THE CONSTITUTIONAL Convention (ConCon) held #PressConCon, a conference to formally introduce the plans of ConCon for the incoming school year in the Science Education Complex-C Lecture Hall on August 17.
ConCon is the student body tasked to amend the 2005 Constitution of the Undergraduate Students of the Loyola Schools.
Office of Student Activities Formator Rem Casino served as the first speaker to discuss the significance of ConCon. “We need to see what type of student government works for you,” Casino said. “We need to create that student government wherein they’re really in charge of the common good.”
Moreover, he acknowledged the ConCon team for taking the initiative to change the university.
“During [ConCon’s formation seminar], one of their more common answers to the question, ‘Why did you join the ConCon?’ was this: ‘I joined ConCon because I want to stop complaining, and do something about it,’” he shared.
“I hope you and your fellow students get to share in their belief that there’s a better way, that there’s hope that we can try our very best to get where we need to go,” Casino said.
More than writing
According to ConCon Head Shiph Belonguel, there are fundamental and structural problems that warrant constitutional reform.
She added that “the constitutional convention will necessarily be more than structural regress.”
Sanggunian Coordinator and School of Science and Engineering Sanggunian Chairperson Luigi Del Rosario shared that he wants to see ConCon step out of their comfort zone.
“I want them to go outside of themselves, to go outside of [their] talent, to go outside of the team to actually tap the Loyola Schools,” Del Rosario said.
Moreover, Council of Organizations of the Ateneo President Iesous Hernandez said that he is hoping the new constitution will represent all members of the different organizations.
A new era
Belonguel said that the ConCon “marks the starts of a new era for campus politics in Ateneo,” as it was a step taken to amend a constitution that dictated the culture of past generations.
“In seeking foundational constitutional reform, the constitution convention will work toward enabling a climate of active and meaningful participation by students in university issues that matter,” she said.
In explaining ConCon’s drive to pursue a cause for change in the constitution, Belonguel likened the experience to having advocacies and a passion to propagate them.
“I guess we can look at constitutional convention much like our own causes and advocacies, we develop ideals about them and we dream for them without really knowing how things will end, whether we succeed or fail, but we do it anyway,” she said.
According to Belonguel, the new constitution will create an impact that will endure for the next generations.
“We’ll not only devote our time into knowing what to write and getting everyone’s opinions, but also into teaching and upholding the ideals that this constitution has meant for us, that’s meant for generations of Ateneans to come,” Belonguel said.
“I would like to believe that we have all done the school some good here whether or not we succeed or we fail,” she added.
