This October, the University Student Government (USG) had made public two official stands, as decided by the Legislative Assembly (LA). These pertain to the stances of the USG on the Reproductive Health Bill and the Cybercrime Prevention Act.
“This is actually the first time I’ve seen the student body this agitated about national issues,” says Jana Cabuhat, incumbent University Student Government President.
“We wanted for the students of DLSU to have a stand and a voice [on these issues] so that the government will know of the stand that is represented by the student body,” says Paolo Guico, Chairperson of the Committee on National Affairs.
RH Bill
“The students of De La Salle University, represented by the democratic and autonomous University Student Government, are for the passage of House Bill No. 4244, otherwise known as ‘An Act Providing for a Comprehensive Policy on Responsible Parenthood, Reproductive Health, and Population and Development, And for Other Purposes’” reads the first line of the manifesto. It goes on to elaborate on the principal reasons for the stand as well as the beliefs and values that were the very foundation of the stand.
The RH Bill was said to have recognized basic human rights, and poses to be a catalyst of social change in our nation—reinforcing the role of the government to provide proper medial health care and education on reproductive health and family planning, rebuffing arguments of an amendment to the existing law on abortion. Furthermore, the bill was said to advocate progress for the nation, and the addressing of current pressing social issues such as maternal death and child mortality rate, and in turn promoting the development that our country aspires to see.
The Anti-RH Bill arguments remain respected, as well as the Church’s stand on the bill. However, even with the University being a sectarian institution, moral standards must still be valued and supported without the intervention and manipulation from any cultural or religious sector, or other groups, according to the statement.
The manifesto also acknowledged the push and pull arguments of the Church and the State to have caused the delay of a bill so deemed to be an urgent matter, that needs to be resolved. The USG then advised the government and the legislators to remain “objective, logical and impartial on the subject matter” and to “shun ignorance upon the beneficiaries” of a “milestone that will greatly bring long-term effects to the future course and development of our country”.
Cybercrime Prevention Act
The stand on Republic Act 10175 on the other hand was in opposition of the law. “We acknowledge that there is a need for a law to prevent people from abusing and using technology to inflict harm in others; however, we see that there are still vague and unintended rules in the said enacted law that created loopholes and ambiguities such as the real-time monitoring of computer data, budget allocation for the implementation of the law and unclear provisions that if, overlooked, may open up wrong interpretations and abuse from the people,” the manifesto stated.
Because of the stated ambiguities, it implored the amendements by legislators as they hold accountability over the provisions imposed on the people, as no individual’s rights should be hampered by the law due to doubtful stipulations now and in the future.
The clause on libel was said to be unconstitutional, violating basic fundamental rights of free expression through any media stated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The suspension of the enactment of the RA would encourage citizens to continue expressing their thoughts and their opinions on issues of public interest, allowing them to uphold their basic individual rights without fear of future criminal charges. “It is through this that we will unite as a free and expressive country traversing towards a progressive path,” it said.
The process
In a letter addressed to President Benigno Aquino III containing the RH Bill manifesto, it was stated that the responsibility of being conscious and responsive citizens of the nation was appropriately recognized in line with the La Sallian values of Faith, Service, and Communion. The general welfare and steps to the progression of the nation therefore remains of interest to the students of De La Salle University.
Conceding to the basic right of the youth to possess and express their opinion on matters that concern the nation and themselves as citizens, the official stand was realized, as the USG asserts that all sectors of the University were suitably represented, and that altogether as a unified student body, principles of justice, fairness, and equality were being sustained.
With manifestos penned by the Legislative Assembly declaring the stance on current issues, the student body is in turn using their right to voicing out their opinion on pressing matters that concern the nation, playing an active role in nation building and fulfilling their roles as socially conscious citizens. Yet, the hazard of releasing a general stand for a unified body is the issue of ensuring proper student representation.
Respective LA Representatives initially sent out informal surveys regarding students’ individual views and stands on the bill, says Guico. However, the decision was ultimately met through the thorough discussion of the Legislative Assembly.
As per the USG Constitution Article XIV Section 1, the Legislative Assembly is the highest policy-making body of the University Student Government. Section 3.3, states that the Legislative Assembly shall concern itself with discussing and deciding on resolutions on national and sectoral issues. Conversely, Article VII Section 2.1 of the Legislative Assembly Manual stipulates that the National Affairs Committee shall discuss national and sectoral issues, and present recommendations on such to the Legislative Assembly.
Upon election of the LA Representatives, they were given the mandate by the students to reflect and discuss about issues based on the principles they possessed, for which they were ideally elected, Guico furthers. Thus, manifestos go through a process of drafts by several different LA Representatives and debates within the Legislative Assembly. Once approved, they are sent out to government offices and are then raised to the student body.
Following the plight of the heated debates and arguments on the House Bill no. 4244 or the Reproductive Health Bill, the University Student Government released an official stand regarding the issue last October 1. On October 10, the official stand on RA 10175 or Cybercime Prevention Act was made public.
