University of the Philippines Baguio

Office of the University Student Council

Governor Pack Road, Baguio City 2600 Date: 21 January 2012 To: The Office of the Student Regent and the General Assembly of Student Councils Subject: CALL TO RECONVENE THE GASC IMMEDIATELY AND EXPEDIENTLY

Memorandum No. USC 2011-24 University Student Council 2011-2012 Brill Degay V. Daupan Chairperson Isaac Ern V. Galang Vice-Chairperson Divine P. Castro Freshie Desk Head Fortunato DG. Galang, Jr. Indigenous Peoples / Cultural Desk Head Irvin Keith B. Imperial Gender Desk Head Jessica Sheena A. Acua Finance Committee Head Donna Grace M. Alvarez Basic Student Services Committee Head Alaine Astra C. Cadang Sports Committee Head Jareed C. Reyes Environmental Desk Head Kristan Dalsi S. Almazan Volunteer Corps/ Special Events Committee Head Fiona Mae S. Lopez Secretary-General/Publications Committee Head Sharamae Rose C. Sanchez Nationalist Corps Head College of Arts and Communication Representatives: Pauline Kaszandra C. Arellano (Spokesperson) Thierri Jeff A. Sanoy Clarisse C. Vega College of Science Representatives: Lester J. Sandaan (Spokesperson) Janine Meryl M. Valentin Jessie James M. Villamin College of Social Sciences Representatives: Ernalyn M. Torres (Spokesperson) Emmanuel Nio Anthonie B. Gabulac Lean Carlo Luis O. Ipac

Greetings of solidarity!

We, the University of the Philippines Baguio- University Council, stand firm that the General Assembly of Student Councils (GASC) must reconvene at the soonest possible time to discuss the Codified Rules for Student Regent Selection (CRSRS) amendments. The GASC must reconvene with immediacy and expediency. We forward the following call for a reconvention of the GASC: Immediacy We stand that the reconvention of the GASC must be conducted at the soonest time possible on the basis that the CRSRS must be settled before the actual Student Regent selection begins. Basing the possible schedule on the previous years (2011) selection process (See attached Search for the 2011 Student Regent informative material), which can be traced to have started on February 8, 2011 with information dissemination and start of open nominations, the GASC must reconvene to settle the CRSRS on or before the month of February 2012. Considering that logistical arrangements must be made prior to a GASC convention with considerate time, the most reasonable timeframe for the reconvention of the GASC is one (1) month from now, in February 2012. Choosing a weekend on the month of February 2012, the best dates for the said GASC convention must be February 25-26, 2012, a Saturday and a Sunday, to give time for the host Council to prepare and for the delegates to have their preparations for their travel as well. Expediency Considering the logistical and financial constraints set upon student councils by the most reasonable timeframe, the GASCs reconvention must also be calibrated and adjusted according to the principle of collective expediency the principle of making the GASC convention easy for everyone on the basis of basic economic principles. This principle affects, among others, a possible venue for the GASC convention.

As we look for the most collectively expedient venue, we make some assumptions: 1. Food is of the same price everywhere and is thus not a factor in the selection of a venue. 2. Venue reservation can be waived, considering that the GASC convention is a legitimate student activity. Thus, venue reservation is as well not a factor. 3. Accommodation cannot be arranged in dormitories, because dormitories are occupied when there is no vacation (such as summer vacations, semester breaks, and Christmas vacations). Thus, we resort to private establishments. Considering however the fact that accommodation prices of private establishments are subject to fluctuation and difficult to ultimately determine, we take accommodation prices out of the equation as a control variable. 4. Thus, only travel fares must be necessarily accounted for. a. For land transportation, we base prices on reasonable canvassing schemes from regular land transit fees. b. For air transportation, we base prices on Zest Air and Cebu Pacific Air, two of the cheapest airlines available. c. Delegates are assumed to live near the UP units they are enrolled in. 5. Basing from the attendance cited by the Student Regent in her Report of the Student Regent on the General Assembly of Student Councils on January 2, 2012 available online via the following link: http://upstudentregent.weebly.com/uploads/1/0/2/8/10283142/report_on_the_fi rst_gasc.pdf at least 106 individuals out of 45 student councils attended the December 2011 GASC. This means that a mean of 2.36 delegates per student council attended. We arbitrarily raise the number of delegates per student council to an integer of 3 for the sake of simplicity and reasonability, and it must be noted that such adjustment will not in any way put questions of equitability into the equation, viz. that such adjustment will not put any student council to undue advantage or disadvantage. Assuming full attendance in the reconvention of the GASC, we multiply the arbitrary mean by 53, which is the total number of student councils in the UP System, getting a figure of 159 delegates in total. From this figure, we assume the following respective numbers of delegates from each geographically defined UP unit: UP Unit UP Baguio UPM SHS in Baler UPD EP in Pampanga UP Diliman UP Los Banos UP Manila UP Visayas UP Miag-ao, Iloilo UP Iloilo City UP Cebu UP Tacloban UPM SHS in Palo UPM SHS in Koronadal UP Mindanao Number of Number of Percentage student councils delegates (pax) (%) 1 3 1.9 1 3 1.9 1 3 1.9 20 60 37.7 10 30 18.9 8 24 15.1 1 3 1.9 3 9 5.7 1 3 1.9 1 3 1.9 1 3 1.9 1 3 1.9 1 3 1.9 3 9 5.7 TOTAL 53 159 100.0
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From these reasonable assumptions, we compare below in a table of expenses three possible UP venues from the three major island groups in the Philippines, namely, UP Diliman from National Capital Region (NCR), Luzon, UP Miag-ao from Iloilo, Visayas, and UP Mindanao. The expenses, as said above in our assumptions, will include only travel expenses. LTQL is land travel qualitative value; LTP is land travel price; ATQL is air travel qualitative value or route; ATP is air travel price; and pax is the number of delegates per UP unit. All travel expenses per category are considered roundtrips and in units of pesos. Venue: UP Diliman, NCR UP Unit LTQL UP Baguio Bus trip UPM SHS in Baler Bus trip UPD EP in Pampanga Bus trip UP Diliman --UP Los Banos Bus trip UP Manila Jeep-train UP Visayas **

ATP* Pax TOTAL 0.00 3 2700.00 0.00 3 2046.00 0.00 3 612.00 0.00 60 0.00 0.00 30 6000.00 0.00 24 1200.00 2344.80 *** 3 8534.40 UP Miag-ao, Iloilo ** 500.00 ILO-MLA 2344.80 *** 9 25603.20 UP Iloilo City ** 500.00 ILO-MLA 2344.80 *** 3 8534.40 UP Cebu ** 500.00 CEB-MLA 2464.80 *** 3 8894.40 UP Tacloban ** 500.00 TAC-MLA 2764.80 *** 3 9794.40 UPM SHS in Palo ** 500.00 TAC-MLA 2764.80 *** 3 9794.40 UPM SHS in Koronadal ** 500.00 GES-MLA 4598.00 **** 3 152940 UP Mindanao ** 500.00 DVO-MLA 3088.80 *** 9 32299.20 TOTAL 159 131306.40 *Air fares in all tables are inclusive of P200 terminal fee x 2 = P400. **To make allowance for land travel to and fro airports, a P500 land fare allowance is assumed for those traveling by air. ***Because UPV USC members come from different destinations, we assume here instead that they will all ride ILO-MLA-ILO air routes via Zest Air (as of 3:07AM of January 12, 2012). ****Based on Cebu Pacific Airs fares (as of 3:26AM of January 12, 2012). UP Miag-ao, Iloilo UP Unit UP Baguio UPM SHS in Baler UPD EP in Pampanga UP Diliman UP Los Banos UP Manila UP Visayas UP Miag-ao, Iloilo

LTP 900.00 682.00 204.00 0.00 200.00 50.00 500.00

ATQL ------------ILO-MLA

LTQL Bus trip* Bus trip* Bus trip * * Bus trip* * -----

LTP ATQL 1400.00 MLA-ILO 1182.00 MLA-ILO 704.00 MLA-ILO 500.00 MLA-ILO 700.00 MLA-ILO 500.00 MLA-ILO 0.00 --0.00 ---

ATP Pax TOTAL 2424.80 ** 3 11474.40 2424.80 ** 3 10820.40 2424.80 ** 3 9386.40 2424.80 ** 60 175488.00 2424.80 ** 30 93744.00 2424.80 ** 24 70195.20 0.00 3 0.00 0.00 9 0.00
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UP Iloilo City UP Cebu UP Tacloban UPM SHS in Palo

Jeep * * *

80.00 --500.00 CEB-ILO 500.00 TAC-CEBILO 500.00 TAC-CEBILO 500.00 GES-CEBILO-MLAGES 500.00 DVO-ILO

UPM SHS in Koronadal *

0.00 1998.00 *** 4196.00 *** 4196.00 *** 5996.00 *** 2598.00 ***

3 3 3 3

240.00 7494.00 14088.00 14088.00

19488.00

UP Mindanao

TOTAL *Inclusive of P500 land fare allowance. **Based on Zest Airs fares (as of 10:05AM of January 12, 2012). ***Based on Cebu Pacific Airs fares (as of 10:08AM of January 12, 2012). UP Mindanao, Davao UP Unit UP Baguio UPM SHS in Baler UPD EP in Pampanga UP Diliman UP Los Banos UP Manila UP Visayas UP Miag-ao, Iloilo UP Iloilo City UP Cebu UP Tacloban

9 27882.00 159 454388.40

LTQL Bus trip* Bus trip* Bus trip * * Bus trip* * * * * * *

LTP ATQL 1400.00 MLA-DVO 1182.00 MLA-DVO 704.00 MLA-DVO 500.00 MLA-DVO 700.00 MLA-DVO 500.00 MLA-DVO 500.00 ILO-DVO 500.00 ILO-DVO 500.00 ILO-DVO 500.00 CEB-DVO 500.00 TAC-MLADVO-ILOTAC 500.00 TAC-MLADVO-ILOTAC 654.00 --0.00 ---

UPM SHS in Palo

UPM SHS in Koronadal Bus trip UP Mindanao --TOTAL *Inclusive of P500 land fare allowance.

ATP Pax 3088.80 ** 3 3088.80 ** 3 3088.80 ** 3 3088.80 ** 60 3088.80 ** 30 3088.80 ** 24 2598.00 *** 3 2598.00 *** 9 2598.00 *** 3 2598.00 *** 3 5656.00 *** 3 5656.00 *** 3 0.00 3 0.00 9 159

TOTAL 13466.40 12812.40 11378.40 215328.00 113664.00 86131.20 9294.00 27882.00 9294.00 9294.00

18468.00

18468.00 1962.00 0.00 547442.40

**Based on Zest Airs fares (as of 10:32AM of January 12, 2012). ***Based on Cebu Pacific Airs fares (as of 10:35AM of January 12, 2012).

From our comparative analysis, therefore, the marginal expenses (with food expenses and venue use fees considered equal for all and accommodation prices set as control variable) of venues UP Diliman, UP Miag-ao, and UP Mindanao (the latter two being the most recent two venues of the GASC) are, respectively, P131,306.40, P454,388.40, and P547,442.40.
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Conclusion As students of reason and science, we thus conclude that, economically speaking, it is most collectively expedient to hold the GASC in UP Diliman, with at least around P300,000.00 savings compared to the two other venues. Such savings can be used for other expenses like food, venue use (if not waived), accommodation, and other miscellaneous needs. Other venues in Luzon may also be explored, given that 123/159 delegates come from the island group, such as UP Manila which is also in NCR, UP Los Banos, UP Manila SHS in Baler, Aurora, and UP Baguio. We call on the rational faculties of the student councils of the University and the Student Regent to consider with due weight our scientifically bounded position. We must reconvene the GASC and, for the sake of immediacy and expediency, the said reconvention must be held on February 25-26, 2012 at a venue with waived use and reservation fees in UP Diliman. Per the December 2011 GASC, UP Diliman CSSPSC moved to reconvene the GASC in UP Diliman. This motion, however, was killed. When we asked the CSSPSC Chairperson if his council is willing to lead the logistical arrangements for the reconvention of the GASC on the 25th and 26th of February, the Chairperson agreed. We therefore implore all student councils and the Student Regent of the University of the Philippines to assemble on the 25th and 26th of February 2012 in UP Diliman to settle the rules for student regent selection documented in the CRSRS.

Certified: Fiona Mae S. Lopez Head, Secretary-General/Publications Committee

Approved:

Brill Degay V. Daupan Chairperson