POLITICAL COALITION Movement for Ignatian and Transformative Empowerment (Ignite) was officially recognized as an accredited political party by the Ateneo Commission on Elections (Comelec) on December 22, 2014.

According to Comelec Chief Commissioner Marlex Tuson, being named a political party allows Ignite to exist as a body even without a school election.

Ignite has the responsibility to submit yearly requirements to the Comelec and to accomplish 50% of their planned activities and advocacies to remain an accredited political party.

Ignite President Luigi Del Rosario said that the party believes in upholding the Ignatian ideal of magis, or going beyond oneself, as something that every Atenean is capable of attaining.

Del Rosario also said that Ignite believes in the plurality of student’s beliefs and supports student movement integration as a means of uniting students in pushing for social transformation.

“The party envisions students who are empowered to dictate their courses of study, to choose their organizations and to freely express their own opinions,” he added.

Ignite submitted accreditation requirements to the Comelec during the accreditation period last September 9 to 19.

The requirements included a lineup of officers, a list of activities and advocacies that the party intends to organize and lobby for, and a constitution.

The constitution detailed the applying party’s vision, mission and goals, qualifications for membership and officership, and delegation of duties and responsibilities.

Tuson said that the Comelec decides on the accreditation of an applying political party after thorough evaluation of the submitted documents.

According to Comelec Commissioner Secretariat Audrey Lorilla, the applying political party must have at least 40 members at all times and should have a Board of Trustees, at least half of which are not running for a position in the current elections.

“Political parties, basically, can represent the student body of Ateneo as they push with what is their ideology and to promote awareness especially social and political,” said Lorilla.

Ignite joins the Christian Union for Socialist and Democratic Advancement as one of two accredited political parties in the Ateneo.

On future plans

Del Rosario said that Ignite has taken steps towards attaining its party philosophy by setting plans for this year and the next.

He mentioned the Kariton Klasrum Katipunan, a six-month flagship project that started last August 2014 and is expected to end this March 2015.

The project, held in partnership with Efren Peñaflorida’s Dynamic Teen Company (DTC), aims to address the educational needs of out-of-school youth, drop-out students, sari-sari store owners, jeepney drivers, vendors, public servicemen and women.

DTC is an advocacy group that serves to educate people deprived of formal education.

Del Rosario noted that student volunteers of the project will be appointed different roles, depending on which of the four schools they belong.

He said that volunteers from the John Gokongwei School of Management will address basic entrepreneurship, financial management and business skills, while those volunteers from the School of Humanities (SOH) will address basic literacy skills and creativity.

Students under the School of Science and Engineering will impart their knowledge on math, science and public health, and those with the School of Social Sciences will introduce basic history, interpersonal skills, patriotism and values to the students.

Del Rosario noted that the goal of the project is two-fold: To instill a love for learning in the youth and to train working individuals and parents in practical skills, such as entrepreneurship, self-defense and knowledge for self-improvement.

He also said that Ignite has planned a series of year-long sociopolitical talks, which are geared towards relevant sociopolitical issues such as, but not limited to, intellectual property rights, Martial Law and education.

Del Rosario said that the aim of these talks is to expose the student body to issues that are relatable and close to home, as well as to promote awareness and critical analysis through information dissemination.

Moreover, Del Rosario mentioned internal activities such as the Mentorship Program and ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Ignite’s partnership with the Saligan sa College of Social Science and Philosophy (CSSP).

He explained that under the Mentorship Program, seasoned members of Ignite will take the newer members under their care and teach them about Atenean life or train them on organizational management.

According to Del Rosario, veteran Ignite members who are current or former officers of the Sanggunian and other organizations may formally provide training to the new members through public speaking workshops, platform-crafting, meeting coordination and individual consultations.

“The project thus becomes a cycle where old members participate as a form of giving back to those who have mentored them before,” he said.

Del Rosario also stated that Ignite is partners with Saligan sa CSSP, a political party from the University of the Philippines-Diliman, which politicizes them through activities, such as skills training and national situationers, a venue for raising student awareness on social issues.

He added that Saligan also helps Ignite during the elections by serving as platform speech coaches and as mock Miting de Avance panelists.

Transition

Del Rosario highlighted some difficulties in shifting from its status as a coalition and into a political party.

He mentioned that Ignite has always faced the stigma of being seen as a reborn Ibig-Agila, a political party that disbanded in 2012, due to being composed of the same members.

He also added that Ignite is perceived as being SOH-centric due to the composition of their party, which are mainly SOH students.

Del Rosario pointed out that, before Ignite received accreditation, they had trouble explaining what Ignite exactly is and what it is they do.

He stressed that this often led to difficulties in getting approval from the Office of Student Activities in reserving venues and obtaining sponsors for their projects.

Del Rosario said that with Ignite’s accreditation, the party will continue to pursue its advocacy of “education is a right” through more sociopolitical discourse events, candidacy platforms that fight for academic freedom and various projects that will launch early next year.