For the first time in recent decades of Ateneo history, the Sanggunian will be voted in by the students without the restriction of a minimum quota of voters. After a string of failures of election, last year, a Constitutional Convention (ConCon) was formed to amend the provisions in the student constitution that required the quota. Once the constitution became ratified, quota was no more.
Just like any issue concerning the student body, the abolishment of quota was met with mixed reactions. Some found this progressive, as it meant that there were no more logistical and legal barriers to having a complete slate of officers for all school boards. A complete Sanggunian is therefore likely ensured. Others, however, questioned the decision, saying that it further cemented how distant the student body has become from the Sanggunian. Now that there is no quota, why would anyone feel urgency to vote? Why was the Ateneo student body, in the first place, so afraid to see the institution of the Sanggunian finally fall, once and for all, enough for it to revise the Constitution so that a student government will always be ensured?
The bottom line is this: with these changes, the student body will very likely get a Sanggunian, whether they like it or not. And the responsibility for electing the individuals that will compose the student government still falls in the hands of the constituents, whether they vote or not.
The Sanggunian remains responsible as the primary liaison between the student body and the administration. It is the student government and the battleground of campus politics. It is still an essential space for discourse, leadership, and governance. Now that any candidate can be elected into a position with minimal votes regardless of whether or not these votes are representative of the constituency, the impetus to vote is greater. The removal of the quota does not absolve students of their responsibility to be involved. Rather, it heightens it now that adequate representation is now not constitutionally mandated, but enacted by the voters themselves.
Aside from the matter of preserving the Sanggunian through the abolishment of quota, the ConCon presents the opportunity to encourage a more involved student body. It revealed the questions and challenges that incoming student officers must tackle, particularly in an institution that has faced controversies over the years. Now that the most prominent hindrance to establishing a complete Sanggunian has been eliminated, it is essential that student involvement be further encouraged as not merely the responsibility to vote, but also the responsibility to promote discourse, representation, and good governance. Ultimately, while the ConCon abolished quota and essentially ensured that the student government will exist regardless of voter turnout, it was an endeavor that demands and continues to demand student involvement and participation beyond merely electing officers into positions.
As the Sanggunian elections near – the first, in years, without the restriction of quota – it is necessary to understand that student involvement is more than the goals of meeting quota and electing officers. Rather, it must be a continuous effort, a developing endeavor, and a sustainable work in progress.
