Let us be one. VOTE NO TO THE SR REFERENDUM

Last Friday, UP Student Regent Shahana Abdulwahid released her statement rejecting the appeal made by some councils across the UP System calling for the addition of the five crucial proposals in the ballot for the upcoming SR Referendum. Hah! Talk about REJECTION

I dare answer her.
And my answer is a resounding NO.

Why? Because:

1. The current CRSRS does not protect the genuine interests and welfare of the students by not imposing a minimum academic requirement, thus allowing students not academically good to hold such office of high esteem, giving probability that student representation would be compromised (remember SR Ferdinand Zafranco?)
2. The current CRSRS does not guarantee transparency because the role and responsibilities of the student regent is not defined. In any guiding rules for election or selection, the responsibilities of the position being selected should be well-defined so that the panel that shall elect or select will be guided accordingly.
   
3. The current CRSRS allows for power monopolization by the inclusion of KASAMA sa UP in the selection process. As I quote Mr. Ernest Calayag: "The existence of the KASAMA sa UP which takes the secretariat seat on default breaks the essence of a democratic selection. We acknowledge the alliance’s contribution to the SR history but giving it a major participation without any process is like stealing from the students their right to democratically select who they truly want to represent them."
4. The current CRSRS does not call for maximum student participation by limiting the voting process to 2 votes for all autonomous units and 1 vote for all regional units. The selection of the student regent is a truly student affair and the students should have the final say in the selection of THEIR student regent. Giving voice to local councils is tantamount to giving voice to the students who democratically elected them and submitted themselves to be represented by the local councils.
   
5. The current CRSRS and its contents did not pass through genuine student consultation.

The Office of the Student Regent is an office very precious and crucial to us students. Only by allowing it to be democratized will it be a truly representative institution. However, the current system does not allow it to be truly representative. It only serves the interests of the few, and not the genuine interests of the student body.

WE CALL FOR A GENUINELY DEMOCRATIC STUDENT REGENT SELECTION PROCESS.

NO TO UNPROTECTED STUDENT INTERESTS!
NO TO POWER MONOPOLIZATION!
NO TO UNGUARANTEED TRANSPARENCY!
NO TO UNDEMOCRATIC VOTING PROCESS!
NO TO THE FLAWED CRSRS!


VOTE NO TO THE SR REFERENDUM!