A plea to UPAA: Make me a proud member of the group

Please join me in reiterating my call for transparency in the UP Alumni Association (UPAA). Not so many UP graduates are aware that the election of the 23 board members of UPAA for 2012-2015 will be held very soon (April 16-June 1, 2012). The 23 board members will then choose the new officers from among themselves. The UPAA president they will choose will become ex-officio alumni regent of the University of the Philippines System.

Should the UPAA president continue to be the ex-officio alumni regent? The UP Charter says so.

Should the Board of Regents not ask every new UPAA president to show proof that he or she has been elected by UP alumni in a credible election?

Based on the following observations, I believe UPAA elections, (at least the 2006 and 2009 elections) were neither transparent nor credible. There was no election tally in 2006 and 2009. “Unity Team” simply came out as the winner. No proof that ballots were mailed to lifetime members in 2009. Records were not available “because they have been burned due to lack of space”! Members had no say in the choice of members of the election committee.

And the agenda and minutes of the election committee meetings were not made known to members. There was no updated list of members of “good standing” and no list of voters before the printing of ballots. The present rules of the election committee—e.g., on the nomination process, timetable and determination of winners—were not explained in the 2006 and 2009 elections. Requests for extension of nomination period were ignored.

Aside from all that, only a few know what is going on in the  UPAA. Many alumni are not even sure whether they are UPAA members or not. No UPAA general membership meeting is held other than the usual June reunion and homecoming for jubilarians and distinguished alumni awardees. There is no check and balance at the UPAA. Everything is up to the UPAA board and/or the election committee.

If only the UPAA and the election committee encouraged and allowed participation, the UPAA elections could be a model for other groups.

I’m proud to be a UP alumna. I would like to be proud of being a UPAA member.

—ANGGE SORIANO,

UP BSE 1960, MBA 1977,

Golden Jubilarian 2010,

UPAA lifetime member,

noel-angge@surfshop.net.ph