Compiled by HALEE ANDREA B. ALCARAZ and PEACH ARIANNA P. MANOS
THE FACULTY, once again, has a new roster of officers and it will now be up to them to live up to the duties and responsibilities of the student council. Although they will assume office next academic year, all eyes are still on the incumbent Artlets Student Council (ABSC) and how they were able to deliver the promises they made.
While it cannot be denied that they achieved some of their goals and fulfilled some of the promises they gave to the Artlet community last year, it is also evident that there is a clamor for accountability and integrity from the council.
The incumbent ABSC, which lacks a vice president-internal and a public relations officer despite several special elections due to the absence of candidates, drew flak on social media as students voiced out their views claiming that the council has been “incompetent.”
Some of the issues raised against the ABSC were their alleged failure to organize an eventful AB Week and inactivity of the officers.
In light of these issues, the Flame asked Artlets for their assessment of the performance of the outgoing student council. F
“Para sa’kin, ‘yung outgoing ABSC, parang hindi nila nagampanan fully ‘yung tungkulin nila as officers ng council and parang hindi sila nagtrabaho as one council in this academic year. Parang hindi pantay-pantay ‘yung level of effort na nangyari dahil may projects na kulang-kulang, may projects na hindi nagampanan at hindi na-execute nang maayos.”
- James Pichay, 2nd year, legal management
“Thumbs down kasi they had a poor way of handling the events ng AB Week lalo na ‘yung Glaucus, kasi no’ng Glaucus, ang scheduled kasi na time is parang 8 a.m. and then it started around 9:30 or 10, e isang event palang ‘yon, how much more do’n sa iba?”
- Japeth Irreverre, 4th year, legal management
“[N]o’ng first pa lang mga first semester, okay naman. Pero ‘di masyado na-feel unlike no’ng before talaga. Tapos pinaka-controversial no’ng AB Week—walang ganap talaga. Kulang sa exposure. ‘Di ko talaga feel. Pero takeaway ko lang din naman, kulang kasi sila sa tao din nila. Wala silang VP-internal. So baka ‘yun din ‘yung naging downfall sa kanila, kulang sila sa tao. Tapos wala talaga silang nagawa sa platforms nila before. Wala akong na-feel sa platforms nila.
- Ayenn Macashep, 2nd year, journalism
“I think i-te-take into consideration din na ‘yung naging problems last year, na-carry over this year so feel ko kaya siguro rin nagkaroon ng problems sa performance nila this year. Pero in general, ‘yung pinaka naging problem are ‘yung projects nila na pinromise nila sa atin, hindi na-push through talaga.”
- Katha Silagon, 4th year, economics
“Bilang captain ng AB Women’s Basketball Team and player for four years na, ang masasabi ko lang sa ABSC is unfair sila. Hindi fair ‘yung treatment nila with the Women’s Basketball Team saka Men’s Basketball Team. Ang Women’s Basketball Team, five years na kaming nasa Final 4, umabot kami ng second place, third place, tapos parang ang support ng ABSC […] is nasa Men’s Basketball lang. […] Siyempre gusto rin namin makaramdam ng support na coming from AB students […] Gusto lang namin makahingi ng kaunting support na mabibigay na parang kailangan pa namin sabihin or ipilit […] pero pag sa men’s, kahit hindi nila sabihin, todo support sila.”
- Micah Atienza, 4th year, journalism
“Compared [to] last year, ‘di masyadong ramdam ‘yung ABSC ngayon […] ‘Di mo mapagkakaila ‘yung comparison with the last year lalo na sa highlights na event which is ‘yung AB Week and stuff like that. Pati do’n sa last administration na rin so parang nagkaroon lang talaga sila ng gap sa delivery ng projects nila. And, pinakanakita kong gap between the ABSC and the students of AB is ‘yung dissemination nila ng information, mga important na information na minsan na-de-delay. Overall performance, siguro 6 or 7? [out of 10].”
- Lance Basa, political science
“Dahil kulang talaga sila as a team ngayong school year 2018-2019, kulang din ‘yung performance nila. Tapos ewan ko kung ano ‘yung nangyari talaga sa team nila kasi hindi rin sila open about it. Sobrang disappointing lalo na no’ng AB Week kasi syempre as seniors, ‘yun ‘yung parang ni-lo-look forward mo na sa pag-alis mo ng AB, ano ‘yung maiiwan mong memories with the Artlet community […] Wala akong naramdaman sa AB Week, wala rin akong naramdaman sa kanila na nag-make up sila do’n sa kakulangan na ‘yun. Ever since talaga, hindi ko na sila na-feel no’ng nag-fe-fail ‘yung elections nila sa kulang na [officers]… Merong mga first year, ang pangit sa perception nila [na] ‘Wala ba tayong student council?”
- Michie Galanida, 4th year, journalism
“Basically, ‘yung ma-a-assess ko sa previous officials is that they were not able to do their job as well as their predecessors so I just hope that the future officials would do better than the previous ones and would learn from it.”
- Miguel Vertulfo, 3rd year, legal management
“In regards to the performance of the outgoing ABSC, I would say that there are plenty of rooms for improvement like how they dealt with the loss of the vice president-internal. I wish that they would have been more proactive in actually addressing the internal concerns in AB. Aside from that, I also wish that the ABSC could have been better in publicizing all the events that they’re going to organize and maybe they could have exerted a lot more effort. Aside from the improvements that I’ve said, I think that the outgoing ABSC has done what it could given their current circumstances. Like they don’t have a PRO and they don’t have an internal vice president. I just wish that they exerted a lot more effort.”
- Paolo Manuel, 1st year, philosophy
“Tingin ko yung ABSC, hindi nila masyado nagampanan yung pagiging part nila sa konseho kasi ang daming problems na nangyari. At saka, marami ring students na ‘pag in-evaluate ‘yun, sobrang ibang-iba compared sa iba pang namahala sa AB. Overall performance over 10 [is] 5.”
- Lymae Chua, 2nd year, journalism
“I assess the previous student council to be, kung i-re-rate ko siya, 7/10. Siguro nagkaroon ng maraming factors kung bakit naging lacking ‘yung performance nila this year. Ako, being part, alam ko rin naman saan kami nagkulang and ano pa ‘yung puwede namin ma-improve. So heads up din sa bagong student council, ‘yun na rin masasabi namin sa kanila na, ano ‘yung mga pwede nila ma-improve pa sa mga ganitong certain events and stuff like that.”
- Candace Umbay, communication arts
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Vol. 54, Issue No. 4 of the Flame. View the entire issue through this link.