AICAP CONSTITUTION of the ADVENTIST INTER-COLLEGIATE ASSOCIATION OF THE PHILIPPINES PREAMBLE We, the members of the Adventist Inter-Collegiate Association of the Philippines (AICAP), imploring the aid of the Almighty God, in order to unify the student body organizations in all Adventist tertiary schools in the Philippines that shall serve as catalyst for dynamic change and the holistic development of the individual, the academe, the church, and the society; for us to instill and exemplify in the exercise of our duties and privileges a sense of commitment and dedication, do hereby ordain and promulgate this Constitution. ARTICLE I NAME, HEADQUARTERS & OBJECTIVES Section 1. The name of this Association shall be Adventist Inter-Collegiate Association of the Philippines and shall be known as AICAP, which shall hereinafter be referred to as Association. Section 2. The Association shall use AICAP in all its official business and activities. Section 3. The Association shall hold office at the Student Association Center, Adventist University of the Philippines, Puting Kahoy, Silang, Cavite, Philippines. Section 4. The Objectives of the Association are: 4.1 To promote and stimulate the exchange of ideas and experiences in youth development through national conventions, seminar workshops, colloquia and meetings;
4.2 To put an information network that will unify the student body organizations; and 4.3 To provide, in particular, the means for improving the expertise of the members through leadership trainings, inter-scholastic activities, writer’s workshops, exchange programs, medical missions, evangelistic efforts, environmental campaigns, religious conventions, youth fora, sports festivals, and such other programs as the Association may deem appropriate. ARTICLE II MEMBERSHIP Section 1. The members of the Association are categorized as institutional and honorary in which the former is composed of Student Body Organization of colleges and universities owned and operated by Seventh - day Adventists in the Philippines. Section 2. An institutional member is a CHED and/or TESDA recognized school which has paid their annual dues. Section 3. The honorary members of the Association are the following: a)
Past delegates of the National Congress, which shall hereinafter referred to as alumni.
b)
Former BOT and COP members.
Section 4. Honorary members shall be given the privilege to attend the deliberations of the COP meetings and has the right to express his opinion on matters affecting the Association but without the power to vote. ARTICLE III CHARTER MEMBERS Section 1. A charter member is an institutional member present at the formation of the Association and affixes its membership on the agreed covenant through the signatures of its Student Body Organizations.
Section 2. Charter members shall have first priority to serve as Chairperson of the COP on a rotation basis until all of them shall have served as such. Thereafter, any new member may be eligible to serve as Chairperson of the COP. ARTICLE IV RIGHTS AND PRIVILEGES Section 1. Institutional Members 1.1 An institutional member has the right to attend and participate in all the activities of the Association; 1.2 An institutional member shall enjoy the right to express its opinion in matters affecting it and the Association. Section 2. Honorary Members 2.1 Every honorary member has the right to attend and participate in the activities as deemed necessar y by the Association. 2.2 An honorary member shall enjoy the right to express his/her opinions on matters affecting the Association through appropriate communication channels. 2.3 An honorary member has the privilege of advising the Association. ARTICLE V DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES Section 1. Every institutional member is required to pay its membership fee and other dues as prescribed by the Constitution. Section 2.
Every member shall promote the Association’s objectives.
Section 3. Every member shall be involved actively in all the Association’s activities. Section 4. Every member shall uphold the highest ethical standard in the performance of his duties.
ARTICLE VI MEMBERSHIP FEE Section 1. Membership fee are payments for membership in the Association. Section 2. Amount of membership fee is P50.00/semester as decided upon by the participants of the First National Leader’s Summit held at MSHCMAFI, Iligan City. Section 3. Membership fees and dues are included in the general fees of the students of their respective institutions and it shall be known as the AICAP Fee. Section 4. Collected amount shall be deposited in the Association’s bank account which shall be under the safekeeping of the BOT. Section 5. The fifty percent (50%) of the membership fee shall be deposited to the Adventist Inter-Collegiate Association (AICAP) bank account while the other fifty percent (50%) shall be used for localized Adventist InterCollegiate Association (AICAP) activities in each school. ARTICLE VII BOARD OF TRUSTEES Section 1. The Board of Trustees, which shall hereinafter be referred to as BOT, shall be composed of two (2) individuals per institutional member, chosen by every Student Body Organization (SBO) President; and the incumbent Chairperson of the COP. Section 2. During the AICAP National Congress, one (1) individual shall be elected by an institutional member, chosen by every SBO President, as a member of the BOT. Section 3.The BOT has the responsibility to oversee the plans of the COP and to ensure its appropriation to the principles of AICAP and its Constitution. Section 4. The BOT shall serve as disciplinary committee of the Adventist InterCollegiate Association of the Philippines (AICAP).
Section 5. The BOT shall be elected during the National Congress. They shall elect a chairman from among themselves with a term of one (1) year, which shall hereinafter be referred to as President. Section 6. The BOT shall serve for a term of two (2) consecutive years. Section 7. The BOT shall meet during the AICAP National Congress or Summit, or as called for by the President. Section 8.The BOT shall form the Commission on Audit. Section 9.The BOT shall form the Grievance Committee. Section 10. The President shall be a signatory to the disbursement of funds and all official letters, documents, and contracts Section 11. A simple majority (50% + 1) of the institutional members shall constitute a quorum and two-thirds of those present are required to decide matters. ARTICLE VIII THE COUNCIL OF PRESIDENTS Section 1. The Council of Presidents, which shall hereinafter referred to as COP, is the highest governing body of the Association which shall comprise all duly elected Presidents of Student Body Organizations (SBO) of the institutional members. Section 2. The distribution of the members of the COP shall be based on institutional memberships. Section 3. The Chairperson of the COP, which shall hereinafter referred to as Chairperson, should be a Seventh-day Adventist in good standing. Section 4. He must be the incumbent officer of the SBO which he represents. Section 5. The COP shall immediately convene every 1st week of July to elect among themselves the: Treasurer, Secretary, Academic Affairs
Director, Religious Affairs Director, Social Affairs Director, External Affairs Director, and Communications Director. Section 6. The COP, sitting en banc, shall have the following powers to: 6.1
promulgate policies and rules;
6.2
plan and organize activities of the Association;
6.3
recognize and Association;
6.4
enter into contract for and in behalf of the Association;
6.5
act as guardian of funds and custodian of property of the Association;
6.6
appropriate funds for all Association’s activities;
6.7
decide with finality cases of impeachment of any officer of the Association;
6.8
observe quorum in all meetings and decisions of the Association; and
6.9
perform other duties and functions as deemed necessar y by the COP.
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Section 7. An individual COP member automatically loses his seat if he is no longer connected with the school of an institutional member. The person who succeeds him as President shall become the member to the COP. Section 8. In case of unavoidable circumstances, the SBO President reserves the right to send a representative in his behalf with the power to vote.
Section 9. The institutional members of the COP shall be elected for a term of one year. ARTICLES IX DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE COUNCIL OF PRESIDENTS Section 1. The members of the COP shall have the following duties and responsibilities to: 1.1
attend all regular and special meetings;
1.2
act expeditiously on matters requiring actions and decisions of the COP;
1.3
attend and participate in all conventions, seminars-workshops, conferences and other activities of the Association;
1.4
act as custodian of all properties of the Association; and
1.5
be accountable to the general membership.
Section 2. A simple majority (50% + 1) of the COP shall constitute a quorum and two-thirds of those present are required to decide matters. ARTICLE X POWERS AND FUNCTIONS OF THE OFFICERS The Executive Officers of the Association shall have the following powers and functions: Sections 1.
The Chairperson shall: 1.1
Be the executive officer of the Association and shall directly be accountable to the COP.
1.2
Preside in the National Congress and COP meetings.
1.3
Carry out policies, rules and regulations promulgated by the COP.
1.4
Recommend any appointment in any position, except members of the COP.
1.5
Create committees as may be deemed necessar y to ensure the success of the Association’s activities.
1.6
Recommend policies and regulations for adoption of the COP.
1.7
Be one of the signatories to the disbursement of funds of the Association.
1.8
Conduct his official functions in complete transparency.
1.9
Perform such other functions as may be assigned to him by the COP.
Section 2. The Secretary shall: 2.1
Prepare the agenda of the COP meeting in consultation with the Chairperson.
2.2
Record and prepare minutes of the COP meeting and furnish copies of the same to the members of the COP.
2.3
Prepare and send letters, notices, and other communications.
2.4
Keep an accurate and updated record of all activities of the Association.
2.5
Notify and remind officers and members of the scheduled regular and special meetings.
2.6
Be the archivist.
2.7
Perform such other duties as may be assigned to him by the COP.
Section 3. The Treasurer shall: 3.1
Act as trustee of the Association’s funds.
3.2
Implement a systematic collection of fees, etc. as prescribed by the By-Laws.
3.3
Prepare financial reports and submit the same to the Commission on Audit.
3.4
Be a signatory with the Chairperson of all disbursements to the Association’s funds.
3.5
Keep all financial documents such as pass books, income statements, cash flows.
3.6
Prepare annual financial reports and present the same to the members of the Association.
3.7
Keep an inventory of the properties of the Association.
3.8
Perform such other duties as may be assigned to him by the COP.
Section 4. The Academic Affairs Director shall: 4.1
Organize academic activities.
4.2
Perform such other duties as may be assigned to him by the COP. Section 5. The Religious Affairs Director shall: 5.1
Organize religious activities for the Association.
5.2
Perform such other duties as may be assigned to him by the COP.
Section 6. The Social Affairs Director shall: 6.1
Organize social activities.
6.2
Perform such other duties as may be assigned to him by the COP.
Section 7. The Communications Director shall: 7.1
Ensure the production of the AICAP quarterly electronic journal.
7.2
Be in charge of the maintenance of the AICAP website and other electronics media.
7.3
Prepare press release and keep files thereof.
7.4
Perform such other duties as may be assigned to him by the COP.
Section 8. The External Affairs Director shall: 8.1
Establish linkages with government and private institutions, industrial companies, mass media, interconnect with the alumni and other denominational and international organizations.
8.2
Organize external activities of the Association.
8.3
Set up environment campaigns.
8.4
Organize community service programs.
8.5
Perform such other duties as may be assigned to him by the COP. ARTICLE XI PERMANENT SECRETARIAT
Section 1. There shall be a Permanent Secretariat of the Association to be headed by an Executive Director and shall be under the supervision of the COP. Section 2. The Permanent Secretariat shall have the following functions: 2.1
Assist the Chairperson to convene the COP on every first week of July.
2.2
Advise the COP on matters of general administration.
2.3
Assist the External Affairs Director in executing its duties.
2.4
Report directly to the Chairperson.
2.5
Be responsibl e for the training and development and other concerns and needs of Association’s officers in the discharge of their duties.
2.6
Serve as the central coordinating office of the Association.
2.7
Monitor and give report on the implementation of the projects and programs, as approved by the COP, in the institutional members.
2.8
Coordinate constitutional awareness among the members of the Association.
2.9
Be the custodian of the Constitution and By-Laws of the Association and its other pertinent documents.
2.10
Raise funds and contact sponsors in order to realize the National Congress, and other programs, projects and meetings of the Association.
2.11
Create standing and ad hoc committees as may be necessary to discharge its specific functions.
2.12
Perform such other duties as may be assigned to him by the COP.
Section 3. The Permanent Secretariat shall hold its office in the Student Association Center, Adventist University of the Philippines, Puting Kahoy, Silang, Cavite. Section 4. The Executive Director shall be appointed by the COP during the National Congress upon the endorsement of the AUP-SA President. Section 5. The Executive Director shall have tenure of office for one year upon his election thereof and shall not be co-terminus with the AUPSA President. ARTICLE XII NATIONAL CONGRESS Section 1. The National Congress shall be held annually on the home institution of the Chairperson or any other place decided upon and approved by the COP. Section 2. The National Congress is composed of delegates coming from institutional members and alumni meeting to propose, recommend and suggest programs, projects, activities and policies. Provided that, the COP shall determine the numbers, composition and qualifications of the delegates. Furthermore, the COP shall enact the rules of procedure of the National Congress. Section 3. The main activities to be accomplished during the National Congress are the ff: presentation and approval of resolutions submitted by individual, institutional and/ organizational members; presentation and approval of new individual, institutional and/or organizational members and if deemed necessar y the amendments and ratification of the Constitution; accomplish of reports; presentation of invited honorary member, lectures, symposia, colloquia and others.
ARTICLE XIII PUBLICATION Section 1. The Association shall publish, fund and supervise its own publication. Section 2. The publication shall have an editorial board that is made of individual representations of all official student publications of the institutional members. Section 3. The members of the Association’s publication shall determine and elect the position and members of the editorial board. Section 4. The editorial board shall determine the name of the publication and shall freely adopt its own editorial policies that are consistent with the Association’s objectives. ARTICLE XIV IMPEACHMENT/TERMINATION OF OFFICE Section 1. Individual officers of the Association may be impeached on the grounds of culpable violation of the Constitution, malversation of funds, using the name of the Association in bad faith, bringing disrepute to the name of the Association, immorality, and related grounds by a 2/3 vote of all the incumbent officers Section 2. Any impeachment complaint may be initiated/filed in writing by any member of the Association in good standing to the BOT which shall determine the sufficiency in substance and form thereof. Section 3. Impeachment procedures shall be determined by the COP in accordance with the generally accepted principles of due process and impeachment proceedings, and which shall form part of the Association’s Constitution. Section 4. Membership shall be terminated on grounds stated in Section 1 of this Article.
ARTICLE XV COMMISSION ON AUDIT Section 1. The Commission on Audit shall consist of four (4) members including an accountant from an accounting firm duly approved by the BOT. Section 2. The Accountant may come from a designated accounting firm as approved by the BOT. ARTICLE XVI DISPUTE COMMITTEE Section 1. All disputes arising from the interpretation of this Constitution shall be settled by the Dispute Committee appointed by the BOT within 15 days from the time the said dispute has been brought to its attention. Section 2. The Dispute Committee shall be composed of three (3) members of the BOT who will elect its chair from among themselves. Section 3. A member of the BOT who is involved in the dispute shall inhibit himself from membership in the Dispute Committee. Section 4. Question/s addressed to the Dispute Committee shall be answered within a period of two weeks from the time such question/s has/have been raised before the Dispute Committee by any disputant. ARTICLE XVII AMENDATORY PROVISIONS Section 1. This Constitution shall be amended through the initiative of the COP or a petition of at least twenty-five percent (25%) of the COP. Section 2. The proposed amendment shall take effect upon the vote by a simple majority vote (50% + 1) of all the institutional members present held in any of the National Congress and shall take effect immediately.
ARTICLE XVIII EFFECTIVITY CLAUSE
Section 1. Any policy, rule, and regulation contrary to the provision of this Constitution shall be considered repealed and inoperative. Section 2. General provisions of law and jurisprudence shall be applicable in a suppletory manner. ARTICLE XIX TRANSITORY PROVISIONS Section 1. The two (2) members to the BOT pursuant to Article VII Section 1 shall be designated by their respective institutional members as the 1st member and other as 2nd member. Section 2. The 1st member shall serve for a term of two (2) year from December 2009 to December 2011 and the 2nd member shall serve for a term of one (1) year from December 2009 to December 2010. Section 3. On December 2010, during the 5th National Congress at CPAC, the institutional members pursuant to Article VII Section 2 shall hereinafter elect one (1) to the BOT and every year thereafter. Section 4. Article VI Section 4 shall effect upon the convening of the BOT to elect its President duly called for such purpose. Furthermore, any AICAP fee shall be keep in the account of the institution members. However, SBO President may release 50% thereof pursuant to Article VI Section 5 in order to implement the programs and activities of the Association as well as to promote it which is subject to the approval of the Chairperson. Section 5. Article VII shall take effect after the BOT is duly constituted. However, the elected members to the BOT during the 4th National Congress shall function solely on giving technical guidance.
Section 6. The President elected during the AICAP Summit at Iligan City on December 2008 shall serve as President until his successor has been elected. Section 7. The budget of the transitory period shall be borne out by contributions coming from the charter members. The amount collected shall be held in trust by the national institutional member where the incumbent Treasurer is affiliated.
CERTIFICATION This is to certify that the Adventist Inter-Collegiate Association of the Philippines (AICAP) Congress through the Senior Division Leaders’ Committee deliberated on the preceding proposed Constitution on December 18-22, 2009 at the Manila Adventist Medical Center and Colleges 1975 Donada St., Pasay City, Philippines.
Certified by:
Keizha Beatrix Tamargo PRESIDENT- MAMC Chair of AICAP 2009
Alpha Amor B. Salagubang SECRETARY- MAMC Secretary of AICAP 2009
Glenn Lagabon STUDENT GOVERNM ENT ADVISER- MAMC AICAP 2009 Adviser