The 2008 Constitution of the

Alliance of Filipino-Chinese Students

PREAMBLE

We, the members organizations unified under the Alliance of the Filipino-Chinese Students, aspire to be
the voices of the modern Filipino-Chinese youth geared towards socio-cultural awareness and understanding,
and to be role models who inspire academic, social and moral development among others and ourselves do
hereby promulgate this Constitution.

ARTICLE I
Name

Section 1. The name of the alliance established under this Constitution shall be the Alliance of Filipino-
Chinese Students.

Section 2. The Alliance shall have its seal as follows:

Section 3. The official virtual group shall be afics@yahoogroups.com.

Section 4. The official electronic mail shall be afics.phils@gmail.com.

ARTICLE II
Declaration of Principles

Section 1. This Alliance shall have the following purposes and functions:
1. Unify the voices of its member Filipino-Chinese organizations.
a. The Alliance shall ensure that it not be biased and shall not make any stands that are
detrimental or that may endanger any of its members.
b. The Alliance shall take stands on issues that affect the Filipino-Chinese student body.
2. Forward the cause of the Filipino-Chinese culture with projects whose focus are mainly on
the community and in self-development through the Filipino-Chinese culture.

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 3. Act as a unified body that shall support other Filipino-Chinese organizations and
institutions that aim to further improve the understanding of the Filipino people regarding
the different facets of the Filipino-Chinese culture.
4. Foster better communication and relationships between Filipino-Chinese member
organizations and to serve as a venue for the settlement of disputes between them.

Section 2. The Alliance shall serve as an instrument to foster better relationships between the Chinese and
Filipino people.

ARTICLE III
Membership

Section 1. All organizations, accredited by their respective institutions, for undergraduate students in the
college and university level, shall be eligible for membership provided that:
1. The applying organization is an accredited organization within their institution for at least
five years.
2. The vision, mission and objectives of the organization are in agreement to the mission,
vision and objectives of the Alliance.

Section 2. An institution may have more than one member organization in the Alliance provided that:
1. The representatives to the Alliance are not the same for the applying organizations.
2. They fulfill the aforementioned requirements for eligibility.

Section 3. Upon request for admittance into the Alliance, the applying organization must provide the
present Executive Council of the Alliance with two (2) copies of their constitution as approved
by the institution the applying organization for is under.

Section 4. Application to the Alliance shall have the following procedure and requirements:
1. Upon request and submission of the constitution of the applying organization, the
Executive Council of the Alliance shall have reviewed the said constitution within thirty
(30) days from the day that the constitution was submitted.
2. The Executive Council shall make sure that the contents of the constitution of the applicant
organization are in agreement with the purpose of the Alliance.
3. The application fee shall be fifty percent (50%) of the annual membership renewal fee of
the applying organization and must be paid along with the submission of their constitution.
4. After reviewing the constitution of the applying organization, the Executive Council shall
vote whether to accept or reject the applicant as a probationary member.
5. The probationary status shall be mandatory and temporary, and is considered to be a period
of evaluation for the applying organization.
a. The status shall be in place for six (6) months succeeding the month the organization
completes the requirements for application.
b. An organization under the probationary status shall have the right to attend meetings,
join discussions and represent their organization.
c. An organization under probation shall have no right to vote.
6. An applicant organization that is rejected after its six months of probation shall lose its
applicant status and no longer be considered for further application and evaluation.
a. A rejected organization may apply again thirty (30) days after notification of its
rejection and, upon reapplication, must go through the entire application process
again.

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 b. Under no circumstances shall the application fee be refunded to the applying
organization.
7. At the end of the probation status, the Executive Council shall once more deliberate the
acceptance or rejection of the applicant organization.
8. Only a vote of three-fifths (3/5) of the present Alliance representatives shall decide the
acceptance or rejection of an applying organization after the six (6) months of mandatory
probation.
9. Acceptance shall be based on an attendance of at least sixty percent (60%) of the meetings,
activities and projects of the Alliance, and performance as a probationary member in the six
(6) months of probation to be evaluated by the Executive Council.
10. Upon acceptance into the Alliance, the applying organization shall henceforth have the
power and privileges accorded to an official member organization of the Alliance.

Section 5. The process for the renewal of membership is as follows:

1. All member organizations shall renew their membership within thirty (30) days after the
beginning of the term of office.
2. Non-payment or non-renewal of membership shall place the organization under the
‘probation’ status which shall only be lifted once the organization has settled its financial
obligations to the Alliance.
3. Failure to renew for two (2) consecutive years shall result to the void of the membership of
the organization.
4. The membership renewal fee shall have a rate of five hundred (500) pesos for every fifty
(50) official members of the member organization.
a. A ceiling rate of three thousand (3,000) pesos shall be implemented for organizations
with more than three hundred (300) members.
b. An excess of one (1) member more than the per-fifty (50) member count shall be
considered as part of the next fifty (50).

ARTICLE IV
Rights and Duties

Section 1. All member organizations, probationary or non-probationary, shall have the following duties:
1. To uphold the Constitution of the Alliance.
2. To abide by the rules and regulations of the Alliance.
3. To keep themselves informed of the general on-goings of the Alliance.
4. To attend and actively participate in the meetings and activities of the Alliance.
5. To perform all duties and responsibilities that may be entrusted to them by the Alliance.
6. To settle any financial obligation to the Alliance within the period of time specified by the
Finance officer of the Alliance.
7. To withdraw their membership provided that they do so in writing.

Section 2. Member organizations without a probationary status shall henceforth be ‘official member
organizations’.

Section 3. Each official member organization shall have the following duties:
1. To exercise their right to vote in any organizational decision-making, election, referendum
and plebiscite of the Alliance.
2. To propose changes necessary for the improvement of this organization.
3. To have access to records pertaining to official acts, transactions or decisions of the
Executive Council.
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 4. To defend themselves when recommended for probation or expulsion.

Section 4. Only official member organizations shall have the right to run for office and to vote in any
organizational decision-making, election, referendum and plebiscite of the Alliance.

ARTICLE V
The Executive Board and Executive Council

Section 1. Each member organization shall have four (4) representatives to the Alliance.

Section 2. The Alliance shall have the President as the highest seat of office with the Vice Presidents
sharing the same level under the President.

Section 3. The President and the Vice-Presidents shall be collectively known as the Executive Board.

Section 4. The Executive Board of the Alliance shall be composed of the following members:
1. President
2. Vice President for Operations
3. Vice President for Human Resources
4. Vice President for Finance
5. Vice President for Marketing

Section 5. A member organization may have only one representative holding an office in the Executive
Board.

Section 6. The Executive Board shall:

1. Head their respective committees, with the exception of the President who shall head the
Executive Board.
2. Produce an annual report, containing an account of the year’s finances and the
documentation of the activities of the year, to be given to all member organizations.

Section 7. The President shall:

1. Serve as the head of the Executive Board.
2. Preside over and prepare the agenda of all meetings.
3. Represent the Alliance in any activity.
4. Be responsible for the enforcement of the Constitution.
5. Have the power to assign tasks to any representative of the Alliance, with the approval of
the Executive Board.
6. Receive and review monthly reports from the Vice Presidents.
7. Perform any and all other duties that their office may require.

Section 8. The Vice President for Operations shall:

1. Be a member of the Executive Board.
2. Act as the presiding officer and exercise and discharge the duties of the President in case of
the absence or incapacity of the President to perform their duties and functions.
3. Be in-charge of the activities of the Alliance that pertain to conceptualization, production
and general operation.
4. Coordinate activities hosted by the member organizations.
5. Perform any and all other duties that their office may require.

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Section 9. The Vice President for Human Resources shall:
1. Be a member of the Executive Board.
2. Act as the presiding officer and exercise and discharge the duties of the President in case of
the absence or incapacity of the President and of the Vice President for Operations to
perform their functions.
3. Be the secretary of the Alliance and perform the following functions:
a. Take the minutes of the meetings and upload and update the said documents in both
the official virtual group and the logbook of the Alliance within three (3) days after
the meeting.
b. Take charge of the logbook of the Alliance.
c. Keep in archive all of the organization’s papers, documents and correspondences.
4. Take charge of the internal affairs of the Alliance.
5. Take charge of the man-power for the activities of the Alliance.
6. Take charge of the team building activities of the Alliance.
7. Disseminate and inform the member organizations of announcements, meetings, new
policies, policy changes and general information.
8. Perform any and all other duties that their office may require.

Section 10. The Vice President for Finance shall:

1. Be a member of the Executive Board.
2. Be the custodian of all funds, monetary matters, accounts and properties of the Alliance.
3. Be responsible for the collection of all dues from members and other entities, issue receipts
as acknowledgements of payments and record all transactions in the financial logbook of
the Alliance.
4. Keep all financial accounts and shall render a detailed financial statement every meeting or
upon the request of the President or of the member organizations.
5. Be responsible for the accounting, budgeting, raising and reimbursement of the funds of the
Alliance.
6. Perform any and all other duties that their office may require.

Section 11. The Vice President for Marketing shall:

1. Be a member of the Executive Board.
2. Be responsible for all external and public communications, solicitations, sponsorships,
publicities, alliances, tie-ups and linkages of the Alliance.
3. Be responsible for the direct coordination and integration of a comprehensive program of
activities and/or projects adopted by the organization and administered by the different
committees.
4. Make sure that all recognized activities and/or projects initiated by the Alliance are in line
with the purpose and policies of the organizers.
5. Perform any and all other duties that their office may require.

Section 12. The Executive Council of the Alliance shall:

1. Be composed of the Executive Board and all other representatives from the member
organizations.
2. Uphold the Constitution of the Alliance.
3. Act as the supreme decision making body of the Alliance.
4. Be the governing body of the Alliance.
5. Create, oversee and support all of the activities and projects of the Alliance.
6. Vote on all issues that shall need voting.
7. Choose advisers and consultants that shall help the Council run the Alliance efficiently and
effectively.
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 8. Be liable for loans, debts and/or deficits incurred during its term.
9. Decide on all matters concerning the acceptance of new member organizations.
10. Ratify the Constitution after its amendment.

Section 13. Each committee of the Executive Council shall be composed of an equal number of members,
each of whom is a representative of a different organization from the committee head and from
the other committee members. The Finance committee, however, shall have one less than the
number of members of the other committees.

Section 14. Each member organization shall assign the committees of which their representatives shall be
part of.

Section 15. The head of each committee shall appoint one of their committee members to act as their
assistant, who shall assist them in performing their duties.

Section 16. The committee members shall assist their respective Vice Presidents in performing their duties.

ARTICLE VI
Decision Making Process

Section 1. All decisions of the Alliance shall be made final only by a three-fifths (3/5) votes.

Section 2. Member organizations must have at least one representative in attendance when the Alliance
makes a decision.

Section 3. Voting shall only take place if three-fifths (3/5) of the member organizations, represented by
their respective representatives, are in attendance.

Section 4. Each member organization shall be entitled to only one (1) vote.

Section 5. The right to vote of a member organization shall be forfeited in the event that the organization
fails to provide a representative during the vote.

Section 6. Only members of the Executive Council shall take part in votes.
1. A substitute representative from the organization that fails to have an Alliance
representative present during the vote may attend the meeting, take down notes and join the
discussion but shall not have the right to vote.
2. The substitute representative shall be allowed into the meeting provided they have a letter
authorizing them to be the substitute representative of the organization.

ARTICLE VII
Resignation and Leave of Absence

Section 1. In the case that the President resigns, the Vice President for Operations shall take on the
responsibilities and duties of the vacated office.

Section 2. In the case that the Vice President for Operations, Human Resources, Finance or Marketing
resigns, the assistant committee heads shall take on the responsibilities of their respective

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 committee. Under such a circumstance, the member organizations shall be allowed to have more
than one (1) position in the Executive Board.

Section 3. In the case that the President takes a leave of absence, the Vice President for Operations shall
take on the responsibilities of the office until the return of the President.

Section 4. In the case that the Vice President for Operations, Human Resources, Finance or Marketing takes
a leave of absence, the respective assistant committee heads shall take on the responsibilities of
their committees until the resumption of office of the Vice President on leave.

Article VIII
Term of Office

Section 1. All Alliance representatives shall serve a term of one (1) year that shall start on the thirtieth
(30th) of June and end on the twenty-ninth (29th) of June of the following year.

Section 2. Only under their term in office shall the Alliance representatives have the right to vote as a
representative of their organization.

Section 3. In the case that the member organization should assign a new set of representatives to the
Alliance before the end of the term of office of the previous representatives, the new
representatives shall be permitted to attend the meetings of the Alliance as guests without any
rights or privileges.

ARTICLE IX
Elections

Section 1. There shall be an annual election of the Executive Board to be held no later than thirty (30) days
before the end of the previous term.

Section 2. All Alliance representative of a member organization shall be eligible to run for any Executive
Board position.

Section 3. Each member organization shall choose a primary representative among their Alliance
representatives.

Section 4. The primary representatives shall choose two (2) positions that they would run for and shall label
them according to priority.

Section 5. Voting shall only take place if each of the five (5) positions of the Executive Board has a
candidate of at least one (1) individual.

Section 6. Each member organization shall:

1. Exercise their right to vote.
2. Only have a singular vote for each position.
3. Have a vote for all five (5) positions of the Executive Board.

Section 7. An individual cannot be voted for more than one position by a single organization.

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Section 8. A simple majority of votes shall be sufficient to elect a candidate into office.

Section 9. In the case of a tie for any position, a re-election shall be undertaken only for the particular
position.

Section 10. The results of the elections shall be announced to all member organizations within three (3) days
after the conclusion of the said elections.

ARTICLE X
Sanctions

Section 1. Any member organization or Alliance representative shall be placed under probation if they fail
to fulfill their duties as a member, as evaluated by the Executive Council.

Section 2. The aforementioned probationary status shall be lifted only after the probationary member
organization or Alliance representative accomplishes the terms agreed upon with the Executive
Board.

Section 3. In the case that the probationary member organization or Alliance representative fails to fulfill
the terms of agreement within six (6) months from the date of agreement:
1. They shall be placed under the probationary status for the rest of the term of office.
2. The probationary status shall be lifted in the following year immediately upon fulfillment
of the terms of agreement.

Section 4. A probationary Alliance representative shall have the same right and duties given to a
probationary member organization.

ARTICLE XI
Meetings

Section 1. Meetings are to be held at least once a month or whenever the President sees it fit to call for one.

Section 2. All Alliance representatives are expected to attend and arrive on time during meetings of the
Alliance.
1. Representatives who will be arriving late are required to inform the President and Vice
President for Human Resources via a call or text message at least two (2) hours before the
meeting.
2. The member organization should state the reason for their tardiness and their estimated
time of arrival in the aforementioned message or call.
3. Representatives of the Alliance who fail to inform the President and Vice President for
Human Resources of their tardiness at least two (2) hours before the meeting shall be
individually charged ten pesos (PhP 10.00) for every fifteen (15) minutes of tardiness from
the time of the beginning of the meeting.
4. Unexcused absences shall be individually charged the total of the fees from the uninformed
tardiness of the particular meeting.

Section 3. Member organizations that are unable to have their respective Alliance representatives attend a
meeting shall have the option of providing a substitute that shall represent the organization

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 provided that they provide a letter of authorization, stating that the individual shall stand as the
substitute representative of their organization.
1. The letter of authorization for substitution should be formally written and shall contain the
name of the substitute, their position and status in the organization and the reason for
absence of the Alliance representatives.
2. The aforementioned letter shall be posted in the virtual groups of the Alliance and the
President and Vice President for Human Resources shall be notified twenty-four (24) hours
before the said meeting.
3. The substitute should present the authorization letter together with their identification card
upon arrival to the meeting.
4. The substitute shall be permitted to attend the meeting, take down notes and join the
discussion but shall not have the right to vote.
5. A member organization can only send a substitute to no more than five (5) meetings of the
Alliance.

Section 4. The time of the meeting shall be set by the President and shall be based on the official time of the
Philippines.

Section 5. The venue of the meeting shall be set by the President.

Section 6. Member organizations shall be required to attend at least sixty percent (60%) of all the meetings
for a year or shall be placed under the probationary status and charged with a fee of twenty pesos
(PhP 20.00) for every unattended meeting.
1. Evaluation of meeting attendance shall be done biannually.
2. The probationary status shall be lifted based on the attendance and performance of the
member organization, as evaluated by the Executive Board.

ARTICLE XII
Activities and Projects

Section 1. There shall be permanent activities and projects of the Alliance that shall be done annually and
shall require the attendance of all the member organizations.

Section 2. Permanent activities and projects of the Alliance shall include:

1. School swaps to be conducted with the aim to foster camaraderie between the member
organizations.
2. A sports festival that would encourage the development of the values of teamwork and
sportsmanship through sports.
3. A fund-raising activity to help increase the financial resources of the Alliance.
4. An outreach or socially relevant project that aims to develop a sense of duty among the
members of the Alliance and to be able to contribute to the betterment of the society and
the nation.

Section 3. A team building activity shall take place for both the outgoing and incoming officers of the
Alliance.
1. The activity shall be done before the elections for the new Executive Board.
2. The Vice President for Human Resources shall head the activity.

Section 4. Members of the Executive Council may submit proposals for other activities and projects for the
Alliance for the approval of the Executive Board.
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 ARTICLE XIII
Finances

Section 1. All Alliance funds shall be considered as a trust fund and shall only be used for the activities and
projects of the Alliance, and under no circumstance shall it be used for other purposes.

Section 2. Sources of funds shall include application and renewal fees, tardiness and absence penalty fees,
sponsorships, donations, proceeds from sales, projects and activities, and other fund-raising
activities.

Section 3. The funds shall be deposited in a readily accessible financial institution under the name of the
Alliance of Filipino-Chinese Students.

Section 4. The Vice President for Finance shall be authorized to open bank accounts, make deposits and
withdrawals and handle all financial transactions in behalf of the organization, with approval
from the Executive Board.

Section 5. The initial balance shall be the net balance forwarded from the previous term of office.

Section 6. The funds of the Alliance shall be managed as follows:

1. Forty percent (40%) of the initial balance at the start of the term of office shall remain
untouched and shall constitute the minimum balance of the Alliance’s financial resources.
a. The minimum balance shall under no circumstance be used unless decided upon by a
vote by the Executive Council in case of an emergency.
b. The amount taken from the minimum balance shall be returned before the end of the
term of office.
2. The funds, either in part or in whole, may be invested in time deposit, bonds and the like,
with approval from the Executive Board.

Section 7. All funds generated from a sponsorship shall be distributed as follows:

1. The individual responsible for the sponsorship shall receive ten percent (10%) of the
sponsorship.
2. The member organization of which the aforementioned individual is part of shall receive
ten percent (10%) of the sponsorship.
3. A selected charitable institution selected by the Executive Board shall receive ten percent
(10%) of the sponsorship.
4. The Alliance shall receive seventy percent (70%) of the sponsorship.

Section 8. No member of the Executive Council or of the Alliance shall extort money from the fund of the
Alliance.
1. An individual or group that shall be accused of extortion shall be given a fair trial.
2. Once proven guilty, the individual or group shall pay back to the funds of the Alliance
twice the amount extorted and shall be placed under probation.

Section 9. The funds of the Alliance shall under no circumstance be dissolved or abolished unless it is
required by national laws or unless the Alliance is dissolved, in which case the funds shall be
entirely distributed equally among the member organizations.

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 ARTICLE XIV
Logbook and Financial Book

Section 1. The official logbook and financial notebook of the Alliance shall only be used for purposes of
the Alliance.

Section 2. Only black, blue and red ballpoint pens shall be used in the logbook and financial notebook of
the Alliance.

ARTICLE XV
Amendments or Revisions

Section 1. Any amendments to, or revision of, this Constitution may be proposed by any representative of
the Alliance provided that they do so in writing to be submitted for review to the Executive
Board.

Section 2. The Executive Board shall decide on the validity of the proposed amendment or revision by a
vote.

Section 3. A draft of the amendment or revision shall be submitted to the Executive Council for ratification
to be decided by a vote.

Section 4. The Constitution shall take effect upon ratification by the Executive Council and proclamation
by the President.

ARTICLE XVI
Acceptance and Compliance

All members of the Alliance must comply with and be bound to this Constitution and the rules and laws
of this Alliance and therefore shall be privileged to be a member of this Alliance. No member of the Alliance
shall be absolved from the observance of this Constitution on the plea that they have not received or read this
Constitution.

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 The foregoing Constitution of the Alliance of Filipino-Chinese Students was ratified on the 7th day of
November two thousand and eight by the representatives of the member organizations to the Alliance whose
signatures are here under affixed.

Larraine S. Chuacokiong
President

Robertgil M. Vicente
Vice President for Operations

Gwendalyn S. Chan
Vice President for Human Resources

Harrell T. Wong
Vice President for Finance

Francis S. Uyham
Vice President for Marketing

Mary Gyen B. Chan Clea R. Cheng Tiffany T. Chua

Maria Bianca S. Coleto-Geli Andrew U. Estera Daryl L. Julio

William Y. Lim Jr. Haiping Lu Arthur Y. Osmeña

Jan Michael T. Po Janine S. Sio Aileen G. Uy

Jhenel T. Wong Cheryl T. Yu Katrina G. Yu

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