By Lysander Tiu
Confed council resigns amid internal issues
Following the resignation of Silliman University (SU) College of Computer Studies (CCS) Confederate Students Council, the dean and advisers responded to the ex-officers’ allegations of adviser overreach and fund mismanagement.
Five core council members confirmed to tWS that 15 of them, 6 core and 9 out of 13 committee heads, stepped down from their respective positions after the CCS Acquaintance Party last Aug. 2.
According to former CCS Governor Carlos Joaquin Macalolot, the board officers originally voted for the party to be held on Aug. 16 during their first meeting last June.
The board officers consist of the core council members, department heads, and committee heads.
However, CCS Adviser Prof. Leonardo John Pansipansi and Vice-adviser Prof. Soleil Ann Chua informed them that they had to abide by their calendar of activities (COA) scheduled on Aug. 2.
“The problem is that the advisers came to us and told us that they knew it was gonna be on Aug. 2, but they were waiting for the dean to approve the COA,” Macalolot said.
He furthered that the major cause for their resignation was due to the sudden shift in the schedule, which they only knew on July 28.
“So [it’s like] blindsided in a way, on the responsibilities [we are] supposed to uphold, and we were not given proper time or preparation for everything,” Macalolot said.
However, Chua confirmed that the council was informed last July 30 but did not state Aug. 16 in their previous minutes.
Meanwhile, CCS Dean Asst. Prof. Joy Dy clarified that the Aug. 2 date was previously voted and approved during a faculty and staff meeting before the academic year.
The advisers also explained that they rejected the council’s proposed Aug. 16 date in anticipation of the Hibalag Festival. They also suggested Aug. 9 to the Student Organizations and Activities Division, but it was not approved due to prelims week.
“Kung ibutang pa ninyo sa 16, where will we get money for the booth, for the Parada [Sillimaniana], and everything to follow?” Chua posed.
When asked about their resignation, the ex-council members cited a food budget problem for their acquaintance party.
Food budget disputes
The core council members initially proposed ₱35,000 for their food. However, the board officers rejected the budget due to procurement issues with Silliman Cafeteria.
Chua noted that the food committee head said the money was “too small” to feed the expected guests for the party.
The board officers then approved a bigger amount of ₱100,000, but there were allegedly no plans or canvassing made for food catering and suppliers.
In response, the council advisers agreed to borrow ₱38,000 from previous council funds, which was raised to ₱47,000 through other means.
The final budget allocated for the food was ₱95,000, according to Chua.
“We will be there for this, sa financial aspect. We also need to take accountability, kay naa na gud problema. Ang ako ba ato, dili ko ganahan ang estudyante mamroblema sa kwarta,” Chua said.
[We will be there for this, in the financial aspect. We also need to take accountability, because there is already a problem. For me, I don’t want the students to have a problem with money.]
However, Macalolot said the advisers went over the budget without informing the board officers and the food committee head.
“Technically, the board approved the case pero the main problem is that the advisors took it upon themselves to meet with the food caterers and discuss the price and they went over [the] budget,” he stated.
Macalolot added that the advisers’ duties only involved “overseeing operations rather than stepping in,” as stipulated in their constitution.
Chua responded to this, stating, “It is because we saw the need of us there, kay diba, if you think of it, naa nay problema sa finances. Nag-problema nagod sila sa kwarta, because there was no money actually ato nga na-collect pa.”
Imposed interest system
The advisers also called the attention of the core officers to address the 12-percent interest rate system they imposed on their council fees.
According to Chua, the core officers implemented it without prior consultation or approval from the faculty, advisers, and dean.
However, Macalolot agreed to remove the interest system and took down the post a week after consultation with Prof. Pansipansi, who oversees the council’s finances.
“What [Macalolot] did was make a paragraph, insisting that the interest policy system should be imposed. So that was the beginning that I ignored the message because I don’t see the point of you, [Macalolot], not following when in fact this is for the college,” Chua stressed.
She added that the interest rates could not attract students to pay their council fees, which resulted in budget constraints for their acquaintance party.
Adviser role questioned
Macalolot pointed out that advisers did not “micromanage over everything” but overstepped the council’s authority, which further heightened their resignation.
“There are moments or lapses in the advisers [that] they took measures that should not have been taken,” he expressed, referring to the food budget.
But Chua clarified that they only stepped in when budget concerns came up while the council processed other logistical work.
Macalolot also mentioned they were only left a few days to process all the requirements for the party and finalize arrangements such as food, venue, and reports.
“Mura ug na delay jud siya. It was very stressful even though we were confirmed na on [Aug. 2] jud siya. On Saturday, we were still not sure if we would get the proper paperwork done by [next] Saturday,” he said.
Legitimacy of resignation
Contrary to the ex-council members’ claim, Dy clarified that only 5 core officers out of 15 members’ resignations are considered “legitimate,” as the rest were only appointed due to technicalities during the election.
She detailed that, as per the constitution, the ex-officers were “elected but waived” as they did not reach the required votes by the majority of the student body.
When asked why they were not immediately disqualified, Prof. Pansipansi said, “Sige lang, tagaan na to sila [og] chance.”
Regarding the resignation, Chua said, “That’s why I accept that and approve the removal of duty because I wrote an incident report regarding the acquaintance party for abandonment of duties because none of the core officers stayed after the event.”
The vacated positions of the core officers are composed of appointees from the heads of the food, documentation, secretariat, and logistics committees, who did not resign.
“I don’t want to end it on a sour note and in a way that I guess would like to say that we tried our best and we apologize for any mishandling of any events and lack of quality that was expected upon us,” Macalolot said.
He added that “no further actions,” including an official statement, will be taken following their resignation.
Moreover, Dy said that this is the first time in the history of CCS that a majority of council members voluntarily and publicly announced their resignation.
