THE ATENEO Student Judicial Court (SJC) magistrates have elected Ayesha Nicole Del Rosario (4 BS MGT) as the new Chief Magistrate and Jason Anchores (3 AB ChnS) as the new Finance Officer for academic year 2017-2018. The announcement was made through a resolution dated June 16.
Following a year when former Chief Magistrate Generoso Ignacio Jacinto was called to step down and resign due to issues concerning his leadership and judicial processes, Del Rosario said that the Court is “currently undergoing rebranding” as a means to forge a fresh start for the institution.
“We are scrutinizing [the] SJC now and in the past–seeing what works and what needs to be remedied, and how to implement these changes,” she said.
Del Rosario added that they plan to be more accessible to the public, focusing on the management of the SJC Facebook page and e-mail account to be able to respond to concerns and cases faster.
Aside from these, she said that the revisions in the Code of Internal Procedures last semester were made to address the transparency issues that arose in the past year, specifically the ability of any magistrate to call for en banc meetings.
Anchores, on the other hand, said that he plans to make the financial side of the Court more transparent and accessible to the public, citing how he intends to open the Court’s budget through their official channels.
“This is something we still have to vote on, however, I am confident that this will happen. I want to show the public how and where we spend what we get from the [Student Activities Fund],” he said.
Moreover, Anchores said that he plans on introducing an end-of-the-year financial report as a means to aid the future set of magistrates, as well as to present the Court’s budget before the Sanggunian’s budget hearings.
“While I recognize our fiscal autonomy, their comment on it will still be taken into consideration and for the purpose of transparency,” he said.
Sentiments
Del Rosario said she was “honored” to be selected by the ad hoc committee to hold the position in her second term as a magistrate.
According to Article IX, Section 2.3.3 of the 2016 Undergraduate Constitution of the Loyola Schools, the Chief Magistrate is to be elected from the magistrates of the SJC.
“They know my style, my strengths, and my weaknesses, and I am humbled by how they appointed me despite my flaws,” she said.
She also added that the position presents more of a responsibility than a privilege, acknowledging the transparency and accountability issues the Court had in the past year.
“To be selected as the Chief at this time means tremendous responsibility–to lead SJC in a period of change and reform to make it a paragon of efficient service and accountability,” she said.
As a message to her fellow SJC members, Del Rosario called for her colleagues to look at this year of rebranding as “a period of hope” as well as an “opportunity to implement reforms and make a difference.”
Meanwhile, Anchores echoed the new Chief Magistrate’s sentiments, acknowledging the difficulty of handling the Court’s budget, but also recognizing the responsibility of his new position.
“Being a Finance Officer is actually distant from my primary duty as a Magistrate but I believe that it is also essential to SJC,” he said. “I know that I can serve the institution properly given my previous background in the Sanggunian, as I am knowledgeable on the processes in offices.”
