Polytechnic University of the Philippines Student Council explained

Polytechnic University of the Philippines Student Council
Native Name:Konseho ng Mag-aaral ng Politeknikong Unibersidad ng Pilipinas
Native Name Lang:Filipino
Legislature:Academic Year 2023-2024
Logo Pic:PUP Student Council.svg
Logo Res:250
House Type:Representative body
Body:students
Jurisdiction:Polytechnic University of the Philippines
Leader1 Type:President
Leader1:Miss Kim Modelo [1]
Party1:SAMASA PUP
Election1:September 1, 2023
Leader2 Type:Vice President
Leader2:Mary Joe Abbygail Alforque
Party2:SAMASA PUP
Election2:September 1, 2023
Leader3 Type:Secretary-General
Leader3:Johnson Danila
Party3:SAMASA PUP
Election3:September 1, 2023
Leader4 Type:Treasurer
Leader4:Terrence Lander Tamayosa
Party4:SAMASA PUP
Election4:September 1, 2023
Term Length:One academic year
Seats10 Title:-->
Seats10:-->
Voting System1:First-past-the-post
Next Election1:August 2024
Meeting Place:Charlie del Rosario Building, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Santa Mesa, Manila
Constitution:2013 PUP Student Council Constitution
Background Color:
  1. 800000

The Polytechnic University of the Philippines Student Council (PUP SC) (Filipino: Konseho ng Mag-aaral ng Politeknikong Unibersidad ng Pilipinas) is the official undergraduate student union and collective student representative body of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines Manila campuses.[2] It represents the interests of the students on the university, national, and global issues.

As the collective student representation in the university, the central and college student councils are composed of members elected amongst the student body, mandated to organize and direct campaigns and activities to defend and promote students’ rights, and improve the students’ general welfare. Furthermore, it provides direct services to the student body.

The PUP Student Council is composed of the Central Student Council (Sentral na Konseho ng Mag-aaral; SKM), student councils in various colleges, Commission on Student Organization and Accreditation (COSOA), Commission on Audit (COA), Commission on Election (COMELEC), and the Student Tribunal (ST); wherein four high-ranking officers of the Central Student Council and the presidents of college student councils form the Student Council Assembly (SCA), the highest policy-making body of the student council.[3] [4]

History and advocacies

In 1969, then-Philippine College of Commerce (PCC) President Nemesio Prudente included the student council in the board of trustees of the college.[5]

In 1972, the student council was abolished due to the proclamation of martial law. Five years after the PCC was converted into a chartered state university and renamed Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP), the student council was eventually revived in 1983 with its constitution and by-laws being drafted and ratified.[6]

In 1990, Prudente, who was reappointed as PUP president, assigned the student union hall (now called Charlie del Rosario Building) and certain rooms in the main academic building to the Central Student Council, accredited student organizations, cultural groups, and major student publications.[7]

PUP SPEAK (2016 - 2021)

From 2016 to 2021, the Students' Party for Equality and Advancement of Knowledge (SPEAK) had been the ruling political party of the PUP Student Council.[8]

In July 2019, ahead of the fourth State of the Nation Address of President Rodrigo Duterte, the College of Communication Student Council (COC SC) was among the youth groups invited to Rappler's MovePH Huddle to discuss on several issues. On the youth sector's efforts to campaign for a coal-free Negros, COC SC's Neilvin John Aventurado shared that "the government should be listening or they should be aiming for the protection of our environment and the people who benefit from it" after expressing sadness by the fact that the youth had to conduct protests just to be heard.[9]

In February 2020, the Central Student Council, together with various organization under the leadership of PUP Office of the Student Regent (OSR) held a benefit concert on the university oval grounds to support the mid-to-long-term rehabilitation of the communities affected by the Taal volcano eruption. The concert, which was attended by over 15,000 people, was headlined by Parokya ni Edgar, Itchyworms, Gloc-9, and Rocksteddy.[10]

In April 2020, the Central Student Council joined in decrying the detention of Rexon Aumentado, a mechanical engineering department and community volunteer, over alleged violations of the enhanced community quarantine. Joining the call to release the student were human rights lawyers Chel Diokno and Erin Tanada, who called the arrest a form of "harassment".[11] [12]

In April 2021, the College of Accountancy and Finance Student Council (CAF SC) urged the university to extend the "academic break" from April 5 to April 11 amidst rising COVID-19 cases. It insisted that the students and the professors are "not mentally and practically ready to start the new semester,” as it also pointed out that they were immobilized due to the extended community quarantine and its border restrictions.[13]

In January 2021, the Central Student Council was among the stakeholders of the university to condemn the proposal of Duterte Youth Rep. Ducielle Cardema to Department of National Defense to abrogate its 1990 accord with the university, a day after the abrogation of its 1989 accord with the University of the Philippines. The accord stated that the police and military forces must give prior notification to the university president before conducting any operation on any PUP branches and campuses. Central Student Council President Jonero Dacula and PUP Board of Regents student representative Ellenor Bartolome submitted a position paper to Cardema opposing the termination of the PUP-DND agreement. In their position paper, Dacula and Bartolome highlighted a key provision in the PUP-DND accord, which recognized the right of all students “to freely advocate their ideas on the campus with utmost tolerance, understanding and guarantee, without fear of interference and intervention or repression from the state, or any of its agencies and instrumentalities.”[14]

SAMASA PUP (2021 - present)

In September 2021, Miss Trans Global 2021's Duchess Global Albiean Revalde, an engineering student, was elected as the first trans woman president of the Central Student Council; and Sandigan ng Mag-aaral para sa Sambayanan (SAMASA) becomes the ruling political party of the PUP Student Council once again after five years.[15]

A day after the International Human Rights Day in 2021, the Central Student Council declared the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) and Hands Off Our Children Movement (HOOCM) persona non grata in the university after claiming the NTF-ELCAC's "records of baseless red-tagging and HOOCM being an enabler in silencing progressive youths through a facade of psycho-social services."[16]

In April 2022, the Central Student Council endorsed the presidential bid of Vice President Leni Robredo, vice presidential bid of senator Kiko Pangilinan, senatorial bids of Chel Diokno, Risa Hontiveros, Neri Colmenares, Leila de Lima, Luke Espiritu, Teddy Baguilat, Elmer Labog, Sonny Matula, Alex Lacson, and Carmen Reyes Zubiaga, and congressional bid of Kabataan Partylist. It believed that Robredo and Pangilinan are "the best option to prevent a possible resurgence of a Marcos and a Duterte", who they insisted to have been historically proven as "murderous, corrupt, and self-serving." Both Robredo and Pangilinan would eventually lose the national election to both Bongbong Marcos and Sara Duterte, respectively.[17]

In October, 2022 several student leaders across the universities in the Philippines including the PUP's Sentral na Konseho ng mga Mag-aaral called for the reconsideration of mandatory Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) in the schools. The incumbent vice president of the student council, Benhur Queqqegan said "ROTC would only be a financial burden to students and waste taxpayers' money."[18]

Composition

Student Council Assembly

The Student Council Assembly is the highest policy-making body of the PUP Student Council. It is composed of the president, vice-president, secretary-general, and treasurer of the Central Student Council and presidents of the student councils of various colleges in the university.

PUP Sentral na Konseho ng Mag-aaral (Central Student Council)

NameCollegePartyPosition
Miss Kim ModeloCollege of Arts and LettersSAMASA PUPPresident
Mary Joe Abbygail AlforqueCollege of Social Sciences and DevelopmentSAMASA PUPVice President
Johnson DanilaCollege of Tourism, Hospitality, and Transportation ManagementSAMASA PUPSecretary-GeneralHead, Volunteer Corps and General Secretariate Committee
Terrence Lander TamayosaCollege of Accountancy and FinanceSAMASA PUPTreasurerHead, Finance, Ways, and Means Committee
Adrian AbelligosCollege of Computer and Information SciencesSAMASA PUPCouncilorHead, Mass Media and the Arts Committee
John Vincent BingayanCollege of ScienceSAMASA PUPCouncilorHead, Gender, Inclusivity, and Safe Space Committee
Kim Nicole BombalesCollege of EngineeringSAMASA PUPCouncilorHead, Performance Evaluation, Management, and Development Student Council
Joonrei Lejandro DomanaisCollege of Social Sciences and DevelopmentSAMASA PUPCouncilorHead, Academic Affairs and Development Studies Committee
Jullianne Hyacinth JovenCollege of EducationSAMASA PUPCouncilorHead, Community and People's Struggles Committee
Jamella LacapCollege of Arts and LettersSAMASA PUPCouncilorHead, Students' Rights and Services Support Committee
Marygold LazaroCollege of CommunicationSAMASA PUPCouncilorHead, Linkages and External Communications
Quieny Prince MayorCollege of Political Science and Public AdministrationSAMASA PUPCouncilorHead, Student Organizations and Press Relations Committee
John Reggie ReyesCollege of Political Science and Public AdministrationSAMASA PUPCouncilorHead, Holistic Wellness and the Environment Committee

Local Student Council Presidents

NamePartyPosition
John Darrow AmorosaSAMASA PUPCADBE Student Council President
Allaine DialinoSAMASA PUPCAF Student Council President
Colleen Faye MongeSAMASA PUPCAL Student Council President
Mikaella BolorSAMASA PUPCBA Student Council President
Gurdheep HampalSAMASA PUPCCIS Student Council
Jhon Rex JusayanSAMASA PUPCE Student Council President
Alec Mariz AverillaIndependentCHK Student Council President
Aem Kimberly IgnacioSAMASA PUPCOC Student Council President
Charles Janssen Dela PeñaSAMASA PUPCOED Student Council President
Danniel Jiro FernandezSIKHAY / Political Coalition (Big tent)CPSPA Student Council President
Berrylee TanalgoSAMASA PUPCS Student Council President
Redphoebe ReyesSAMASA PUPCSSD Student Council President
Godofredo BarracaSAMASA PUPCTHTM Student Council President
Angelica BernabeSAMASA PUPITECH Student Council President
Christopher Mendoza, Jr.SAMASA PUPOUS Student Council President

List of presidents

The president of the Central Student Council is the chief executive officer and overseer of the PUP Student Council and the presiding officer of the Student Council Assembly.

Term of office Name Party College Remarks
2012 to 2014Charley UrquizaSAMASA PUPCSSDOfficer-in-charge from February 2012 to September 2013.
Kilos PUP and Bangon PUP were disqualified by the COMELEC in the 2013 election.
2014 to 2015Jessica FerreraSAMASA PUPCBSFerrera and SAMASA PUP slate ran unopposed.
Elected as student regent in September 2014.
2015 to 2016Alyssa ManaloSAMASA PUPCoEdKilos PUP merged with PUP SPEAK, with the latter fielding its first slate.
2016 to 2017Jonald BagasinaPUP SPEAKCPSPAFirst elected president from PUP SPEAK.
2017 to 2018Elijah San FernandoPUP SPEAKCSSDElected as vice president in 2016, assumed the presidency after Bagasina's graduation.
Elected as student regent in September 2017.
2018 to 2019Ralyn RodriguezPUP SPEAKCAL
2019 to 2021Jonero DaculaPUP SPEAKCESAMASA PUP was disqualified by the Student Council Assembly.
One-year hold-over term was proclaimed in 2020 by the Student Council Assembly due to COVID-19 restrictions.
2021Aubrey GarganeraPUP SPEAKCPSPAOfficer-in-charge from June to September 2021, after Dacula's resignation.
2021 to 2022Albiean RevaldeSAMASA PUPCEFirst trans woman president.
First online elections were held.
2022 to 2023Kirchhoff Thomas AngalaSAMASA PUPCAFFirst unopposed president. First face-to-face council debate was held after pandemic.Second online elections held from September 30 to October 4, 2022.
2023 to presentMiss Kim ModeloSAMASA PUPCALThe president with the highest number of votes in PUP Student Council history with 9,609 votes.

Elected as 24th Student Regent in December 2023; the transgender woman Student Regent of the university.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: RESOLUTION NO. 048 SERIES OF 2022. Polytechnic University of the Philippines - SC COMELEC . October 19, 2022.
  2. Web site: Dejito . Jesusana . ThePUPStudentHandbook2014 . September 5, 2022 . ThePUPStudentHandbook2014.
  3. Web site: Polytechnic University of the Philippines Student Council . . . August 25, 2022 .
  4. Book: . January 19, 2013 . The Constitution of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines Student Council . . 5th Student Council Assembly of 2013 .
  5. Web site: History: 1952-1971 . . August 25, 2022.
  6. Web site: History: 1972-1985 . . August 25, 2022.
  7. Web site: History: 1986-1990 . . August 25, 2022.
  8. Web site: Rodriguez takes oath as central SC President of main campus . Aventurado . Neilvin . May 9, 2018 . . August 25, 2022.
  9. Web site: Youth, advocates share ideal Philippines ahead of SONA 2019 . Berdos. Enrico . July 21, 2019 . Rappler. August 25, 2022.
  10. Web site: PUP OSR, Rotary Club FBGC to hold benefit concert for the victims of Taal Volcano eruption . February 26, 2020 . . August 25, 2022.
  11. Web site: PUP student held for alleged violation of quarantine measures cleared of charges . April 29, 2020 . . August 25, 2022.
  12. Web site: PUP orgs call for release of student detained over 'lockdown violation' . April 26, 2020 . . August 25, 2022.
  13. Web site: Students urge schools to extend academic break amid rising COVID-19 cases . Nolasco. Eala Julienne. April 6, 2021 . Rappler. August 25, 2022.
  14. Web site: PUP accord with DND also faces termination . Andrade. Jeannette . Adonis . Meg . January 21, 2021 . Philippine Daily Inquirer. August 25, 2022.
  15. Web site: Trans Global Philippines' Albiean Revalde on Breaking Barriers and Going Beyond . Montenegro. Juan Carlos. April 9, 2022 . Metroscene Mag. August 25, 2022.
  16. Web site: PUP students say NTF-ELCAC persona non grata . Gutoman . Dominic . December 24, 2021 . Bulatlat . August 25, 2022.
  17. Web site: PUP student leaders endorse Leni-Kiko tandem . Baron. Gabriela. April 4, 2022 . Manila Bulletin. August 25, 2022.
  18. Web site: Perez . Arra . October 26, 2022 . ROTC a financial burden, waste of taxpayers' money —student leaders .