THE SANGGUNIAN transitory government held its first official meeting for direction setting on May 23 at Room 202 of the Manuel V. Pangilinan Center for Student Leadership.
The transitory government is provided for in Article XV of the newly-ratified Constitution of the Undergraduate Students of the Ateneo de Manila Loyola Schools “to facilitate the transition of powers within the Sanggunian after the ratification of this constitution.”
The new constitution was ratified after 92.43% of the student body voted in favor of passing it.
The article states that “[all] incumbent and elected members of the Sanggunian shall remain in office until after the newly-elected set of Sanggunian officers shall have taken their oaths of office.”
In addition, Article XV stipulates that “[all] by-laws of the Sanggunian, including the Constitution and Codes of Internal Procedures of its bodies, are immediately repealed, amended or modified accordingly.”
The meeting was led by Sanggunian Coordinator Carmela Vinzon. Vinzon was appointed coordinator of the transitory government on May 7.
The agenda of the meeting included short-term direction setting, establishing the government’s structure, and calendaring.
Composition
By virtue of the newly-ratified constitution, undergraduate outgoing officers retained their previously held positions.
Only Railey Montalan was retained from the previous Sanggunian as Secretariat. All other positions were filled via appointment.
The transitory government features Hya Bendaña as Finance Officer, Roxy Trillanes as Internal Affairs Chairperson, and Kristoni Go as External Affairs Chairperson.
Moreover, Bianca Alva, EJ Ofilada, Nice Pilarca, and Cieryl Sardool were appointed as liaisons of the School of Humanities (SOH), John Gokongwei School of Management (JGSOM), School of Science and Engineering (SOSE), and School of Social Sciences (SOSS), respectively.
Structure
The transitory government has a flat structure and consists of seven main divisions, namely, Ateneo Resident Students Association (ARSA), Council of Organizations of the Ateneo (COA), Student Judicial Courts (SJC), school liaisons, Sangunnian Departments, Sangunnian Committees, and task forces.
ARSA and COA will retain their functions to represent the sector of students living inside the Ateneo dormitories and the 52 accredited student organizations, respectively.
Likewise, the SJC will remain in power to hear and resolve concerns on constitutionality, legality, and jurisdiction of the policies implemented by the Sanggunian.
Meanwhile, under the department division are the Secretariat, Internal and External Affairs, Student Welfare and Services, Student Concerns, and Finance.
Moreover, SOH, SOSS, SOSE, and JGSOM will each have a school liaison.
The Committee on Socio-Political Affairs will also report directly to the Sanggunian Coordinator.
The task forces will include groups with specific causes and advocacies, such as the Ateneo Task Force, the Coalition of Ateneans for Indigenous Peoples, the Intellectual Property Rights Task Force, the Loyola Schools Constitutional Convention, and the Seniors’ Alliance.
Internal Affairs Chairperson Roxy Trillanes said that the structure is “a compromise we have to do because we don’t have elected officers.”
Vinzon mentioned that the structure will have been finalized by the end of their planning seminar from June 10 to 12.
School nights
Vinzon mentioned that the Sanggunian faced “existential questions” on school nights, which she said are meant “to introduce the school culture and course culture.”
School nights are currently part of the program for the Freshman Orientation Seminar.
The transitory government raised clarifications on the purpose of the school nights and concerns by parents who disapproved of the students having to stay in school late for two days in a row.
The government reached consensus saying that the respective school liaisons of the SOH, SOSS, SOSE, and JGSOM will be left to oversee the programs of the school nights.
The programs are subject to approval by the Sanggunian Coordinator.
Moreover, Vinzon said that the school nights can be used to expose the freshmen to the Sanggunian by introducing them to the school assemblies.
