REPRESENTATIVES FROM the student governments of the five Ateneo universities in the Philippines vowed to address the issues of violent extremism, sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression (SOGIE), and mental health during the 34th Buklod Atenista National Leaders’ Summit (BANLS) held last July 29-31.
Pursuant to a resolution passed last July 31, BANLS delegates committed to implement policies and projects related to the three issues within their respective universities. The resolution also stated that human rights will be the emphasis of the discussion of these issues.
A vote was held to determine which of the issues presented by the member-schools would become the top three priority issues for BANLS.
A total of eight resolutions were passed by the assembly, ranging from those addressing internal measures to those that address specific problems within each of the universities.
Buklod Atenista (BA) is the interschool network of student governments from Ateneo de Davao University (ADDU), Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU), Ateneo de Naga University (ADNU), Ateneo de Zamboanga University (ADZU), and Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan (XU-ADC).
The group, composed of ambassadors and student leaders, assesses the national situation as well as issues within their respective universities.
ADMU serves as this year’s BANLS host.
‘Refreshing change’
Samahan ng mga Mag-aaral ng Pamantasan ng Ateneo de Davao President John Espino said that this year’s BANLS was a “refreshing” change from past conferences that focused mainly on restructuring and finding the identity of BA.
“More on resolution-making na kami, [we are going back to the] roots ng Buklod, which is also benchmarking, helping each other out, especially with the problems that we deal with internally,” said Espino.
During the BANLS, each school presented issues or problems they have in their own universities. When one of the member schools had a project or framework that could serve as a solution, a resolution was made to adopt these specific projects in the concerned university or in all of the schools.
The first day of the conference tackled issues from past Buklod conferences as well as present concerns within each school. Delegates then discussed the national situation and sociopolitical formation of students on the second day. The third and final day was reserved for crafting action plans and resolutions.
Passed resolutions
According to ADNU Ambassador Dominic Obias-Chung, while they acknowledged that each university had its own nuances and cultures, he felt “lucky” that the top three issues identified by the BA ambassadors reflected that of the issues they face in ADNU.
“That would help us a lot in achieving what our school wants to achieve. For example, regarding SOGIE, the help of Buklod could propel us in persuading the administration of ADNU to abolish the anti-cross dressing policy,” he said.
For ADMU Ambassador Jastine Domdom, the current national situation calls for human rights issues to be highlighted, saying that these issues should never be “isolated or detached.”
Meanwhile, a resolution on the reinstatement of the activity hour in ADZU was also passed during the conference. According to ADZU Ambassador Joseph Alcala, the resolution will aid in the survival of organizations and clubs, especially with the entrance of senior high school students in the university.
In addition, a resolution adopting ADDU’s Youth Peace Mission Ateneo 2017 project in all BA member schools was also passed. This program, according to Espino, is a framework designed to define violence and extremism, as well as possible solutions to solve them.
The assembly also approved a resolution on adopting the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals in all BA projects and initiatives. XU-ADC Ambassador Cassandra Soriano said that since it is already an implemented project in their university, they wanted to push for the project in the Ateneo system.
BA delegates also approved the following resolutions: strengthening the Assembly of Organizations Council; adopting a consultative mechanism for emergency response that seeks to improve communication among BA ambassadors in emergency situations; amending the length of the BA secretariat from five to three years; and reconfiguring the order of hosting BANLS from randomized to alphabetical.
On martial law
Meanwhile, delegates from Ateneo schools in Mindanao gave their take on the declaration of martial law in the region.
According to Soriano, while the most tangible manifestation of martial law in Cagayan de Oro are the checkpoints placed in their area, the extension of martial law still affects the citizens of Mindanao because of its “felt” presence.
“The fact that you are able to feel it in the air–the tighter security that you have in the local units, in simple ways, we are able to see that there is really a change in Mindanao when it comes to martial law,” she said.
On the other hand, Espino said that while they first agreed with the declaration of martial law in light of the Marawi crisis, they are in the process of making a “nuanced stand” towards its extension.
“We can’t simply say ‘no’ or ‘yes’ to a martial law extension pero one of the first things that come to mind when we are asked that question [on martial law extension] is why is it up [until] December?” he said.
“I think it’s our responsibility as institutions, as educational institutions, and Jesuit at that, to be very academic and very level-headed and very constructive in how we talk about this issue,” he added.
