THE UNIVERSITY of the Philippines Office of the Student Regent slammed the UP Board of Regents  for its failure to respond to the holdover term of the incumbent Student Regent.

Amid the limitations and challenges imposed by Covid19, the student body urged that SR John Isaac B. Punzalan, whose term expired last August 1, 2020, remain in office until a qualified successor is selected and assumes office.

Citing Article II, Section 3 of the Codified Rules for Student Regent Selection, “The selection of the Student Regent is exclusively a student affair. The administration and other sectors in the University are prohibited from interfering with the process.”

UP Sectoral Regents which is composed of students, faculty and staff emphasized two key points of their demand:

1. Immediately resolve the holdover term of SR Punzalan, recognize and uphold the decision of the General Assembly of Student Councils for continued student representation.
2. Maintain the voting power of SR Punzalan for decisions requiring the votes of the BOR, no situation shall arise where he is deprived of this right even if the matter on his term remains unresolved.

Dated last August 8, 2020, the GASC unanimously adopted a resolution allowing the incumbent SR to continue representing the student in BOR until a successor is selected based on the prescribed rules as the situation allows.

They added that the vote of the student body through the SR is crucial especially when the selection of Chancellors in 3 UP campuses takes place.

“We firmly reiterate and maintain that as the university’s largest stakeholders, it is imperative that our representation as students in the highest decision-making body of the university remains preserved, especially with crucial matters awaiting the board,” the UP Office of the Student Regent said in statement.