Resos on STCG, summary reports, and manifestos discussed in last week’s LA session

The University Student Government (USG) Legislative Assembly (LA) conducted a regular session last February 19 to discuss six resolutions.

The first resolution, calling for the release of an open letter aiming to foster support for the Philippine film industry, was deliberated on the floor. A Filipino version of the open letter was also prepared, according to the resolution’s proponents. The resolution was passed after it was approved unanimously by the body, with 25 representatives voting for its passage.

The next resolution, calling for the approval of the Br. Andrew Gonzalez FSC Hall elevator scheme, was laid on the table in last week’s session. EDGE2013 LA Representative Kara Gamboa and College of Education President Reigner Sanchez, co-authors of the resolution, discussed that problems in the current elevator scheme led to the creation of the resolution. According to the resolution, a letter will be sent to the University’s Vice President for Administration to address the issue. Moreover, the resolution also calls for guards to be stationed in elevators during the 15-minute breaks to monitor floor levels to lessen unnecessary delays. A two-week testing period to gauge the efficiency of the new scheme will also be put in place. The resolution was passed with 25 representatives voting for.

A resolution calling for approval of amendments to the Science and Technology Complex Government (STCG) Rules of Internal Governance was then deliberated on the floor. The STCG, established in 2012 due to the integration of the STC and Manila campuses, still remains excluded from the USG Constitution after a plebiscite to revise the Constitution failed last academic year. After a lengthy discussion, the resolution was later laid on the table after STCG Campus President Stef Rivera claimed there had been a misunderstanding between the proponents. The resolution will be tackled again in the next LA session.

A resolution calling for the approval of the Convention of Leaders (COLE) Manual was discussed afterwards. Because the final list of representatives to the COLE Board is still under revision, the resolution was laid on the table with 23 voting for, 0 against, 0 abstain.

The fifth resolution, which called for the release of the summary report for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in November last year, was then discussed. The resolution notes that while the Philippines’ hosting of the event was successful, many issues surfaced, particularly regarding traffic and alleged treatment of Filipinos as “second-class citizens.” The resolution was passed after the body unanimously voted for.

The final resolution deliberated during the meeting called for a manifesto regarding electives course offerings for students in the College of Liberal Arts (CLA). Under the resolution, which aims to improve all electives in CLA, the 113 batch will undergo a trial run in the implementation of the system. If deemed successful, the efforts will be extended to the lower and incoming batches (114 and above) to avoid future problems the 113 batch experience with regard to elective courses. The resolution was passed with 23 representatives voting for, 0 against, 0 abstentions.