With the completion of General Elections (GE) 2019 comes another batch of student leaders ready to lead the University Student Government (USG). As the current batch of officers led by USG President Gabbie Perez concludes their tenure, The LaSallian focuses on the highs and lows of the student government for Academic Year (AY) 2018-2019.
Impeachment
Before classes officially began this AY, the USG encountered its first major issue when former Arts College Government (ACG) Student Services Chair and then Vice President for External Affairs-elect Angeli Andan was found guilty of gross negligence.
The plaintiff, who worked under Andan in the ACG, claimed that her superior was unresponsive when contacted for concerns, failed to provide proper guidance in handling activities, and was frequently absent in team meetings.
The Judiciary ruled in favor of the plaintiff, barring Andan from holding any future positions in the USG, which included her then upcoming role as external affairs head.
The Judiciary branch also faced possible suspension last September 2018 over its handling of Andan’s case. Former Office of Student Leadership Involvement, Formation and Empowerment (SLIFE) Director John Lingatong strongly recommended to close the unit after alleging that the proceedings were in violation of the Data Privacy Act. The suspension, however, did not materialize after it was ruled that SLIFE was overstepping its jurisdiction.
Absence of COA, Judiciary suspension
A lack of elected officers was a concern the USG faced from the very beginning of the year after GE 2018 saw many seats left unfilled. Aside from this, appointees in the Judiciary and the Commission on Audit were also notably absent for the entire year.
“The main fact that we are not complete in the USG from the very start really took its toll. We really tried to keep everything together, so there were a lot of things [we had to do] that were not part of our job,” Perez explains.
She admits that the Judiciary branch is still not yet ready to function. Remedial measures are underway, she reveals, noting that they are currently fixing the training program for the office with the help of the DLSU College of Law. In the meantime, an ad hoc committee consisting of the Legislative Assembly (LA) and the USG Executive Board will temporarily handle the responsibilities of the third branch.
Activity ban
The USG found itself in the middle of a one month moratorium from September 10 to October 10 last year, delaying activities arranged by the student government and the Council of Student Organizations. Perez told The LaSallian at the time that the ban was imposed as a response to administrative offices raising concerns over frequent lapses in procedure from student groups.
The ban gave student leaders time to be oriented on the proper procedures in processing activity requirements, with Perez noting that offices such as the Accounting Office, the Procurement Office, and the Office for Strategic Communications organized workshops to clarify the process.
Financial assistance programs
The USG Financial Services was launched last February, showcasing the different financial assistance programs available to the student body. The Office of the Executive Treasurer, headed by Adrian Briones, reintroduced services initiated in previous years such as the Lasallian Scholar Program (LSP) and the Student Government Allowance Program, emphasizing the improvements they made to the programs already in place.
Aside from this, Briones was able to contribute two new programs: the Externals Grant and the Meal Allowance Program. “We try to really lobby for more need-based scholarship programs. We actually increased the number of students receiving these programs because [financial constraints for students] is still an issue,” he shares.
Pre-enlistment
Students were introduced to an online undergraduate pre-enlistment program last March, an initiative that served, in theory, to assist departments project the needed course offerings and reduce the dependency on course petitioning.
In practice, however, several complications still arose. Certain courses were not available for pre-enlistment as their course codes remained unavailable on Animo.sys, which forced a three-day extension. Students were also limited to pre-enlisting a maximum of eight subjects each.
Despite these setbacks, Associate Registrar Devine de Asis claimed in a previous interview that it was still a success. Around 83 percent of students participated in pre-enlistment, though some still had to petition for their missing courses. While there was a decrease in petitions as the USG had hoped, Engineering College Government Student Services Vice Chairperson Erica Bote admitted in a previous interview that these were minimal.
Boto Lasalyano, Sulong Pilipino
In preparation for the 2019 midterm elections last May 13, the USG initiated Botong Lasalyano, Sulong Pilipino (BLSP), which held an online information campaign and a mock elections last May.
Vice President for External Affairs Adrian Asoy shares that the BLSP initiative was a success, citing the good poll turnout. Now that the midterm elections have concluded, he suggests that the USG should prepare for the next elections as early as now. “We could start being critical about the current issues and happenings right now, and also assess the newly-elected officials,” he explains.
For the next USG
Outgoing officers share their insights to the next batch. Perez wishes that her successors would establish good communication with the students. “Being in the USG is not about grand, highfalutin projects. It’s about being there for the students,” she advises.
In the same way, Asoy expresses that his successor should be ready to ensure that the voices of the student body are heard when it comes to national issues and developments. He adds that the next Vice President for External Affairs must be ready to hear and understand the different opinions of the student body.
For LA Chief Legislator Stella Santos, patience is the most important quality her successor should possess. “Many things can test you. Just make sure you always make decisions based on what is best for the LA [and] what is best for the studentry,” she stresses.
The new USG should not hesitate to ask for help, Briones urges, assuring future officers that they are there to help them ease into their role. “We want the USG to be sustainable—to continue on the programs that need to be continued and to innovate on the programs that have already been implemented in the past,” he concludes.
