By Raffy Christopher M. Dominguez
Unheard issues struck Congress.
Students’ Congress, the bridge between Administration and student body, has produced resolutions for FEU community development, but by its latest account, FEUCSO down plays major grievances to be raised.
With four resolutions during 2008 StudCon and another four last year, House of Congress (HOC), the legislative body of FEUCSO, represents the student body through resolution-making and deliberately seeks for developmental transformation.
According to HOC Chair James Ang, StudCon gathers all student leaders to create solutions to problems that students encounter and for Admin to hear and make actions.
However, Office of Student’s Affairs and Community Services (OSACS) Dean Dr. Adelaida Fronda said student leaders lack resolutions that touch the whole FEU community.
“They should raise issues that the management is unaware. FEUCSO has to have a strong need on what that resolution is. It should be an advocacy of the student body,” Fronda revealed.
She added that resolutions are in plain sight. “I’m looking for an advocacy that would touch a major problem,” she stated.
Admin’s response to raised resolutions, according to her, depends on the significance the issues are dealing with.
On the other hand, Ang shared that Admin should be proactive and open about problems addressed by the Congress.
The 2009 StudCon dealt with four focal points in which the four resolutions focused.
Resolutions surfaced on disaster and crisis management, student-related policies, environment and health.
As of press time, Ang, along with HOC members, finalizes the resolutions to be passed to Fronda for her endorsement to Admin.
Overhauling
Pioneering the project since 2003, FEUCSO aims for FEU community’s betterment in the form of StudCon.
FEUCSO President Ramon Victor Roxas, Jr. said that the project improves annually.
Last year, FEUCSO began the resolution making through a survey-initiated “Pulso ng Bayan,” where 24,000 survey sheets were distributed to gather students’ concerns.
However, Ang explained that for 2009 StudCon, the HOC had the discretion of five issues on which student leaders focused unlike 2008 StudCon focused on 11 issues and trimmed down to five.
Former PolSciSoc President Dean Yap challenges the integrity of StudCon.
“StudCon is useless. It’s not well-represented and the resolutions made were not feasible,” Yap said.
“How can they really voice out students’ problems if they do not go into grass-root level like inviting in the Congress class mayors?” he furthered.
Compared to the previous StudCon gatherings, FEUCSO invited class mayors to represent studentry.
The two-day event was witnessed by students who served as observers during the discussion of parliamentary procedure (ParlPro) and deliberation of resolutions.
Opposing Yap’s statement, Ang said that FEUCSO was successful in tapping various organizations in the University.
“StudCon is well-represented because we tap academic orgs, Uni-wide orgs including student councils. We invited them because we believe that they represent their institutes,” Ang said.
Moreover, StudCon, according to Yap, should be represented by Admin officials; however, the Congress lacked the presence of Admin representatives.
Fronda explained that she was invited but failed to attend due to appointments scheduled that day.
Slowly but surely
Roxas stated that making resolutions take a slow but precise process.
“Making resolutions is hard and strict. At first, they’re not feasible, but we are adjusting it to be applicable in the FEU system,” Roxas said.
Furthermore, Roxas affirmed that it could be tedious to invite class mayors and it could consume a whole time and effort.
“It’s like micro to macro. Institute SCs have mini StudCon wherein they talk with the class mayors,” Roxas said.
On the other hand, with 113 attendees, Yap questioned the competency of the chair.
“We [SCs and Academic orgs] are just informed a day before the StudCon,” Yap said.
He also added that ParlPro, a deliberative assembly of legislative body that is governed by rules and ethics, is inappropriate because not all students are acquainted with it.
“It’s [ParlPro] actually hard. But it’s a training ground for student leaders in facilitating a more formal and direct meeting efficiently,” Roxas said.
Ang added that ParlPro is the systematic way to handle things.
“As the Chair, I wanted them to learn. We want to instill in their system that ParlPro is being used to suggest formality, just like what is happening in the Congress,” Ang said.
But according to Yap, the irregularities in the procedure of the Congress were discerned.
“It takes time to really learn the procedure. As a PolSci student, we studied it for almost five months,” Yap said.
Roxas, on the other hand, said that in maximizing the time they have and given with fine resources, ParlPro can be learned within short time. The first day of the Congress was spent to ParlPro discussion.
“Nevertheless, the resolutions were efficiently deliberated,” Roxas said.
“These [specified] resolutions are for students. Resolutions are timely and are really needed. Last year was more on improvement,” Ang said.
Moreover, Yap said that it is FEUCSO’s role to check on the resolutions that was passed on the Admin.
Roxas said that they are still hoping for the Admin to answer fast.
On the other hand, Political Science Society (PolSciSoc) adviser Jerry Apolonio described the 2009 StudCon as weak.
According to him, the execution of ParlPro was confusing as some student leaders were unfamiliar to the deliberation processes.
Unexercised power
Two-year FEUCSO adviser Mateo Macalaguing sees Admin as receptive in responding the resolutions during the two previous StudCon.
“[But] technically, hindi s’ya [resolutions] na-submit. Na-follow up lang before the year [Weber Amores’ term] ends (But technically, resolutions were not submitted. It was only followed up before Amores’ term ends),” Macalaguing said.
“All of the resolutions were passed to the administration, but I guess since it lacks monitoring and supervision, the resolution that were passed seems to be invisible to the eye of the students,” last year’s HOC Chair Jaycee Zoreta said in an email sent to FEU Advocate.
He added that resolutions drafted during Zoreta’s term are supposed to be for approval and implementation for school year 2009 to 2010.
“The reason why before I ended my term, I delegated this crucial responsibility to the incoming Vice-President and HOC Chair which is James Ang. Monitoring and supervision is one of my key responsibility as the outgoing Vice-President/HOC Chair,” Zoreta stated.
In an interview with Fronda, she shared that resolutions from 2008 StudCon were directly forwarded to Admin.
Questioned by the prolonged passage of resolutions, Macalaguing stated that the problem settled on HOC members.
When asked if SC presidents and FEUCSO representatives are not working effectively, he said: “I should say [that they are working effectively].”
Macalaguing also shared that HOC should not only exist in StudCon.
“Hindi kasi napa-practice ang chance to exercise their political power. Hindi lang sila dapat sa Students’ Congress (The chance to exercise their political power is not practiced. They should not only exist in StudCon),” he remarked.
On disaster fund
The resolution in urging Admin to allocate a specific amount from the tuition increase for disaster fund was questioned by Apolonio.
According to the resolution, the fund will be managed by FEUCSO and monitored by OSACS. The fund will depend upon the rate of tuition increase.
In addition, it refers to the budget allocated for operation and assistance given to FEU community who has been victims of natural disasters.
The motion was resolved that a fixed amount of P250,000 will be allocated for the calamity fund regardless of whether there will be a tuition increase.
In session, Oratorical Debate Council President Sedfrey Lacsamana objected because “the resolution is not yet discussed and fully analyzed” and asked if the resolution is feasible.
Matthew Vergel de Dios, Institute of Education-SC vice president, asked the Chair to approve the resolution due to time constraints.
The resolution was approved an hour before 5 p.m. cut-off time.
On syrofoam usage
With styrofoam’s contribution to environmental destruction, a resolution urged the Admin to regulate the use of the said material inside FEU except for academic purposes.
Through StudCon, student leaders made an appeal with recommendation from OSACS to Admin regarding the prohibition of styrofoams in all canteens.
The resolution also states that Security Department will ban the entry of styrofoams which include food containers from fast food restaurants.
On sponsorships
The resolution provides guidelines from Admin to allow sponsorship exchange deals to external partners endorsed by recognized student organizations.
Based on the resolution, sponsorship refers to supplemental help of a company to a student organization in means of tangible or in-kind materials but no monetary sponsorship will be allowed.
A Memorandum of Agreement must be provided which will be screened by OSACS, Vice President for Academic Affairs and the President if necessary.
Since FEU practices no clear guidelines on sponsorship exchange deals and external partnerships, the resolution was carried out.
On health awareness
Authors of the resolution related health services as a vital role of being a University awarded as the best student services.
Urging Admin to promote health awareness offered by University Health Services (UHS), a year-round campaign and information dissemination about the free services must be conducted.
UHS will intensively promote services through utilizing Tamscreens, posters and flyers and will coordinate with SCs to publicize services offered.
UHS free services include: freshmen medical and dental examination and treatment; chest x-ray; emergency treatment, medical certification, periodic scheduled on-campus digital eye check-up and minor surgical procedures.
ParlPro experts
The Congress ended with the announcement of outstanding delegates of StudCon.
Lacsamana, de Dios and Larra Mariz Domingo, FEU Advocate Editor-in-Chief were announced as the best delegates for demonstrating active participation and knowledge on ParlPro.
With reports from Abbey Gail Shayne R. Yumul