THE SANGGUNIAN passed the Socio-Political Safeguarding Act in May to further institutionalize actions against red-tagging and socio-political harassment. The Act was passed in response to the red-tagging incidents that followed the November mass student strike against the national government’s “criminal negligence.”

“Our students are engaging in the sociopolitical because they see multiple problems and multiple issues that our government is not resolving and not responding to,” Sanggunian Vice President TJ Alcantara said.

Acknowledging the Loyola Schools (LS) student body’s desire to air grievances toward socio-political issues, the Sanggunian aims to formalize existing rights for students who participate in socio-political civic engagement. The Act will thus introduce the Socio-Political Harassment Help Desk, the Socio-Political Bill of Rights, and the Sanggunian Legal Counsel during the first semester of AY 2021-2022.

Mandates and policies

Upon the formal launch of the Socio-Political Harassment Help Desk, reports of harassment may be submitted to the different pages for the Sanggunian, Council of Organizations of the Ateneo – Manila, League of Independent Organizations, or the Ateneo Resident Students Association.

Through these entry points, the reports will then be recorded and sent to the relevant offices, namely the LS Office of Guidance and Counseling for mental health concerns, the Ateneo Human Rights Center for legal advice, and the Ateneo Residence Halls for temporary shelter.

The Socio-Political Bill of Rights lists all student rights concerning expression and freedom from militarization, harassment, and undue searches or arrests. According to Alcantara, the Bill of Rights is a reinterpretation of the Magna Carta for Undergraduate Students Rights and will serve as the Help Desk’s guiding principle.

“Ito ‘yung mga karapatan ng mga students when it comes to the sociopolitical [sphere], at nandito ang Sanggunian para ipagtanggol ang mga students if their rights are violated,” he added.

(These are rights for students when it comes to the socio-political [sphere], and the Sanggunian is here to safeguard the students if their rights are violated.)

Following the Help Desk’s launch, the Sanggunian will look for a lawyer and notary public to fill the role of legal counsel, which will have to be approved by the Office of Student Activities.

Constraints and limitations

With the establishment of the Sanggunian Legal Counsel, LS Legal Counsel Nina Patricia  Sison-Arroyo commented that the Act does not specify the specific process, qualifications, and roles for the said legal counsel. “The bill needs to clarify how the legal counsel will be selected, […] and how prepared is Sanggu to shoulder the expense,” she said.

Regarding the budget, Alcantara clarified that compensation for the Sanggunian Legal Counsel will come from the Sanggunian’s emergency funds which amount to up to Php 1.5 million.

Aside from budget constraints, Alcantara also said the University recommended the Sanggunian to omit “protect” in the Act’s policies. “When we say protect, it gives a certain expectation that whatever happens, you will be saved or we can prevent harassment. And that’s impossible […] because we don’t control the harassers or the people who will be attacking us,” he explained.

Meanwhile, Sanggunian Co-Commissioners on Socio-Political Development Téa Abastillas and Alyanna Abear cited difficulties in refining technical definitions. “At what point is it just saying your opinion, and at what point is it red-tagging? That’s sort of the boundary we’re trying to establish right now,” Abastillas said.

To help them gauge red-tagged Ateneans’ experiences, Abastillas and Abear said that they have been contacting political organizations within and outside Ateneo to familiarize themselves with students’ concerns and political stances.

Common ground

In the meantime, Alcantara said the Sanggunian is open to amending and improving the Act in the upcoming school year. Subsequent to its implementation, the Sanggunian will continue to address the concerns raised in consultations.

They also released the Student Needs Survey on August 11 to consolidate the student body’s top five concerns for AY 2021-2022, which will be the basis for the CA Convention held on August 27 to 28.

According to Alcantara, the CA Convention is a data gathering initiative open to the student body. Students can sign up to become delegates to raise concerns on relevant topics such as student activism, voter engagement, and public health during talks and breakout room sessions.

Furthermore, Alcantara said the Sanggunian continues to work hard to stand for the students despite its limitations. “As long as we’re here, the Sanggunian will continue serving and will continue looking for other ways to empower the student body, so that we can all become productive and effective members of our society,” he said.

“We’re hoping even the most politically-uninvolved or uninterested are able to find something that they are concerned with and hopefully we can help capacitate […] [by] making sure that these students are safe to express and take action towards what they want to achieve socio-politically,” Abastillas added.