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Good Governance Committee

Project Proposal

By Raymond Clarence Y. Rodis

USC Councilor

Introduction

The Good Governance Committee (GGC) is envisioned as a special standing committee, provided for

under Section 3, Article IX of the University Student Council Constitution.

Rationale

The Good Governance Committee would function as an advocacy committee similar to the Gender and

Environmental Concerns Committees of past councils. It would focus on campaigns surrounding

governance and other policy issues. It would also serve the ‘watchdog’ role through fulfilling the

monitoring and evaluation mandate. Lastly, it would pursue the task of student participation through

consultation, empowerment and engagement.

Unlike other committees that cater to specific subsectors, Good Governance is an advocacy that affects

everyone. As citizens, good governance or the lack of it affects society as a whole.

Student involvement and participation is always promised by every student council. This committee is

created to help concretize that vision by promoting participatory governance, more popularly known as

People’s Participation, in all USC endeavors. Stakeholders should always be taken into account.

Also good governance concepts such as transparency, responsiveness and accountability are popular

battle cries of UP students. The University of the Philippines takes great pride in its critical approach

towards government and it would be good to ensure our own student council is above reproach. The

USC would display its commitment towards good governance by making it a year round priority.

The Good Governance Committee would pursue a healthy mix of programs, projects and campaigns

throughout the year under the GGC’s principles of participation, accountability, responsiveness and

transparency.

Vision

A University and Nation that Practices Good Governance

Mission

- To push for national policies that will promote better governance practices in the country.

- To promote good governance practices in the local and university student council.

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Functions

Auditing

- Ensure internal audit and compliance with rules and plans.

Performance-Based Budgeting

- Linking USC Budget with project performance targets and measures of success. These

will be both qualitative and quantitative in measure.

Project Evaluation and Compilation

- Internal auditing to ensure all pre and post-event processes are properly dealt with.

I. Projects

Good Governance Policy Fair (January)

The youth draft papers on certain policy areas such as Sustainable Development, Anti-Corruption

Measures, Political Dynasties, International Commitments and Policy, and Participatory Governance.

The results will be published in a journal.

Kapihan with Administration (Start and End of Every Semester)

The USC will facilitate a direct student dialogue between the Chancellor and the students. Regular

students will be able to ask questions to the administration. The commitments made by the

administration during these talks will be recorded and monitored.

Boses Diliman

Online Freedom Wall wherein students can anonymously submit their concerns, whether college,

university or system wide concerns, and where the USC will respond their courses of action to address

that issue. It will be a simple facebook page similar to Diliman Files wherein students submit their

concerns through google doc form. Submissions will be screened for profanity and the like but as a

general rule, everything will be posted.

Grade Your SC (Near the End of Every Semester)

Using multi-stage random sampling, students will be asked to rate their student councils both local and

university wide using the UP grading system based on certain criterion.

Proposed Criteria. (See Annex B)

A Seal of Good Governance will be awarded to student councils that perform basic housekeeping

functions. (See Annex A)

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Good Governance Workshops

Local Council Capacity-Building (May – July)

- Series of seminars to provide training to local councils how to do financial statements,

minutes of the meeting, attendance records, writing letters, photoshop skills and marketing.

Prepares each council to comply with the Seal of Good Governance.

School of Budget (July)

- A Forum with UP Professors and other experts explaining the basics of the UP Budget and

the Philippine Budget. There will also be a video-making, poster-making and creative

campaign contest to inform the students about the budget.

Governance Scorecard (August)

- A Forum where we grade the current Philippine administration in numerous governance

areas and then make policy recommendations moving forward.

II. Programs

Bantay BOR

- The USC would be regularly updated on what’s going on in the Board of Regents. There would

also be monitoring of the Office of the Student Regent.

Crowdsourcing

- Students will be allowed to forward projects and program ideas to the USC. The calendar of

USC projects will also be consulted with the students. They can submit their ideas through

google doc forms, at the USC office or through the USC hotline.

III. Campaigns

Anti-Political Dynasties

Political Party Development Act

Open Government Initiative

Freedom of Information

ASEAN 2015

Anti-Epal Bill

Sangguniang Kabataan

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Establishment of a movement to forward these advocacies. Each campaign would

involve multiple stages such as forums, educational discussions, primers, position

papers and signature campaigns.

Auxiliary Support to Other Committees

These are projects that would not fall under the Good Governance Committee’s primary jurisdiction but

could be supported by the Good Governance Committee.

Look Out USC

- In coordination with Mass Media, Finance and Secretariat Committees, USC Financial

Statements, Minutes of the Meetings and Attendance Records would be posted in bulletin

boards of all colleges and dormitories. Local College Councils would be encouraged to do the

same.

Ronda Diliman

- In coordination with the Education and Research Committee, regular student consultations and

focus group discussions about important issues will be conducted in every college as USC

officers go around campus.

Gender Budget

- In coordination with the Gender Committee, the USC can push for councils and colleges to

comply with the spirit of the Magna Carta for Women to allot 5% budget to gender-related

projects.

Public People’s Partnerships

- All projects are open for student involvement. Student Council Volunteers can sign up on a per-

project basis. Student Council Volunteers have the option to be oriented by the Good

Governance Committee.

Direct Link To The Students

- Using student council volunteers and officers, regular room-to-rooms (1 – 2 classes per college)

and org-to-orgs about important updates will be conducted.

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Committee Structure

The Good Governance Committee will adopt a matrix structure dependent on the project. The

committee officers will be drawn from the pool of student council volunteers.

These are the standing officers:

Secretary General

Director for Programs

Director for Operations

Policy and Advocacy Division

Monitoring and Evaluation Division

Liaison and Communications Division

Training and Capacity Building Division

Additional offices may be created as the need arises.

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ANNEX A

Seal of Good Governance

Transparency and Accountability

Does the council publish its minutes regularly?

Does the council publish financial statements?

Does the council publish its plans for every semester?

Does the council publish the attendance record of its officers?

Does the council regularly send representatives to the League of College Councils?

Does the council have a citizens charter? (OPTIONAL)

Citizens Charter

- Student Council Services

- Directory of Student Council Officers

- Administrative Services

- Important College Rules

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ANNEX B

Self-Rated Satisfaction

Rest assured that all your personal data (student number) will be strictly confidential and will only be

used for evaluation purposes.

Multi-stage Random Sampling

Background for Respondents

What is your student number?

What degree program are you currently under? (Undergraduate, Graduate, Diploma, Masters)

What course are you?

How active would you say you are in student council events? (Inactive, Somewhat Active, Active, Very

Active)

How aware would you say you are of your student council (Not Aware, Somewhat Aware, Aware, Very

Aware)

Questions

Using the UP Grading Scale,

I. Events

1. How would you rate the overall number of SC events?

2. How would you rate the quality of execution of SC events?

3. How would you rate the relevance of SC events?

II. Publicity

4. How would you rate the online information dissemination (social media, mail, etc) of the

student council?

5. How would you rate the offline information dissemination (text message, posters, room-to-

rooms, etc) of the student council?

III. Day-to-Day

6. How would you rate the student council’s accessibility to the students?

7. How would you rate the extent of the student council’s consultation with the students?

8. How would you rate the student council’s responsiveness to the concerns of the college?

9. How would you rate the student council’s general services?

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IV. General Perception

10. Overall, using the UP Grading System, rate the student council.

Name 3 SC Projects/ Programs/ Initiatives that you believe had an impact on the college.

V. Freedom Box

Is there anything else you want to say about your council?