THE SANGGUNIAN is due to launch its own task force on political engagement outside the Ateneo after de facto leader of Kilos ng Kabataan (KK) Ateneo Student Movement Lanz Espacio conceded the “spaces for dialogue and engagement” of the KK to the Ateneo student government.
In a personal statement addressed to members of the KK, Espacio said for the sake of unity, the movement would heel to the leadership of the Sanggunian, under President Carmela Vinzon.
“If as they say, the formation of our movement will cause more divide than unity, I am personally willing to step aside and owe it to groups who are far more persistent than anyone,” said Espacio.
The decision comes at the heels of the recently concluded Ateneo Student Leaders’ Midyear Summit, where, according to sources inside the summit, both sides came into conflict as to the leadership of the student body.
Transition
Espacio assured those who signed the KK manifesto that their efforts would not be in vain.
“We will see to it that the resources found in the movement will be properly transitioned, in good faith, to the Sanggunian who from this point on will serve as primarily the leader of the students in these tumultuous times,” he said.
Moreover, he called on the student body to be united in support for Vinzon, but asked that the Sanggunian bare their plans for the proposed task force to the public.
“I enjoin students to commit to the Sanggunian President, in the spirit of unity. In the interim, we hope the guidance that the Sanggunian will provide will shed light as to what will become of the structure, vision-mission, and principle/s we have already discussed and set for the movement,” he said.
The Sanggunian has yet to publicly disclose its plans regarding the task force.
“Hostile and offensive”
“I never intended for the formation of the movement to polarize our efforts with regard to responding to the national situation,” wrote Espacio.
In an interview with The GUIDON, Espacio said that there were certain groups that were “averse to anything ‘political.’”
Because of this, he said that the language he espoused was called “hostile and offensive,” and has “led to what they perceive as divisions among the students.”
In response to this, Espacio said that he is more comfortable working with groups outside of the Ateneo and will continue work with these sectors.
“I for one will continue to work politically independent from the Sanggunian, since political independence from the University administration and the predominant political factions in society is something I firmly believe in,” Espacio said in his statement.
Espacio added that the Union of Students for the Advancement of Democracy party, of which he is Premier, will continue to “provide avenues for dialogue among students and other sectors, and form our members in political education.”
