Buklod Atenista OKs charter changes, 14 resolutions at 41st BANLS

The formal session on 28 February tackled the proposed amendments and additions to the charter, the approval of the BA resolutions, and the finalization of the COA resolutions in the third reading.

Forty-four out of 46 attendees, composed of the Buklod Permanent Secretariat (BAPS), OBAs, COAs, Member Student Governments (MSGs), and Ateneo Publication Alliance (APA), participated in the said session.

A total of 15 resolutions were passed during NatCon, focused on themes of education, youth in governance, student rights, environment, and sustainability. These are set to be implemented by MSGs in their respective universities.

Buklod Atenista charter change

According to Jomig Gambe, the National Convener of BAPS, plenty of outdated provisions in the constitution prompted many BA ambassadors to amend the constitution. 

During the 40th BANLS in 2024, the BA NatCon called for an informal session discussing and identifying the changes necessary to the charter. The alliance’s goals, identity, and impact were also questioned during the summit, propelling the charter change.

“So, that's part of the [sic] where we saw many problems with the charter…so, they pushed for the charter change back in Naga [City] in 2024,” Gambe explained. 

On top of that, Resolution No. 2024-01 was passed to establish a Charter Change committee to oversee and set forth the review of the current charter. According to the resolution, the revision was set to include the following, among others: Strategic Development Plan, Convening and Hosting Rights, and Transitioning of BAPS from one MSG to Another. The revisions were expected to be completed by 21 August 2024.

“This actually sought to complete it towards August. My term arrived [in] July, so we had very little time to prepare. Practically, there was zero progress at the time. So, that's why we really…I pushed for it from September to October. Out of the five…[member] schools, only two complied, XU (Xavier University) and AdZU (Ateneo de Zamboanga University),” Gambe added.

The approval of the charter's revision includes reduction of the convening rights of BAPS from six years with three convening terms to four years with two convening terms. On top of that, the constitutional changes were also designed to be flexible and adaptable to the members schools' context and circumstances.

A notable addition to the charter includes the mission and vision of Buklod Atenista, in guidance to the alliance’s identity, purpose, and direction. Also, sections about the member schools’ accountability and commitment were also strengthened and streamlined.

MSGs implementing COA, BA resos

With the approval of the resolutions, the MSGs are expected to enforce what was agreed upon at the Buklod Atenista NatCon. 

In an interview with Ianthe Keziah Mae Rosanes, President of Liderato kan Nueva Atenista (AdNU-Lideratos), she said that a tangible mechanism that she can do is to mandate their student congress to enact resolutions in support of the passed COA and BA resolutions to actualize it within the student body.

Rosanes added that properly having a detailed transition from one administration to another—from Lideratos to OBA to COA, and then to the student body—by having town hall sessions, is needed to effectively mobilize the stakeholders in implementing these resolutions.

“I'm sitting in the higher education council, one thing that I can really do is to create an agenda with the deans and then the VPHE. We have to introduce OBA to the administration. They have to be recognized by [sic] their president and the entire dean's department chairs that they would know we have an alliance with [the] Ateneo five schools,” Rosanes said.

Lastly, she added that the more that the administration knows about Buklod Atenista, the more they would know the purpose and direction of the alliance. By having a stronger administrative recognition, the alliance can improve and be visible to the Ateneo community.

Similarly, Lean Rosendo, President of The Sanggunian ng mga Mag-aaral ng mga Paaralang Loyola ng Ateneo de Manila (Sanggunian), also shared the same strategy by proposing a transition bill within Sanggunian aimed to aid the incumbent and incoming officers for a smooth transition.

“So from what I really felt during the framework planning, we really need a sense of continuity…We need that commitment,” Rosendo said. 

The Sanggunian President added that in ensuring the success of the implementation of the resolutions, it's also important to have an officer who has the idea and context of what Buklod Atenista is. Collaborating with that person can help MSGs design the success indicators for the implementation of the resolutions.

The alliance’s goal can be sustained by having proper turnover and an effective continuity mechanism in place set by the MSGs, COAs, and OBAs of each respective member-schools..

Holding accountability

With the implementation of the resolutions, BAPS is also responsible for keeping track of the updates and the maintenance of these resolutions. In addition, accountability measures were set in place to determine the effectiveness of the MSGs’ implementation as well as their commitment to their duties in the alliance.

“The first and main accountability measure is really the reason why I invited APA, to hold their student governments accountable. Because Buklod has a history of its members being AWOL, to be frank, so some members pagkatapos ng BANLS pagkatapos nito ‘di na nag-uupdate…that’s part of the larger problem, so…to hold them accountable, that's why we called on the student pubs,” Gambe expounded.

He added that constant updates with the MSGs are also another strategy to ensure accountability, though low enforcement from the MSGs remain a challenge. A repository of the passed resolutions is put in place to help BAPS probe the MSGs and have them fully committed to whatever they agree on. 

National Convener Gambe also said that a strong accountability mechanism would be publishing a year-end report from each MSG. “I don't think [the] past terms [Buklod Atenista and MSGs] have published that. If you check the Facebook page, we publish a report, to really track the progress of contributions to make sure that things are going smoothly,” he added.

Strengthening the alliance and its visibility

On the same day of the BA NatCon, a framework planning workshop was also conducted, which identified the Buklod Atenista’s recurring concerns: the member schools' commitment and the alliance’s visibility to the Ateneo community.

The delegates were randomly grouped to convene among themselves in order to address the mentioned issues of the alliance. One group focused on the internal strengthening of Buklod Atenista, while the other team designed plans to increase visibility of the organization.

“I think the [sic] her [Ianthe Keziah Mae Rosanes] solution was…publishing a website and enhancing visibility for projects. So increasing visibility. I think we've done fairly well, but we need more support, especially from the member student governments and from you guys [Ateneo Publication Alliance],” Gambe said.

Gambe added that collaboration among the members of Buklod Atenista and the revitalization of Buklod Atenista’s website will be the main steps to address concerns in terms of the organization’s visibility. BAPS is already underway with these plans before Gambe’s end of term.