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University Student Council AY 2015-2016

Good Governance Committee Proposal

Prepared by Reinald Jay Belen

NCPAG Representative to the USC

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Introduction

The Good Governance Committee (GG) is a special standing committee of the University

Student Council (USC).

Rationale

As an advocacy committee, the GG shall continue to promote the principles of good governance

towards achieving local community trust and confidence in its council and national prosperity as

a whole.

The University Student Council is the highest-governing student body of the University of the

Philippines Diliman. As a student body, it represents the interests of the students within and

outside the university. It is mandated to direct campaigns that benefits the whole nation.

Similarly, it is tasked to provide basic student services to improve the students general welfare.

In essence, the students put their trust in the USC in ensuring that their needs and concerns are

being catered to.

Hence, its stakeholders, in this context, the UP studentry, have the right to expect that the USC

carries out its duties mindful of those whom they are serving. Quality of services, prudent

management of financial resources, demonstration of full accountability to its stakeholders, and

participatory and transparent governance are expected from the USC. We cannot stress enough

the importance of being proactive in proving these assurances to our stakeholders.

Good governance lies at the heart of all successful organizations. Thus, to fully realize and

actualize these goals, practice of good governance must be central to USC.

Upholding the principles of participation, accountability, responsiveness, and transparency,

GGCs programs, projects, and campaigns would revolve around these battle cries, ensuring that

these principles are advanced in every endeavour of the USC.

Vision

A Good Governance Committee that is deemed as an indispensable arm of the University

Student Council that promotes the principles of good governance in the university and in the

nation as a whole. With the continuing greater trend for citizens participation, it envisions a

nation where its youth are enfranchised and empowered.

Mission

To be able to launch projects that cater to the realization of good governance in local and

university student councils and in our nation

To push for national policies that will promote better governance practices in our country

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To empower the stakeholders by creating a culture that encourages a structured exchange

of ideas and provides plenty of context in every endeavour pursued by the GG Committee

Goals

1. Institutionalization of Grade Your SC! (August-December)

The USC shall ensure that feedback is collected effectively and used wisely to

improve its existing performance. Hence, in partnership with the Office of the Vice

Chancellor for Student Affairs (OVCSA), a student feedback mechanism which will

be included in the Computerized Registration System (CRS) interface shall be

launched. This is to institutionalize the USC evaluation conducted by the GG

recently.

To further empower local college councils, a survey questionnaire will be offered

parallel to the University questionnaire.

2. Mainstreaming of the NCPAGs Philippine Good Governance Summit

Underpinning the role of youth in nation building, the USC shall encourage local

college councils to participate in this summit.

3. Seal of Good Governance

As one of the successful projects of the GGC last year, the conferment of the Seal of

Good Housekeeping to local college councils that exemplified the principles of

transparency and accountability during their term as student council officers will be

continued. The devised assessment criteria shall be the basis in determining the

councils who will be conferred with the seal.

The conferment of the seals may be done during the Linggo ng Parangal of UP

Diliman.

Assessment Criteria

- Regular posting of minutes of the meeting

- Publication of the financial statements

- Publications of the councils plans for the semester/academic year

- Posting of the attendance record of its officers

- Citizens Charter, that includes Student Council Services, Directory of Student

Council Officers, Administrative Services, and other information deemed

important for the studentry by the council.

Campaigns

1. Launching of Voters Education Campaigns (August-May)

With the 2016 National Elections just around the corner, the USC shall centralize and

unify all efforts of local college councils in launching massive information

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dissemination on responsible voting. To actualize this, a week-long event focused on

voters education shall be conducted.

For the first day, a forum on the Philippine Political Party System will be hosted to

raise awareness on the importance of practicing platform-based politics.

On the second day, a national Senatorial debate and forum will be hosted in

partnership with the Education and Research Committee. This is to provide useful

and substantial information that the voters could consider come May 2016.

The third day shall launch our campaign for the inclusion of the None of the Above

option in our voting ballot. This is to add more democracy to the political process and

allow full expression of citizens political will. Apparently, it provides the voter with

the option to indicate his/her disapproval with all of the candidates in an election.

This is widely practiced in some countries, including India, U.S State of Nevada,

Ukraine, Spain, and Colombia. Moreover, on the same day, candidate (presidentiables

and senatoriables) profiling shall be made. The USC shall gather relevant information

(credentials) of the candidates that will be posted in a conspicuous place where the

students can freely drop by to review the credentials of those who are running. This to

ensure that we elect candidates on the basis of merit and fitness.

On the fourth and fifth day, the USC shall strengthen the existing information

dissemination apparatus by conducting university- and community-based election-

related education seminars, primarily aimed for the benefit of the youth who comprise

a large portion of our voting population. The seminars shall invite someone from the

Commission on Elections (COMELEC) who will hold a talk, but not limited to, on

how to use the PCOS machine and most importantly a talk encapsulating the role of

the youth on elections. In addition, a survey on UP Diliman students on who their

president, vice president, and senators are will be conducted to get a pulse of the

leaders preference of UP Diliman students.

Equally important, our job does not stop after educating the voters on who to vote for.

We shall commit to increasing the voters participation this coming national election.

Thus, recognizing youth as a potent force in initiating genuine political reforms in our

country, a week-long caravan before the voters registration ends in October,

primarily in different universities around Metro Manila, that encourages youth to

register and exercise their right to vote will be held. COMELEC and possible media

partners will be tapped to ensure the widest possible of youth to vote and participate.

This will be in partnership with YouthVote Philippines and other UP organizations.

2. Young Leaders for Governance (YLG)

Advocating genuine youth empowerment, YLG will serve as a network org. Those

who will participate in the campaigns abovementioned will have the option to join

YLG. Access to linkages, materials, resource speakers, potential partners and funders

are just some of the benefits members of YLG could get. They are encouraged to

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conduct voters education campaigns, to apply what they have learned in the the

forums and extensive workshops provided by the abovementioned campaigns, in their

respective communities/localities. This to underscore the importance of grassroots

approach in every USC endeavour.

Committee Structure

- The Committee Head shall:

o Convene and preside over the meetings

o Exercise supervision over the committee

o Report to and update the USC members of the activities and developments

in the committee so as to facilitate coordination of the plans of the

committees and committees concerns

- The Secretary General shall:

o Record and keep minutes of the meeting

o Keep all pertinent documents of the committee

- The Policy and Advocacy Division shall:

o Identify possible national policies and advocacies the GGC could forward

that will improve the existing governance practices in our country

o Maintain close coordination with the progress of the national policies and

advocacies being pushed forward

- The Training and Capacity Building Division shall:

o Ensure that the training programs cater to the acquisition of knowledge on

the subject matter being explored

o Facilitate the extensive workshops and seminars that the GGC will

implement in its every endeavour