The University Student Government (USG) Legislative Assembly (LA) convened for a regular session last February 26 in the Emilio Yap Jr. Case Room to discuss six matters, namely, a resolution calling for the amendment of the Convention of Leaders (COLE) manual, the approval of the COLE Board manual, the release of an open letter on the 30th Anniversary of EDSA Revolution, and a brief discussion of the previous minutes dated January 22, 29, and February 5.
On COLE manual matters
The first resolution addressed the amendment of certain sections in the COLE Manual.
The first modification made to the manual was conferring the USG President with the prerogative to call emergency meetings for the COLE, as the same is stated in the USG Constitution.
The next modification was the addition of a section which states that the rules and regulations of the COLE Board must be provided in the manual for easy reference. Furthermore, as requested by the Office of the President (OPRES), the section concerning the attendance of all the members of the USG in meetings was amended. The provision is now revised to read “all elected officers of the USG” and not “all members of the USG.”
Another amendment was made on the provision that mandates all freshmen block officers to attend the COLE meetings. The floor modified the phrase “DLSU block officers” to all “freshmen block officers of the current academic year” to attend the COLE meetings to clear any confusion.
The resolution was passed with 18 for, 0 against, and 0 abstentions.
Revisions to the COLE Board manual
The next agenda called for the approval of the COLE Board manual, which primarily focused on whether the attendance of different student sector representatives during COLE sessions or meetings will be recorded or not. According to the proponents, the recording of attendance will be beneficial to student sectors to ensure that they are not only informed about matters but also be able to participate in these meetings.
It was proposed that attendance will be reported to the representatives’ respective sector heads and the OPRES, which shall then come up with a report on the matter. This is to ensure “proper representation of various student sectors,” as explained by the proponents.
With 18 voting for, 0 against, and 0 abstentions, the resolution was passed.
‘People Power’ and other matters
The last agenda focused on the release of an open letter on the EDSA Revolution’s 30th Anniversary.
Some LA represenatives and other USG officers took part in the events lined up for the 30th commemoration of the People Power Revolution, such as “Talakalayaan,” a youth-centered dialogue patterned after the World Cafe. The open letter looked back on the events of the revolution and how it shaped Philippine society, with emphasis on justice, democracy, and rights that Filipinos enjoy today.
After a few revisions to the letter, the resolution was passed unanimously with 18 voting for, 0 against, and 0 abstentions.
The minutes dated January 22, 29, and February 10 were also deliberated and will be finalized two weeks after the session.
Meanwhile, the LA will be holding its last two regular sessions for the term on March 4 and 11.
