IN A leaked email sent to The GUIDON, the Council of Organizations of the Ateneo (COA) sent a document to the Sanggunian outlining its demands from the proposed task force on the evening of December 22. Sanggunian released the primer as well as the sign-ups for Task Force SIKHAY earlier that day.

COA stated in the document that the culture of violence and “anti-human and anti-poor” bills of the Duterte administration necessitate collective action from the youth and other sectors in fighting for democracy.

Since the Sanggunian has taken the responsibility to create spaces for dialogue and consolidate student efforts, COA said, “As a body intent on the urgency of the matter, we, the Council of Organizations of the Ateneo write this statement to forward demands that we believe are in line with the goals of the task force and which we believe will help in the delivery of its purpose.”

“SIHKAY is a space to bring everyone on the same level, bridging students who are already politically and socially involved as individuals and in their own organizations with other Ateneans who want to learn more about these issues,” said Sanggunian President Carmela Vinzon.

“The aim is to empower these students to mobilize and act in the best way they know how, based on their individual capacities and passions. This is also a creative, collaborative space for everyone to lay their ideas and current plans on the table, so others can contribute to magnify those activities and really provide a web of support between those fighting the same causes,” she added.

Statement of demands

The document was signed and noted by COA President Winonah Siy. Its signatories include 58 organization presidents, cluster heads, and board members.

Moreover, COA requested that the Sanggunian respond to the statement by 12:00 PM of December 27 along with the outline of initial plans and working timeline of the task force. COA has declined to comment on the release of the statement given its current status.

The following are COA’s demands from the Sanggunian task force:
● Socio-political formation: “We demand that socio-political situationers, as well as workshops that include, but not limited to, discussion of tools for socio-political analysis, be held for the students. This can be done by inviting key groups and/or individuals to present national situationers for the promotion of informed action.”
● Inclusive sectoral engagement and dialogue: “We recognize that there is a need for Ateneans to ensure inclusive sectoral representation in its engagements within and outside the university. Therefore, we demand the Sanggunian, through its task force, to create spaces for dialogue with representatives from different sectors of society.”
● Unity among youth: “No movement can be fulfilled by a single group—there is a need to work with others who share the same desires for social justice and social change. It is essential that we work in unity with these groups in fighting for our shared goals for the freedom of all Filipinos.”
● Creative and diverse means of engagement: “There are various means of engaging national issues–through the arts, the sciences, through discussions of healthcare or business. We demand from the Sanggunian to recognize the talent and capacity of its constituents with regards to the arts and other disciplines, and to provide ample space for them to utilize for expression.”
● Establishment of ownership of the initiatives of the Sanggunian: “The Sanggunian must speak for solely its constituents. Since the task-force is a youth-led initiative, the university administration must have no influence with regard to our courses of action. Our own spaces for discourse and our ability to act despite potential differences with the administration must be asserted.”
● Transparency and accountability in all processes: “We demand that the Sanggunian be transparent with its plans for the task force to its constituents. Moreover, it should enable the student body to hold the Sanggunian accountable to its decisions and actions through access to information such as minutes, expenditures, and signed documents for partnerships.”

According to COA, they will fully support and wish for the success of the Sanggunian’s efforts on the task force, but they will also remain “critical of its actions.”

On Task Force SIKHAY

Ateneo Assembly President Trixie Beato and Development Society of the Ateneo President Alexa Fontanilla explained that after the proposals for Kilos Kabataan (KK) and Sanggunian’s task force during the Ateneo Student Leaders’ Mid-year Summit on December 10 to 12, the final decision was for KK to transition into the task force.

However, the Sanggunian has not reached out to them as KK members nor as organization presidents.

COA Analysis and Discourse Cluster Head Alija Pandapatan commends the Sanggunian for the progress on the task force since it is an “improvement” from what they have presented during the summit.

But according to him, the lack of transparency on the creation of the task force and on the basis of appointment are contrary to the Sanggunian’s thurst of being an inclusive student government.

In terms of the Task Force SIKHAY structure, Beato and Fontanilla have observed that it has become “wider” and there is more autonomy for administrative and functional teams.

“Though this has been discussed and defined in the released primer, an important question to be raised is the sustainability and continuity of the task force given that the 2016 Sanggunian Constitution stipulates that the duration of a task force is coterminous with the term of the president,” Beato said.

“Hence, once a new set of Sanggunian officers will be elected, there is a chance for a change in policy or the creation of a new task force under the mandate of the new Sanggunian president,” she added.

Additionally, Beato said that the inclusion of an “institutionalized mechanism” for communication with the student body should be a necessary function of the task force since it will be the space for input and feedback from students.

Fontanilla shares the same sentiment, “The COA statement is not just a statement from org heads and COA officers, it is foremost a statement from the Sanggunian’s constituents.”

“Having the mandate of the student body, it is well within their responsibility to respond accordingly and to ensure that mechanisms are in place for students to give both input and feedback and incorporate those in their processes and initiatives,” she added.

According to SIKHAY Coordinator Luis Enriquez, their comments have already been noted and he is grateful for their input.

“Seeing that they’ve put a stake into the matter, I invite them to look through what we have so far, see points for improvement which we can take up together, and ultimately, I look forward to their continued support and active contribution in making this endeavor a success for the community and the country,” he said.