There are issues raised by a few students about the CSSPSC's stand on the CRSRS. What do you say about this?

For a decade, ALYANSA and its member-organizations have rallied for reforms in the Codified Rules for Student Regent Selection (CRSRS). Our position stems from the fact that we need a more democratic process in selecting the Student Regent, who is our ONLY representative to the University's highest governing body. 

In a nutshell, here are our core demands: (1) a MINIMUM academic requirement for SR nominees consistent with University rules, (2) a one-college, one-vote system for selection that would uphold the representative nature of the SR, and (3) opening up the SR selection process by delegating the Secretariat to the General Assembly of Student Councils, instead of a political alliance. Through the years, we have also demanded for including the duties of the Student Regent in our CRSRS, among other points. Nonetheless, these reforms point out to our big idea: to make the SR selection process truly democratic. In fact, the present controversy concerning our Student Regent points out the need to reform the system, which is admittedly imperfect.

This is the big idea on which our local candidates in the CSSPSC campaigned for and won. Being elected carrying this position on the CRSRS enabled our CSSPSC to conduct informal consultations and submit our basic commitments for reforming the process. We do recognize the need to do more in extending ourselves for formal consultations, but the existing constraints then (such as the week-long suspension of classes due to typhoon Ondoy near the end of the filing deadline) rendered this option impractical at that moment. Nonetheless, the CSSPSC's moves have been done in a transparent manner, in accordance to principle and procedure. This is in direct contrast to the protest filed by groups pushing for the removal of the CSSPSC officers on their commitment to this issue, which has been proven to have gathered many signatures in a fraudulent manner that misinforms the students who signed the petition.

Indeed, ALYANSA's stand on the CRSRS has been marked with a fundamental difference --- a commitment to reform, as well as a transparent, accountable manner of pushing for it.

What is ALYANSA’s position regarding the current issue of the Student Regent?

We have been informed that Ms. Bañez is currently unable to discharge her functions as our representative in the Board of Regents, as she has not enrolled in UP for this second semester. Consequently, this inability to enroll removes her status as a UP student, which is a fundamental requirement to become a UP Student Regent.

On this student issue, we have three demands:

1. The UP Administration must uphold student autonomy, and allow us to resolve this issue among our ranks;

2. Ms. Bañez should personally explain her side to us, the students, her constituents in the Board of Regents; and

3. The University Student Councils of each UP unit should immediately call on their local college counterparts and convene AT ONCE a special General Assembly of Student Councils (GASC) in order to select her replacement.

This is a call for action. We are one with the student body, regardless of political color, to resolve this matter immediately. We recognize that we are the stakeholders for the Office of the Student Regent (OSR) – Kasama tayo sa OSR – and it is our responsibility to act now.