NEWS | Remaining USC nominees go through final deliberations

By Angela Vanessa Manuel

The second session of the final deliberations for the 42nd University of the Philippines Manila University Student Council (UPM USC), which featured USC Vice Chairperson nominee Querobin Acsibar, and USC Councilor nominees Ariane Joyce Kekim and Edzel Gail Macasu, occurred last Saturday, July 31. The Commission of Appointments (CA), along with other local student council members, was given a chance to interpellate the nominees. Throughout the whole process, the three Sulong UPM bets pledged that, once selected, they plan to take a flexible and consultative approach in their term’s projects and campaigns.

Looming student participation

It is no secret that the pandemic greatly affected the rate of student participation. Councilor for Culture and Arts nominee Kekim even named it one of the top three challenges faced by the students in the current online set-up. Acsibar then supported the claim by pinning the recurring student problems, such as academic burnout, personal and mental health issues, as the reasons that led to this condition, all the while reiterating that these reasons are valid and should be recognized.

As part of the student council, the nominees presented several plans in relation to the aforementioned issue. Kekim proposed to make students realize that their participation is a form of self-expression and moved on to say that there will be announced calendar plotting assemblies in order to make sure that students will be well-informed about the council’s plans. Serving as another motivation to increase student participation, Kekim said that they can also opt to increase the number of beneficiaries of their projects.

Again, as the slate is working on making a consultative approach, Acsibar takes pride in her umbrella program called “Ronda UPM,” which plans to conduct frequent student consultations in order to finalize the calls that the council shall bring. Her co-slate members also plan to make the most out of this project by incorporating their committee’s specific issues during the said events. Moreover, the promise to exhaust all means to reach out to students and acknowledge their concerns is the slate’s main agenda.

In relation to this, Councilor for Students’ Rights and Welfare and Basic Services nominee Macasu mentioned her plans to improve the grievance system of the students. Upon stating that she drew inspiration from the current grievance system set-up by the 41st USC, she said that she plans to improve it by implementing a feedback mechanism. She explained that each concern will be assigned a reference code so that the students who filed it will have access to a real time status of their report, available 24/7.

Revitalizing student representation

During the deliberations, Macasu named student representation, along with the “balik-paaralan” call and improved Student Learning Assistance System (SLAS), as of the most essential services needed to be received by the student body.

She furthered that the low number of nominees for this USC selection is a manifestation of the burnout experienced by the students during the pandemic as they suffer from state neglect.

Meanwhile, Acsibar confessed she hopes that the legacy of the UPM USC will go on. With this being said, she lays her trust in UPM’s mass organizations and political organizations to produce and guide future student-leaders. Additionally, she plans to launch the University Freshie Assembly (UFA) which will act as a starter and stepping stone for future student leaders.

Bigger responsibilities

Kekim shared that it was the desperate need for genuine student representation, which will truly forward the grievances of the students and act on their concerns, that motivated them to run.

As the lone standard bearer nominee and only incumbent USC member who seeks reappointment, Acsibar then affirmed that once appointed as the vice chairperson and given that the position of the chairperson remains vacant even after the special elections, she remarked that will be ready to take on the bigger responsibility in order to advance the needs of the student body.

Given the great responsibility of representing the student body, members of the CA questioned how they plan to carry out their tasks in spite of their heavy academic workload. Acsibar who hails from the College of Dentistry, and Kekim and Macasu from the College of Nursing, all maintained that they believe they will be able to do their responsibilities as they have immense trust within their slate and future co-council members.

Subsequently, when asked about the implementation of the academic freedom of the faculty in conducting the semester, Macasu pointed out that it shouldn’t be a hindrance as faculty members have the same academic freedom as students. What needs to be done, according to her, is to lobby academic workload concerns and be assertive about the students’ rights to the administration.

Students’ service to the nation

One of the recurring topics for all nominees was the issue of the Return of Service Agreement (RSA). Like the previous session of the deliberations, the nominees were also asked regarding their stand on the controversial RSA. Sulong UPM’s bets all stood united in their call to stop and review the RSA.

Macasu mentioned that this hinders students to transfer because of the fees that accompany the said decision, highlighting that students are not given full freedom to choose what they truly want. However, when asked about what specific provisions she would want to amend, she answered that she still has none as student consultations are yet to be done and she believes that it would be improper if she imposes her personal beliefs.

In order to properly lobby this concern to the higher ups, the slate plans to make a consolidated report which will encompass statistics and concerns of each student, ranging from incoming freshmen students to all those affected by the RSA, even those who graduated already. They also invited the student body to join them in this call as they believe that the call will be more effective if the students display a united front.

In conclusion to the matter, Macasu emphasized that she pushes for a national, scientific, and mass-oriented (NSMO) education as she claims that this type of education will inspire students to serve the country.

“Ang serbisyo kasi hindi kinokontrata. Hindi dapat naaapakan ng kagustuhan nating magbigay-serbisyo ang ating karapatan sa edukasyon,” Macasu stressed.

Acsibar then briefly mentioned that the formation of a RSA committee was one of the initial plans of the incumbent 41st USC, which she is also a part of, but it did not push through due to the lack of manpower and heavy workload of past council members.

Safe return to campus

The lack of physical and democratic spaces for students is also one of the biggest concerns of the body. Kekim argued that the lack of these spaces hinders students from having conducive learning spaces and compromises their health and wellness.

According to the nominees, the long standing call for “We Need Space,” which was aggravated by the slow infrastructure development in campus and constant state-sponsored threats to the university’s academic freedom, needs to be intensified as students will be subjected to limited face-to-face classes starting next semester.

Furthermore, Macasu defended why her call was “Balik Paaralan” and not the recognized “Ligtas na Balik Eskwela,” saying that her call aims to exert extra pressure on the administration to immediately heed the call. She also added that the two calls are equally important as it shares the same end goal.

Despite the emergence of the Delta variant, Macasu stood firm that immediate return to face-to-face classes should be one of the priorities of the state, explaining that what the country is experiencing right now is a repeated cycle of government incompetence. By now, she said, the government should have already deciphered a plan for the education system.

In preparation for this, the issue of vaccination of UPM students was raised. The nominees said that they would seek the help of the administration in recommending students to receive their shots in their respective local government units.

Passive administration

Given the abundance of student concerns and issues, the nominees hold the administration accountable for their lack of support for the studentry. The first manifestation of their neglect is the high number of student-led aid initiatives as compared to those of the administration’s.

This is the reason why the nominees plan to continue the incumbent USC’s project of ISKOnnected, which initially provided relief goods, data, and medicine for all students, especially those who are stuck in Manila.

However, they clarified that in order to give sufficient service to the student body, the institution’s administration should be involved and be at the forefront of solving these concerns. Apart from the fact that heeding their constituents’ needs is part of their core purpose, the nominees believed that it is the administration who has the means and budget to do so.

As most courses in the university are skill-based, Acsibar said the admin should have already come up with a concrete alternative plan. In addition, the administration should persistently lobby the concerns and struggles of the body to the state.

The final selection session of the final deliberations will be held next Saturday, August 7 and the official proclamation of the 42nd USC is expected to be coming a few days after it.