REFORMS IN the Sanggunian Subsidy System (SSS) are to be expected this academic year according to Finance Chairperson Hya Bendaña and School of Social Sciences (SOSS) Representative-elect Christian Dy at the budget hearing on October 25.

The SSS provides financial support to Loyola Schools (LS) students and organizations for their advocacy projects, research studies or theses, and conferences. The program started back in 2012.

Bendaña said that the elected officers are planning a meeting with the Office of Student Activities (OSA) since “Malaki talaga ‘yung hinihingi naming pera. (We are requesting for a large amount of money)”

Moreover, she explained that the Sanggunian aims to inform the LS of the SSS because not everyone is aware that it is already in place. She cited the lack of promotion in the past as the reason for this.

“SSS is one of the most visible ways that we can support students in their advocacies, and that is one of the things the Sanggunian is fighting for,” she said.

Meanwhile, Dy said that there will definitely be an increase, but there will also be changes in “how we determine who gets subsidy.”

“Part of my proposed budget was to make it more oriented towards Social Science research, so that’s one of the reforms that we can propose in the SSS,” Dy added.

Deliberations

Bendaña, who facilitated the budget hearing, said that she is more than satisfied with its outcome.

“Hindi lang Central Assembly ang nag-raise ng questions. There were also people from the audience who were trying to countercheck the system,” she said.

Under the 2016 Constitution, the Central Assembly is led by the Vice President and composed of the School Representatives, Sectoral Representatives, the Council of the Organizations of Ateneo Representative, the Ateneo Resident Students Association Representative, and appointed Committee Heads from the Course Representatives.

The Department of Finance (DOF) invited the LS student body to attend the budget hearing through a memorandum on October 23. Additionally, promotional materials were released online on October 11, 18, and 21.

According to Bendaña, budget proposals with revisions will be sent to DOF on Thursday, October 27. Friday will be allocated for final comments and come Saturday, budget proposals will be submitted to OSA.

The Sanggunian budget for October 2016 to July 2017 will be posted online on Saturday, October 29.

Budget priorities

For this academic year, Dy said that projects related to research will be the main priority of SOSS.

“A major part [of the proposed budget] will be going to the undergraduate journal for the Social Sciences, policy engagement initiatives, and related sub-activities. Essentially, it’s an entire series of programs and projects directed at research,” he said.

“We’re pleased that much of the budget has received positive reactions and much of the parts that were taken out of our budget will be included in the SSS. So essentially, we got what we wanted for SOSS,” he added.

Meanwhile, School of Humanities (SOH) Representative-elect Ferdy Acosta shared that the bulk of the proposed budget of SOH will go to “external engagements.”

“We have a lot of advocacies. I really want to use the Arts and Humanities for social change. I [also] want to empower the Art community in Ateneo so we have a lot of subsidies that aim to really increase the volume of publications,” he said.

School of Science and Engineering (SOSE) Representative-elect Nice Pilarca, on the other hand, said that the “Sciences Summit” will comprise most of the proposed budget of SOSE. The Sciences Summit is a collaborative effort with other schools in Metro Manila.

“Aside from that, we’re really working with the Dean and the offices that’s why we did not request a lot of money and we’re relying on the SSS for grants,” she said.

“We’re definitely trying to increase research efforts especially with the students. We’re trying to make a meaningful impact without costing too much money,” she added.

EJ Ofilada, the Transitory Government School of Management (SOM) Liaison, said that projects will come from the seven elected course representatives due to the absence of a School Representative.

“The Math tutorial is an old project that the SOM Sanggunian has been doing ever since. Since it’s well-received, we decided to continue it. We don’t really plan to spend that much this year,” he said.

Measures for checking

Bendaña said that she took it as a “good sign” that the School Representatives as well as representatives of the Sanggunian departments and units were able to enumerate their plans for this academic year.

“If you have projected outcomes, makakaasa na matutuloy sila compared to having nothing at all. Financial support is the most visible way that the Sanggunian can support its constituents, regardless if it’s an operational thing or a project thing,” she said.

The induction of the newly elected Sanggunian officers will be held on Friday, October 28.

Audit Commissioner Justin Yeow emphasized that the budget proposals will still go through a meticulous process to check for any discrepancies. Once the budget has been approved by OSA, the Commission on Audit will ensure that it will be allocated appropriately.

“We will make sure that the money is spent for what has been proposed and that it will be spent correctly. We will make sure that what is stated in the budget proposal is followed at most,” he added.

Editor’s Note: Ferdy Acosta is a Training and Development staffer of The GUIDON.