Bigotry behind Vague Governance

By The Arbitrary Pointer

Earlier last year, the Student Government of Dumaguete City-I, notably known as the SGDC-I, asked for the students’ sympathy during the SG election last February. We heard sufficing platforms and assuring podiums presented during the Meeting De Avance. They accumulated public attention and trusts from the whole Negros Oriental State University (NORSU) studentry.

With all trust and hope, the students voted them in desire of helping the school and incorporate discipline and deliberate social development among studentry as anticipated. Moreover, students, in innocence, expected comprehensive governance including general welfare and safety from them. This is so because partly, it is their responsibility.

Apparently, they are expected to function on four major areas. First, they must build concrete projects that would benefit students and help develop one’s personality. Second, their services must be available and accessible to the students. Third, they must be subsidiary to students’ interests and welfare. And lastly, they must be role models in inculcating ideal leadership and transparent governance among students. But how many of these do you exactly know were realized?

As one of the many crying students, I have always aimed of prolific ascendancy. And in my aim of uncompromising trust, there existed cancellation of hope. Few months ago, we have experienced on and off communication towards the SG office and we do not know why. We just noticed later that there was a personal fight among the SG officers. Some quit from their respective positions. We note it is mirrored to the whole studentry, so it must not have happened. They were disorganized, and they jeopardized their union, communication and workforce, resulting to inefficient and ineffective leadership. During those very times, they were not able to come up with satisfying output. We, the students, were massively affected since they no longer function well in their jobs as bestowed officers. We can conclude that the last area where they are supposed to function is already halted.

SG also said that they will renovate and add more canopies along the sidewalks; initiate activities to develop students’ talents and skills; and roof the open court, among others. They further elaborated that the canopies should be added so that students won’t get wet during rainy days. Activities like Sports Fest would be one of their plans to improve Norsunians’ athletic skills and other activities that would hone their talents. And lastly, they said that the open court roofing would be their biggest project in their term.

I am particular with the outcome and I see nothing. The open court was not roofed yet apart from their promise that it must be their biggest project. We can see it! Anticipated canopies were also invisible from students’ eyes. In the actual sense, these laid back personnel seem to be doing nothing but sit in a throne. They have all the coffers but have done nothing.

Similarly, from the sprouting issues about culpable manipulation and mishandling of public funds came a purulent monopoly about NORSUFFA tickets. It is noted that the SG collected some amount of 20 pesos for NORSUFFAA tickets for raffle draw. However, a total P54, 000 worth of NORSUFFAA tickets were allegedly lost. According to SGCD-I President Angelo Nabalse, he unintentionally lost the tickets. But, as a responsible leader, can you afford to lose such amount just because of your negligence? Undeniably, it is a big loss of students’ funds in which if handled properly and meticulously can be used to build for additional student-projects.

The very question in my mind now is that is it really lost? If yes, would let Nabalse depart from this institution without resolving the problem? It would be unjust for us some Norsunians!

There are actually many things still happening around the SG office right now. These things mentioned are just few of the many disrupting reality that must be corrected before we end this semester. But, if these will not be stopped, we will all end unproductive. The school year 2011-2012 is nearly ending, but we are still seated on the top of a rotten eggplant.

So, it is in this light that they are hoped to change and adhere to the prolific grounds of absolute governance. They must be ready to take new steps for societal change and plant legacy that is worth remembering and emulating among us students.