The proposed constitutional change began this May.

According to Remo, the House of Representatives will be established under a special provision in the 2005 Sanggunian Constitution. As noted in Article VII, Sec. 2, the president can “create such additional units as may be necessary to discharge specific functions of the Presidency.”

“In the current constitution, the House of Representatives is not a body,” he said. “Therefore, the provision will allow me as president to create special bodies to help exercise my functions,” Remo added.

One of the significant tasks of the House of Representatives will be to assist the Central Board in crafting policies and in creating the official statements of the Sanggunian with regard to various social issues.

“I also want to use it as a method to be able to advise the president and the Sanggunian as a whole as to what should be the direction of the institution,” added Remo.

Protocols and procedures

The elected course and block representatives will compose the House of Representatives for now.

The rest will be elected during the Sanggunian Freshmen and Special Elections to be held in August.

The special elections will also serve to fill the positions left vacant during the last general elections.

Most of the Central Board and School Board candidates for the School of Humanities (SOH), the School of Social Sciences (SOSS) and the School of Science and Engineering (SOSE) failed to meet the prescribed quota of votes.

Apart from the failure of elections in the three schools, the positions of SOSS and SOSE chairpersons were left vacant.

As mandated by the Sanggunian Constitution, the “vacancies that occur in the Central Board and School Boards, with the exception of the positions of Sanggunian President and School Board Chairpersons, shall be filled via special elections.”

However, the constitution does not have any clear provisions for the failure to elect a school chair. Because the said position may only be filled through the general elections, no one will be elected or appointed as SOSS and SOSE chairpersons this year.

Instead, the SOSS and SOSE secretary-treasurers will take on the responsibilities of their respective school chairs.

According to Remo, once the special elections are over, the elected School Board officials will “follow the Code of Internal Procedures that will govern the appointed representatives into those bodies.”

“By then, we will begin establishing the procedure about the codes and rules, the extent of their powers and who will be presiding,” Remo said.

No more failure of elections?

The Ateneo Commission on Elections (Comelec), together with the Sanggunian, promises the success of elections in August.

Comelec Chief Commissioner Tom Sison said that the low voter turnout in the last general elections can be attributed to the lack of awareness among the Atenean electorate.

“We, the commission, did our best to promote the election using various type[s] of materials, although that can still be improved,” said Sison.

“However, we would like to stress that it is not solely our responsibility to get people to vote,” he added.

“The two-week campaign period allotted for the candidates to make them known and encourage people to vote were not maximized as candidates only started campaigning on the second week,” Sison said.

He said he would ensure stronger communication among the Sanggunian, the student body, the political formations and the candidates, “so the commission will be able to relay all data more efficiently.”

Sison said that the Comelec Board of Commissioners would strive to improve the elections by being consistent in setting fair rules and regulations for everyone as well.

“In particular, we will be focusing on implementing deadlines without exceptions, but at the same time providing future candidates with easier processes to comply with,” Sison said.

He added that last year’s failure of elections should serve as a wake up call for the Ateneo community to “put extra effort in making the elections an important event not only to the aspiring candidates, but to every member of the student body.”

“Because the elections are not only to put candidates [in the] positions they desire, but to spark awareness and initiative from the student body to exercise their right to vote,” said Sison.

Sanggunian Vice President Ryan Yu agreed. “[The failure of elections] serves [to remind] Sanggu to return to its roots and ensure that everything it does will ultimately benefit its constituents and address their concerns,” he said.

He said one way to make students invested is to “create more tie-ups with the different organizations in Ateneo to improve the services that the Sanggunian can offer.”

“We will ensure that Sanggu becomes an institution that serves its constituents in the best possible way,” Yu added.

Yu further said he intends to encourage more people to be part of the Sanggunian by ensuring that all students get to participate in its projects.

Other plans for the school year

Apart from the formation of the House of Representatives, the Sanggunian will also amend its constitution.

“We are now in the process of assembling a Constitutional Commission which will spearhead this changing of the charter,” said Remo.

Remo added that he has been a part of the institution for so long that he has already examined the Sanggunian’s different roles and structures.

“I have no problem [with] devoting power and giving up the power of presidency to different units, that’s why I’m actively encouraging a Constitutional Convention to limit the powers of the presidency,” he said.

Remo said that the Sanggunian also wants the Ateneo community to realize the value of its student government.

He plans on engaging the student body more this school year.

“For the freshmen, making sure that their freshmen nights are successful since it’s the first encounter with the school’s major organization,” he said. “Secondly, for upperclassmen, especially those who were elected representatives, getting them involved and seeing the value of being part of the institution,” Remo added.

“Through these, I hope that people will see what the value of the student government really is,” he said.