Org structure, membership reforms mulled in Consti amendments
Heeding the call of several members to institute major reforms within the organization, the ‘19-’20 Executive Board of UP Circuit called on the formation of a Constitution Commission tasked with reviewing and amending the present Constitution last February 2020.
Mostly Executive Board officers of the previous term, the proponents raised the issue of what they perceived to be a lack of efficiency brought about by the current structure of the organization. As exemplified in their letter of intent, the execution of certain tasks — such as renting a venue for an event or handling marketing proposals — require too much intermingling between divisions, thus complicating the operations of the organization.
One of the proponents, ‘18-’19 Membership VP Renelyn Myka Maala, attests to the need for these reforms. “Hindi clear kung ano ang trabaho ng divs. Yung iba, wala naman sa consti pero ginagawa nila. (The jobs of the different divisions are unclear. Some, on the other hand, perform functions not required of them by the Consti.)” She cites the case of Alumni Relations being a responsibility of the External Affairs Division — a peculiarity for her and her co-proponents, as alumni members should be treated as members, which should be the job of the Membership Division.
Rightsizing the organization, according to her, is also imperative. “Sa Memdiv naman, parang kumonti kasi ang gawain sa Resaff [Residential Affairs], mostly [sic] ng work ay sa start lang ng sem for renewals. After that, GAs [General Assemblies] and Mems of the Month na lang halos na kaya naman gawin ng 1–2 people. Baka there can be ways para mas maging functional siya for the whole sem… para mas ma-utilize ang manpower natin. Sana mas maging clear lang sa Consti yung mga ganyang bagay. (For Memdiv, most of Resaff’s work entails renewals at the start of each semester. Afterwards, they focus on GAs and Members of the Month — jobs that 1–2 people can perform. Maybe there can be ways for it to be more functional throughout a semester, so that we could fully utilize our manpower. We’d want the Consti to be clearer on these things.)”
Such matters were reviewed and addressed by the Constitution Commission chaired by Priscilla Denise Pigao (now Executive Vice President), which would form two new permanent committees — Marketing and Auditing — to handle relations with corporate partners and internal financial oversight. “There was much emphasis on changing the division[s], but we opted to add steering committees instead,” said Pigao.
Other issues were also tackled by the Commission, most notably the clause on the organization’s “nonpolitical” nature in Article I, Section 2 and the working definition of Continuing Applicants. “Overall we had to consider how we could contribute to the efficiency of the organization… We also gave much consideration on the recent issues or challenges that the organization faced and is still facing,” Pigao emphasized.
Beyond the Commission, General Assembly members were also enjoined to pitch in their suggestions and comments. One particular example, raised by one such member and considered by the Commission, is the matter of protecting applicants’ from abuse by members (a recurring problem in UP Diliman), which would merit the specification of the various activities of the Application Process in the Constitution and the creation of an “Application Process Conduct Committee”.
The process has since stalled, however, due to the Coronavirus Pandemic. “Mahirap kasi talaga mag-amend ng Constitution without constant meetings and plebiscites, which cannot be demanded of since not everyone has stable internet connection,” Pigao explains. Moreover, four members of the Commission (Pigao included) were elected to the Executive Board.
“Right now, our options are to either suspend the revision of the constitution or create a new Constitution Commission. However, it is not something that we aim to finish with this term because of the pandemic,” Pigao further clarifies. These amendments have since been shelved, and any moves to proceed are yet to be seen.
