Last September 20, the Legislative Assembly (LA) convened at the University Student Government (USG) Session Hall to close in on the resignations of two USG officers, rescheduling of LA sessions, and a proposal for the Office of the Executive Secretary (OSEC) to manage the Department of Activity and Approval Monitoring (DAAM) starting Academic Year (AY) 2019-2020.
Officer resignations, vacancies
EDGE2017 Batch Vice President Angel Evaristo and EXCEL2020 Batch Vice President Miguel Ong presented their resignations to the assembly in a resolution authored by Bill Dulay II and Ysa Cort, FAST2016 and EDGE2017 representatives, respectively.
According to Evaristo, she has decided to accept an executive position in another organization as she completes her last year in the University. “I want to fulfill other opportunities out there, other organizations that also helped me grow,” she told legislators.
She nevertheless assured that her college and all other concerned parties were already informed of her resignation, declaring that she has fulfilled her duties for the last AY but is unable to extend.
Ong, meanwhile, was rendered ineligible following his shift from the School of Economics to Ramon V. del Rosario College of Business. The proponents for his resignation, Robin Lim of BLAZE2021 and Nina Bermejo of EXCEL2020, guaranteed that Ong has informed his college president of his resignation and has filed a formal letter expressing his intent.
The positions will be left vacant until a Special Election is held for new officers. In the event that the seats remain vacant even after the Special Elections, the representatives will decide on what steps to take next in a special LA session.
DAAM management shift, LA sessions rescheduled
To address conflicts with academic schedules following the reversion of the U Break schedule back to Fridays, 73rd ENG Batch Representative Alfonso Carlos, CATCH2T22 Batch Representative Shannon Ho, and BLAZE2020 Batch Representative Urban Teh called for the schedules of LA sessions to be shifted from Monday afternoons at 2:30 pm back to Fridays at 3 pm. The first fifteen minutes of each regular session would be allocated to general orders. The resolution was quickly approved by the assembly.
The LA next moved to discuss transferring DAAM from the management of the Office of the Vice President for Internal Affairs (OVPIA), to that of OSEC for AY 2019-2020. Proponents were LA representatives Sofhia Montejo of EXCEL2019, Maegan Ragudo of FAST2018, and Ethan Rupisan of 72nd ENG, along with USG Executive Secretary EJ Baillo and USG Chief Administrative Officer Nina Lagera. They proposed that the DAAM become the coordinating body of the USG in approving and monitoring student activities. They reasoned that DAAM’s work is similar to OSEC in terms of documentation, filing, and monitoring.
The resolution revealed that former USG Executive Secretary Justeen Kaye Sy also managed DAAM during the previous academic year. Baillo also disclosed that they plan to include the management of DAAM by OSEC during the constitutional plebiscite that is scheduled to take place this AY. Following a few questions raised by assembly members, the resolution was immediately approved.
Emergency powers for COA
In the continued bid to resolve the fiasco surrounding the Commission on Audit (COA), the assembly deliberated granting emergency powers to the Commission. The COA was left with no appointed officers since the second term of AY 2018-2019. Examination results for commissioner applicants also remain unreleased. Under the proposal, the officer in charge of COA will be granted emergency powers to appoint two commissioners who will serve as Vice Chair for Administration and Vice Chair for Audit.
Instead of an exam, aspiring Chairpersons and Vice Chairpersons must provide proof of audit experience in the form of a proof of service under COA or under the Office of the Executive Treasurer (OTREAS). Grades under relevant academic classes—such as audit courses—are to be accepted as proof of experience as well.
Once the Executive Board of the COA is filled, they in turn are tasked to conduct exams and interviews for new members. Applicants must attain a grade of at least 75 percent to pass in the general exam, then must accomplish their individual interviews and specialized exams to formally be part of COA. Once the committees are also filled, the USG President, Chief Legislator, and Chief Magistrate will convene to appoint the COA Chairperson and Vice Chairpersons for the next AY. The resolution was also approved by the LA.
