ABSC Archives - The Flame

May182023 by No Comments

UST’s tuition hike consultation lacked student representation – ABSC

News

OFFICERS OF the Faculty of Arts and Letters Student Council (ABSC) expressed disappointment over UST's consultation on the proposed increase in tuition and other fees, saying it should have considered the opinions of all its students. On April 27, the University proposed a 7% increase in tuition, miscellaneous and other fees for the next academic year. It has until June 1 to submit documents related to its proposed tuition hike to the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd). ABSC President Kim Czaccei Dacanay claimed that the consultation conducted by UST “lacked sectoral representation,” as it only took into account voices from “student leaders.” “The circumstances and voices of the stakeholders- working students, scholars, faculties, and labor unions, among others...

Apr32023 by 1 Comment

ABSC officers, bets, face poll violations, misconduct allegations

Issues, News

By TRISHA TAMIO, JASMINE MAE ALARDE and AXEL ALDANA INCUMBENT AND aspiring Artlets Student Council (ABSC) officials and a campaign manager are facing complaints of election offenses and campaign misconduct over some of their actions during the student council polls. In a memorandum issued on Sunday, April 2, the Faculty of Arts and Letters Commission on Elections (AB Comelec) detailed the allegations of "campaign violations, election offenses, and other misconduct related to the election process,” against DEKADA candidates, DEKADA campaign manager Hanielle Garcia, secretary aspirant Gabriel Gabrillo and the incumbent ABSC officers. Student political party DEKADA allegedly failed to comply with Section 7, No. 8 of the implementing rules and regulations (IRR), which requires ...

Apr22023 by No Comments

ABSC bets’ candidacy certificates suspended due to alleged poll violations

News

THE CERTIFICATES of candidacy (COCs) of seven of the eight candidates for this year's Artlets Student Council (ABSC) polls have been suspended right after the proclamation of elected officers for the next academic year due to alleged violations of elections rules. The COCs of president-elect Timothy Santiago, candidate for internal vice-president Josh Moncayo, external vice president-elect Matthew Enriquez, secretary-elect Hannah Calara, secretary aspirant Gabriel Gabrillo, auditor-elect Joseph Coronel and public relations officer-elect Rachelle Mirasol were suspended, according to a resolution released by the AB Commission on Elections (AB Comelec) on April 1. AB Comelec chairman Franz Soriano told The Flame that the suspension cannot be revealed yet as they are "under hearings." “Th...

Mar302023 by No Comments

AB Board of Majors hits ABSC bets’ platforms

News

THE FACULTY of Arts and Letters’ Board of Majors has expressed disappointment over the platforms presented by the Artlets Student Council (ABSC) candidates during the recent miting de avance, saying they lack timeliness, sustainability, and substance. In a statement released on Wednesday, Mar. 29, the board questioned the platforms presented by the candidates, noting that platforms are supposed to be based on needs and goals of the student body. “The role of the student council shall not be demeaned as merely being event organizers or project planners; proposed plans must at least be within the jurisdiction of the positions candidates are vying for,” the board, which consists of student leaders from all the programs of the faculty, said. The board also assailed the delay in th...

Mar262023 by No Comments

ABSC candidates slam proposed mandatory ROTC

Issues, News

ALL EIGHT candidates of this year’s Arts and Letters Student Council (ABSC) elections are against the revival of the mandatory Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program, saying it might reinforce “corrupt” and “exploitative” practices. DEKADA’s candidate for president Timothy John Santiago said UST was once the site of the atrocities of the ROTC system. Mark Chua, a Thomasian cadet, was killed after exposing the corruption in his unit in 2001. His death led to a series of protests that paved the way to the abolition of the mandatory ROTC program. Santiago believes that the mandatory ROTC puts restrictions on the academic freedom and rights of a student. “The imposition of such would violate the very purpose of education — to foster critical thinking, knowledge, and so...

Feb282023 by No Comments

ABSC urges Artlets to participate in policymaking

News

by JASMINE MAE ALARDE THE FACULTY of Arts and Letters Student Council (ABSC) has urged Artlets to participate in the policymaking process to ensure that their concerns are truly addressed. ABSC policy affairs director Josh Moncayo said “progressive” policies would be crafted if there is engagement with the student body. “[I]n policymaking, you just don't assume what the student wants. There is a dialogue between the constituents and the authorities so that there is a proper inclusion of what they truly want and there is compromise between the students and the admins,” Moncayo said during the AB Model Congress, a policy formulation webinar, last Feb. 22. The forum was one of the events during the ABSC’s students’ rights and welfare week. Echoing Moncayo, ABSC policy affa...

Sep262022 by No Comments

Artlets, friends remember legacy of ex-ABSC prexy Simbulan

News

(UPDATED AS OF SEPT. 28, 1:00 A.M.) SEVERAL ARTLETS and friends honor former Artlets Student Council (ABSC) president and political science alumnus Reymark Simbulan who passed away last week. READ: Reymark Simbulan is ready to rise again Simbulan, who served the student council from 2017 to 2018, died last Sept. 21 after suffering from complications due to COVID-19. He was 24. In a Facebook post, which garnered more than 1,400 reactions, the Artlet Student Council called Simbulan “Rey of Sunshine,” praising him for always “fighting for what is right.” “During his term in the ABSC, his dream for AB was larger than life. He believed that ‘Artlets are fighters and catalysts of change’. This movement changed a lot in ourselves and inspired student leaders to carry on that sp...

Sep202021 by No Comments

AB Comelec draws flak for ‘undemocratic’ poll decision, declares ABSC prexy post vacant

News

Updated as of Oct. 3, 1:34 pm THE POSITION of president in the Artlets Student Council (ABSC) would remain vacant after the sole candidate failed to secure more than half of the votes cast in the special pols, the Faculty of Arts and Letters Commission on Elections (AB Comelec) said. After coordinating with the Board of Majors (BoM), AB Comelec released a resolution amending the proclamation of political science sophomore Denzelle Jude Caro as president as he obtained only 474 out of 1,065 votes. “Jude Denzelle O. Caro, garnering only 474 votes, failed to attain a simple [majority of] 533 votes out of the 1,065 total votes. Now, therefore, the Commission hereby declares no candidate is elected as President in the Faculty of Arts and Letters Student Council Executive Board,” th...

Sep22021 by No Comments

Artlets challenge ABSC candidates’ stance on key issues

News

by ARTHUR N. APOSTOL TWO UNOPPOSED candidates’ grasp of political and social issues were tested as they engaged in a fierce Miting de Avance for the 2021 Artlets Student Council (ABSC) special polls last Tuesday. Candidate for president and political science sophomore Denzelle Jude Caro’s stance on student activism in AB was questioned by students who pointed out how the ABSC was formed during the Marcos dictatorship. He said he was against activism in AB and that there are other platforms to express it. “Every channel is blocked because of the pandemic. In your student activism, currently, you are individualistic rather than collective. Right now, there are differences and vulnerabilities that we have to consider,” Caro said. He argued that it is necessary to protect t...

Aug202021 by No Comments

AB Comelec postpones special elections, extends filing of COC

News

THE UNAVAILABILITY of the electronic voting system has forced the Faculty of Arts and Letters Commission on Elections (AB Comelec) to postpone the student council special polls. The Artlets Student Council (ABSC) special elections, which were originally scheduled for Aug. 23 to 28 have been moved to Sept. 13 to 18. The filing of certificates of candidacy (COC) for three vacant positions will also be extended. In a resolution dated Aug. 18, the AB Comelec said the UST Office for Student Affairs had released a letter addressed to the ABSC regarding the postponement of the polls. "Whereas, the letter states the postponement of the Special Elections for the Academic Year 2021-2022 due to fortuitous event i.e, 'unavailability of Electronic Voting System (EnVoSys) during the dates of th...