Santugon sa Tawag ng Panahon’s candidate for Vice President for Internal Affairs (VPIA) Josel Bautista is focused on leading programs that empower the Lasallian student body. The Chief Internal Affairs Advisor and former FAST2022 Batch President seeks to enhance current OVPIA projects while promising to materialize his own fresh initiatives.
The LaSallian: Enlistment has been a pressing issue for many Lasallians, as VPIA which specific measures and programs would you implement to address these concerns?
Bautista: We have two projects in line with that, [the] first is on-site, “Grounded Student Services Assistance,” one of our key plans is to lobby to open the computer laboratories during enlistment, and that’s because we acknowledge that we have a stronger [Wi-Fi] connection here in the University and we have the [Information Technology Services] support for the other side, especially when it comes to server errors and whatnot. With this matutugunan natin yung enlistment problems in terms of connection and errors. We also have the USG support on the side so that when students have questions, we have the USG to take care of them. Now the second one would be the campaign for [enhancing] our online systems, what we want is [to] have transparency on where we are at the moment in terms … [of] the constant efforts of the University in improving our platforms, so that the students will know kung ano ba yung nangyayari and if there are changes, the USG will be there to guide them in adapting to these efforts so that we are all aligned, and yung enlistment experience natin will be smoother for everyone.
The LaSallian: You have served in OVPIA as both Chief Internal Affairs Adviser and Deputy Chief of Welfare. Based on your experiences in these roles, what lapses have you observed, and what areas do you most wish to improve within the office?
Bautista: The very lapse that I’ve observed is that there are a lot of projects in terms of OVPIA, but sometimes the reach has yet to be improved. For instance, yung mga University-wide projects that have yet to reach more Lasallians, and for me, this is something that I wish to improve moving forward. First, we acknowledge [the different initiatives] of OVPIA…that we wish to continue and wish to amplify further so that continuity process would widen the reach of these said initiatives for the students. Second would be, [the] survey dissemination, while it’s there, it’s yet to reach more respondents. So isa sa mga plan ko also as OVPIA would be not just collaborating with the batch and college units but making sure that we have the creative side of promoting these services and initiatives so that in return we have better audience turnout, participants turnout, and thereafter we can reach more the metrics of success in the projects we have in store for the student body.
The LaSallian: Aside from holding senior leadership posts within OVPIA, what else should the Lasallian community know to support your credibility as an aspiring VPIA?
Bautista: First, I am a full-time scholar of [the] Aboitiz Foundation, and for me, this identity of mine carries so much weight because I [also] understand the different concerns of the students in terms of academic resources and [financial] grants. OVPIA in collaboration with the [Office of the Executive Treasurer] is something that they should expect in the upcoming administration, ensuring our Student Services (SS) and the batch and college Student Services teams are all aligned to ensure the information dissemination both in the academic resources side [and] grant side [would] be properly spread in the University. Second, I am also a chairperson for National Affairs [at] DLSU POLISCY, so I understand the 2025 Midterm Elections is coming up. Whatever it is that we’re planning to do in order to heighten our awareness and participation outside, [it] will be strengthened in the initiatives that we have here first in the University, making sure that we are aware of the advocacy groups we fall into. That’s why we have a project called “One DLSU” wherein we plan to have an “advocacy mini-fair” so that the students will be more aware of their sectors, the problems and concerns, and thereafter be able to see whose candidates or senators, mayors, and whatnot in both the sectorial and local side or elections would be befitting to solve the sectoral concerns that they are experiencing. Those two are the credible positions that I hold aside from the USG.
The LaSallian: What lasting impact are you planning to have on the Lasallian community after your term in office? How do you think you can achieve that?
Bautista: I think the very lasting impact that I wish to have is, aside from [SS], making sure that we both have the onsite and online side of SS, making sure that concerns are heard regardless of [where] the platform and solutions are met. I think two things, [and the] first would be the improvement of facilities. This is one of the projects we’ll be seeing. We plan to lobby, to add charging stations also in the North and South gate, ideally, and [to add] public telephones in each building. Just in case we have facilities that are broken or emergencies that have yet to be rescued, matutugunan agad natin siya. We can respond to it. This is something we’ve planned for a long time since we know that immediate assistance is needed in terms of emergencies like broken facilities and whatnot. The second would be academics. We plan to establish certification programs here in DLSU, which is something we have consulted with the [Academic Support for Instructional Services and Technology]and [it] is said to be feasible. [Another] lasting impact that I see is also integrating OVPIA in academics since the Internal Affairs [are] not limited only to the university processes but also to ensure that the quality education that we have here in DLSU is constantly met and further improved, [and] these certification programs is one of the ways for us to achieve that.
The LaSallian: What exactly is the certification process about?
Bautista: We plan to have an interest check with the students, so [we know] ano ba yung mga certificate programs that they are vying for. These certificate programs aim to improve our hard skills, particularly starting from the bottom, proficiency in online resources such as Google Sheets, [and] Microsoft Workspace for us to be more knowledgeable in utilizing these resources and thereafter integrate [them in] our everyday student life.
The LaSallian: Intense rains, transport strikes, and unexpected class suspensions have led to fewer actual class hours, with the student body on edge about the new learning setups imposed for class disruptions, what are your plans to represent the interests of the student body on this issue?
Bautista: As someone also working in the OVPIA, one of the plans I aim to implement in regard to this concern would be the process of consultation with the student body, making sure that as OVPIA, I am in touch with our batch and college governments, making sure that we constantly have survey mechanisms, and feedback, in order to ensure first, their concerns are heard; second, their suggestions also are valued; and third, this is where the [USG] comes in, making sure that we have sound and data-driven solutions to ensure that we properly represent the student body in light of these concerns.
The LaSallian: How would the OVPIA be different in your hands compared to Ashley Francisco’s? What are the differences between your plans and hers?
Bautista: Before that, I acknowledge that I am coming from Francisco’s administration as her Chief Internal Affairs Advisor, and there are a lot of learnings, especially the quality [SS have already] started. This is something that I plan to continue and improve. So the difference that will be put in place—I think the major ground here is that I’m also coming from a batch [government], as a batch president, and so with the exploration, not just with [SS], but also in terms of the nature of projects and policies that we’ll be pushing forward in OVPIA, this will be more rooted in my experience both in the batch and the University setting. [I] think the main difference here would be pushing forward, first in improving [SS] by adding the onsite availability, making sure that we have the USG helpdesk. The second would be improving our response in terms of the facilities here in DLSU, such as what I’ve mentioned, this is one of our specific plans of action, adding more charging stations and hopefully a public telephone to be used, [one that is] connected in various offices…[for] more immediate response is something that we plan. And third is academics. While we have academic resources available…we plan to deepen it to a more [tangible] approach [with] the certification programs are met. These three will be the main key different points that would make Bautista’s administration, hopefully, distinct [from] [Francisco’s] in continuation of her efforts.
The LaSallian: Among the frequent criticisms of the student body towards the USG is the question of policy or program effectiveness. How would you assure the student body that your plans as VPIA are effective?
Bautista: All the projects that we have, be it in our office or in the other offices, are consulted in various offices, including the Office of Student Life. My message to the student body is that we have done a lot of things together, a lot of milestones. As the University Student Government, we pushed for policies like the approval of absence due to menstrual-induced pain [and] the Pride Month initiatives being institutionalized. The projects that we have in store are also consulted in these offices. The main point of consultation [is that it] would be a key determinant that the projects in store will be of fruition to the student body and will meet the certain needs that they are looking for in their everyday student life.
The LaSallian: Can you share some key issues you plan to focus on during your term? How do you plan to address those?
Bautista: The moment I said yes to being VPIA, is first adapting more to our [SS], with the addition of the USG Help Desk in ensuring our enlistment mechanisms, while not magically resolved all at once, will be incrementally be addressed, just like with our campaign for transparency in terms of the enhancement of our online platforms and making sure we lobby for the computer laboratories to be open during enlistment for [a] smoother enlistment experience. The second would be in terms of facilities. We understand that there are a lot of students also still in need of study spaces, and we have yet to further improve our facilities to become more PWD-friendly. Aside from the key projects that I mentioned a while ago, these are things we also plan to look into, making sure [it] will be possible [for] [more] tables and chairs and then ramps inside the campus. Third would be the improvement of our approach to academics because we all know DLSU is one of the most prestigious universities, and I myself, as a scholar, want to integrate that identity [into] my office. Both the tangible—we have the Pahiram initiatives now—but both the tangible and intangible things in the sector of education will be met. So that [we] [can] reach yung quality that we truly deserve here in DLSU.
The LaSallian: OVPIA has been described as the “bridge between the students and the administration.” What strategies would you use to accurately represent student concerns to the administration?
Bautista: Coming from a Batch President perspective, the utilization talaga of the batch and college governments is the main key strategy that I will be gearing toward. Because in a micro-to-macro approach, we want to see the batch and college governments operate in a way that they reach further to the student body, and be it in terms of survey mechanisms or utilization of our official chats, or even utilizing our planned USG [AnimoSpace] module under “Veritas La Salle.” We plan to collate all these concerns and try to collaborate with the batch and college governments, making sure that the concerns are thematized in terms of the batch and college. With this approach to analyzing the concerns, we can bring [them] properly to the administration in hopes of addressing these problems, whatever they may be, and whatever context they may have. And be able to give solutions to them, and eventually improve their everyday lives.
The LaSallian: Can you explain what your slate’s vision, “Realized Lasallian Purpose,” means?
Bautista: We understand that we already have the experiences here at DLSU stemming from this administration[’s] “Your Genuine Lasallian Experience,” but what [would] we do with these experiences? We want to ensure that these experiences are turned into action, and I myself, as the [VPIA], we want to ensure that our everyday student life is empowered and improved… in hopes of reaching whatever purpose you may have, be it just graduating, be it attaining an engagement role in the University or actively involving yourself outside the community. But whatever that is, we need to ensure first that we empower ourselves inside the University and improve our everyday student life in hopes of attaining that “Realized Lasallian Purpose.”
This interview was edited for length and clarity.
