drew Copuyoc said that there have been no administrative decisions in the past that included student consultation. He, however, stressed the importance of feedback for such decisions.

Villarin, meanwhile, stressed that the process had been fair. “On the whole for these big things, there is nothing to hide. I would like to assure the community that if we made a wrong decision, we will do our best to correct it. But I don’t think it was unfair; people were given equal chances,” he said.

He added that he is open to student feedback and consultation and that it is the responsibility of the students to raise their issues.

Batac said that they had talked with the different subunits of the Loyola Schools, particularly the dormitories, physical education department, and the library. He said that these areas were crucial as the FMO gets the most feedback here.

“I have to admit—all throughout the process, it really wasn’t singled out that we need [to consult] students,” Batac said. “We were thinking that we would learn of the concerns through the units.”

In light of the student response, Batac said that consultations might be held with the students in future decisions.

In a meeting among student organization representatives last August 5, majority also rallied for student consultation.

Ateneo Student Catholic Action (AtSCA) President Wences Mijares said it is “unfair and unethical” that the administration “allowed [the replacement] to happen without consultation from the major stakeholders who are actually paying for the guards.”

Rivera, however, said that consultation might not be enough. “Let’s face it—gaano man kasakit, wala namang magagawa ang consultation e. (Let’s face it—however frustrating this might be, consultation won’t really get us anything.)”

“They [administration] can easily say it’s confidential, and that’s that,” he said.

He added that the students should not fear in taking action for this cause.

“I am not attacking the Ateneo, the Jesuits, the President, and the administration. I’m appealing to them for what they teach me,” Rivera said, explaining his stand against the change as a stand against the school’s practice of contractualization.

Some officers, including Yllana and Mijares, said it is too late to lobby for reconsideration. However, Abante expressed hope that it is “not impossible” to overturn the decision.

In the meantime, Abante suggested to those present that they take action by talking to the guards, forming a bigger coalition, and having safeguard mechanisms for them in case the decision pushes through.

Guarded sentiments

“Masaya naman ako na ipinagtatanggol kami ng mga estudyante (I’m glad that students are standing up for us),” said an LSIA guard who requested anonymity.

The 46-year-old guard has been in the Ateneo for almost ten years. He has two children who are both in college.

He said, “Kung tututol naman kami, wala naman kaming magagawa dahil desisyon na ‘yan ng management ng Ateneo (Even if we resist, there is nothing we can do about the decision of Ateneo’s management).”

His concerns are more sentimental than financial, he added. He will be working as a tricycle driver while waiting for his reassignment.

LSIA guard Eduardo David said that the Ateneo management seems to have undermined the service of most of the guards, and added that he and his colleagues are saddened by the decision. David will have been working in Ateneo for three years by August 31.

LSIA refused to give comments in light of a formal appeal sent to the administration. Batac said the president tasked Vice President for the Loyola Schools Dr. John Paul Vergara to review the appeal.