Party Line(s)

It is interesting how events on the national political scene are sometimes manifest in the microcosm of UP Student Politics.

Last Friday's GAMOT Forum and the statement I released with regard to CAS Chair Sheena Trinidad's surprise airtime at the end of the program (see my blog post immediately preceding this one) were responded to by no less than the ASAP-Katipunan Party Chairperson, Ms. Merilla May Bation (via e-mail to the GAMOT egroup):

Sheena Trinidad was not speaking in behalf of the CAS Student Council but for ASAP Katipunan, which she is also the spokesperson. it was also said during the program that she was representaing ASAP Katipunan and not CAS-SC. It was clearly stated in our meeting the day before the forum that member orgs can have their activities announced after the open forum. i do not believe that what she did was gross disrespect to the rest of the student councils for she did not impose CAS-SC's stand on the issue but ASAP Katipunan's stand.

i urge everyone to cross party lines for these times call for greater unity.

This is my rejoinder:

Dear AK Chairperson Bation,

Is it coincidence that Chairperson Trinidad and the CAS Student Council is the only College Student Council who has formally manifested to the USC GA the "oust" position?

I would not have reacted had your party delivered the statement through a non-incumbent student leader. However, as the case is, the event has happened and reactions have been manifested to the undersigned.

It is common knowledge that officials of high positions such as student council Chairpersons, when they speak, are interpreted to be speaking in their capacity. Otherwise, the very nature of our formation - the ire against President Arroyo - would be misguided. How would UPM PGH GAMOT react if PGMA said that she called Garcillano in her capacity as Mrs. Arroyo, spokesperson of Lakas-NUCD and not as the Philippine President?

Case in point: one of the arguments PGMA used to defend herself against the impeachment charges was that she made the phone calls before her inauguration as President last June 30, 2004. Hence, her lawyers argued, she cannot be impeached because technically, she still was not elected President at the time of the Garci calls. Do we agree with this type of defense? I personally do not.

I urge everyone not to apply double standards. For us to succeed in our advocacies, we must practice what we preach. And, I join you in the call to cross party lines for greater unity. Thank you.

Yours truly,

Albert Francis E. Domingo
Chairperson, 27th USC Manila

P.S.
In the understanding that your reply (as forwarded to the GAMOT egroup) is clarificatory to what happened, I shall disseminate our exchange to the student body.