KASAMA KA sa ALYANSA

One decade ago, at a pivotal point in our history, ALYANSA was formed as a force for social transformation both from within and beyond the University. Today, as another turning point looms in the horizon, these ills are very much present, and the pessimism they breed is as strong as ever.

In achieving the daunting goals we have set for ourselves, we clearly have yet to succeed. Nonetheless, our journey thus far has not been in vain. In a decade, we have represented our fellow students with a brand of leadership that delivers, engages, and unifies.

It is with this hope from our past that we look towards our future.

In our future, ALYANSA sees a UP unified by leadership that walks with integrity, a testament to the principles our University was built upon and is capable of. We believe that our principles demonstrate our values, and leading with principles allows a community as diverse as ours to transcend our differences and work for common goals. Our same principles would enable us to chart our future, a future as boundless as our collective aspiration.

Through this leadership, made possible only by consultation and mutual respect for each student’s views and rights, ALYANSA calls for inclusion and engagement. Only through inclusion and engagement could we tap into our collective potential, and lead our University by the strength of our common endeavor.

We in ALYANSA commit to deliver a University Student Council that matters, and is relevant, to the students. We in ALYANSA commit to solve our problems with practical, commonsense solutions that work for us. We in ALYANSA commit to work for inclusion, seeing that our USC as the heritage of our struggle and the embodiment of our future.

We invite you to join us as we turn a new page in our University’s history, and as we aspire for something greater than ourselves. KASAMA KA sa ALYANSA. KASAMA KA sa USC.

One decade of service and leadership

One decade.

One decade may be a passing era in a lifetime, a heartbeat in human history, or a speck in the universe. Nonetheless, one decade can also represent a quantum leap, a change so fundamental, that it can alter the course of experience.

One decade ago, out of the movement that ousted a president who symbolized decadence and excess, we formed ALYANSA. A decade later, ALYANSA, borne out of the promise of its time, remains true to its calling. ALYANSA remains to be a formation of principles, of values, of character, with an unchanging battle cry challenging students to go beyond themselves, and become Iskolars para sa Bayan.

One decade of existence saw our numerous hurdles and triumphs. Many challenges tested our resolve, but we emerged stronger and wiser. We ousted a president in 2001. We campaigned for volunteerism back in 2002. We pioneered the revision of the UP Charter in 2003, leading to its passage five years after. We led, for the first time, the University Student Council (USC) in 2004. We never faltered against fraternity-related violence in 2005, even at much cost. We ushered in reforms in the Student Regent selection process in 2006. We marched on to bigger gains in the USC in 2007. We brought in the Eco-Active Campaign for the environment in 2008. On that same year, we also launched the STFAP Under Protest, generating a clamor for revising the UP scholarship brackets, which finally led the University to fix the system in 2009. We have been true to our name as Iskolars para sa Bayan, as we mustered the biggest bayanihan for fellow typhoon survivors this year. In ten years, we firmly established ourselves as the best alternative in student politics, an alternative rooted in service.

One decade of existence as ALYANSA could not have been possible without our participation. We were there all along, forging unity through principles, leading with values and character, and serving with utmost pride. It is fitting that our theme, “Kasama Ka sa ALYANSA”, reflects that shared heritage and optimistic view of the future.

Thus, as we press on to the challenges of another decade, we remind ourselves of our past, as we persevere on to the future.

Isang Dekada ng Paglilingkod.

Isang Dekada ng mga Iskolar para sa Bayan.

Isang Dekada ng ALYANSA. Kasama Ka!