On the GASC: A Warning to All UP Students

There is a crisis in the leadership of the UP student body. Certain student councils have sought to disrupt the amendments of the Codified Rules for Student Regent Selection. By doing so, they are condoning the rights and welfares of their own constituents. By doing so, they are threatening the integrity, legitimacy, and indeed, the very existence of the Office of the Student Regent.

During the November 13 session of the General Assembly of Student Councils, these student councils refused to abide by basic parliamentary procedures in order to conceal the will of the assembly. By repeatedly objecting to the calling of a vote, they effectively prolonged what should have been a simple parliamentary procedure.

Instead of enforcing the parliamentary rules and the complementary house rules, the Presiding Officer aided their violations on several counts. First, he failed to act on a motion put forth several times by the School of Economics Student Council. As such, he gave the SESC Chairperson no choice but to recognize the dereliction of the presiding officer's duty and to call a vote herself, in accordance with parliamentary procedures. [1]

Second, the Presiding Officer tried to adjourn the GASC before the agenda was completed. This act has several serious ramifications. To start with, the Student Regent as presiding officer of the GASC does not have the authority to adjourn the assembly without the consent of the body. [2] Next, and more importantly, the Presiding Officer, by seeking to end the assembly before the agenda was completed, attempted to disenfranchise the student councils whose amendments had not yet been discussed.

In a final insult to the assembly of student councils, the Presiding Officer sanctioned the disruption of the proceedings by allowing observers from the gallery to trespass into the assembly floor and conduct a rally. Such a tolerance of intrusion was a clear violation of the house rules ratified by the GASC on October 23 in UP Cebu. [3]

In the spirit of the GASC and as provided for by parliamentary rules, consensus-building takes superiority over division of the house. Yet, from the conduct of the first GASC session in UP Cebu until its extension in UP Diliman, it was clear that for several motions, reaching a consensus was virtually impossible. In such a scenario, parliamentary procedure has a simple and logical solution: the division of the house. Calling a vote allows the will of the majority to be respected without prejudice to the minority. By preventing this eventuality to occur, the will of the majority was subverted and democracy was undermined within the GASC.

Presently, there are allegations that certain student councils, including our own, have disrespected the Presiding Officer. We beg to differ. We maintain full respect for our Student Regent. It is, in fact, those student councils and delegates who refused to adhere to simple parliamentary procedures and house rules that disrespected not only the Presiding Officer, not only the Student Regent, but the General Assembly of Student Councils in its entirety.

A warning to all UP students:
Your right to be heard is being threatened!
Fight for democracy and impartiality within the GASC!
Fight for the LEGITIMATE and DEMOCRATIC selection of the next student regent!

UP School of Economics Student Council 05-06

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[1] Remedies Against Misconduct or Dereliction of Duty in Office. Robert III, H (2000) Robert's Rules of Order (Newly Revised) p 642.
"If the chair at the meeting ignores a motion apparently made and seconded in good faith, and neither states the question on the motions nor rules it our of order, the maker of the motion should raise a Point of Order covering the case, and from the chair's decision he can Appeal. If the Chair also ignores the point of order, the member can repeat the motion; and if it is seconded and the chair still ignores it, the maker of the motion can himself put it to a vote standing in his place. If the regular presiding officer of an organized society culpably fails to perform the duties of the chair properly in a meeting, a motion can also be made to censure him which could be put to a vote by the maker of the motion as just explained, if necessary."
[2] Ratified House Rules November 12-13, 2005. Section I-Session.
"The sessions of the meeting shall not be suspended or adjourned except through majority vote of the student councils present."
[3] Ratified House Rules November 12-13, 2005. Section I-Session.
"All sessions shall be open to bonafide UP students who are not part of the GASC as observers, therefore having no power to participate in the proceedings of the assembly, provided that they can present a valid UP identification card and they will observe proper behavior. The presiding officer can limit the number of observers present."