22/08/2026
๐ข๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฆ๐ง๐๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ก๐ง ๐ข๐ก ๐ฃ๐๐๐๐จ๐ก๐ฌ๐๐: ๐ฃ๐๐ฆ๐ง๐ ๐ก๐ ๐ฃ๐๐๐ฆ๐๐๐จ๐๐ข๐ก๐ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฒ
The Bicol University University Student Council (BU-USC) recognizes PagBUnyag: Pista ng Pagsalubong 2026 as more than a University-wide celebration. It was a collective effort shaped by the enthusiasm, creativity, time, and dedication of students, College Student Councils, College and Department-based Organizations, University-Based Organizations, volunteers, university offices, partners, and the individuals who contributed behind the scenes. We are deeply grateful to every student who participated and to every CSC and organization that worked with us to bring the celebration to life. The energy of the University community is what gave PagBUnyag its meaning.
At the same time, the USC believes that genuine student leadership requires the courage to celebrate what was accomplished while being honest about what needs to be improved. The concerns raised after the celebration are not something we wish to dismiss or reduce to shortcomings. They are an opportunity to examine our systems, listen to the students and councils we serve, and translate their concerns into improvements that will strengthen future University-wide initiatives.
In regard to the competitions, concerns were raised about the clarification of certain guidelines. While discussions and consultations took place with the concerned participating colleges, the USC recognizes that agreements and clarifications must always be supported by proper documentation and formal communication. The council takes this as a responsibility of the Council to improve. Moving forward, guidelines and any approved amendments or clarifications shall be properly documented, communicated, and acknowledged by all concerned participants before implementation. This will provide everyone with a clear and common basis and help uphold fairness and consistency throughout every competition.
The USC likewise acknowledges the concerns surrounding the consolidation and presentation of competition results. We particularly recognize the experience of the Institute of Physical Education, Sports and Recreation (IPESR), whose recognition was affected by a discrepancy between the initial proclamation and the subsequent verification of the overall results. To the IPESR community, and to the students and individuals who have felt disappointed, frustrated, or hurt by what transpired, we sincerely apologize. We understand that an award is not merely a title or a number on a results sheet. It represents hours of preparation, teamwork, sacrifice, and pride in one's college. Any uncertainty surrounding that recognition carries a real impact, and we acknowledge that.
The USC accepts responsibility for ensuring that competition results are handled with the highest degree of accuracy and care. The council has conducted a comprehensive reconciliation of the official score sheets, consolidated tabulations, and overall computations to establish the final and verified results. The corrected results shall be formally communicated to the concerned colleges, and a Special Awarding Ceremony shall be conducted to ensure that those who rightfully earned recognition receive the awards and prizes due to them.
Improvements to the Councilโs auditing mechanisms are currently being undertaken to strengthen accountability, accuracy, and transparency in its operations. While the Council awaits the conduct of the University-wide Special Elections, the USC will appoint an Interim Auditor, following the appropriate processes and provisions governing the Council, to help establish a more structured auditing system and ensure the overall function of the council.
The Council likewise acknowledges the delay in the ingress and installation of tents assigned to the College Student Councils (CSCs) and University-Based Organizations (UBOs). The Council recognizes that the supplier's delayed delivery was a significant contributing factor. However, supplier-related difficulties do not remove the organizing body's responsibility to maintain proper logistical monitoring and establish contingency arrangements for critical event requirements. The failure to sufficiently anticipate and respond to the delay resulted in additional waiting time and inconvenience for all stakeholders involved. This constitutes a logistical planning gap that the Council plans to rectify and improve in the future.
The safety and welfare of students will likewise remain at the center of our planning. The experiences during the celebration emphasized the importance of stronger medical preparedness, emergency response, security coordination, and crowd management. In succeeding large-scale activities, the USC will work more closely with the appropriate University offices and emergency partners to strengthen risk assessment, personnel deployment, emergency communication, response areas, and coordinated incident management. We will continue to pursue safety measures that are appropriate to identify risks while preserving the accessibility, dignity, and welcoming atmosphere that students deserve.
The USC also recognizes the concerns regarding the representation of our fellow BUeรฑos from ๐๐ฎ๐บ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ๐ ๐ก๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ and ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฒ๐. It was never the intention of the Council to disregard, overlook, or diminish the communities and cultures they represent. However, it is acknowledged that good intentions must be accompanied by proper action. Representation must not only be something we intend to achieve; it must be something we consciously plan for, consult on, and ensure. The Council sincerely apologizes to all our fellow BUeรฑos who felt disappointed, unseen, or hurt by the way representation was reflected in the celebration. Moving forward, the USC will pursue broader consultation with the concerned students, CSCs, organizations, and communities so that future University-wide celebrations can more meaningfully reflect the diversity, heritage, and identity of the entire Bicol University community.
The Council also wants to acknowledge the students who continued to participate, volunteer, and contribute despite the challenges encountered throughout the celebration. To the CSCs and student organizations, we are grateful for the patience and cooperation you extended, as well as for your willingness to raise concerns when something needed to be clarified or improved. Your voices do not weaken student governance; they help make it more responsive. We value the role you play as partners in representing the students within your respective colleges and organizations.
The BU-USC recognizes that the concerns surrounding PagBUnyag: Pista ng Pagsalubong 2026 cannot be addressed through explanations alone. Accountability requires the Council to identify deficiencies, acknowledge its responsibilities, and implement concrete measures to prevent similar circumstances in future activities. The Council therefore recognizes deficiencies in competition verification, logistical coordination, personnel deployment, security coordination, and cultural representation, while also acknowledging the external circumstances and partner coordination issues that contributed to certain challenges during the event.
The concerns raised are valid matters for institutional improvement, and they require concrete corrective action. The purpose of this statement is to establish the facts, acknowledge accountability, clarify the actions already undertaken, and identify the standards that must be strengthened moving forward.
The BU-USC remains committed to ensuring that future Council-led activities are implemented with greater preparedness, stronger coordination, transparent processes, adequate safety mechanisms, proportionate security measures, and meaningful cultural representation. The Council shall continue to uphold its responsibility to the student body by ensuring that lessons from PagBUnyag 2026 are translated into improvements in planning and implementation.
PagBUnyag 2026 has ended, but our responsibility has not. We move forward togetherโwith greater care, stronger systems, deeper inclusion, and a renewed commitment to every BUeรฑo who deserves to be heard, represented, and served.
๐๐๐๐ข๐ ๐จ๐ก๐๐ฉ๐๐ฅ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ฌ ๐จ๐ก๐๐ฉ๐๐ฅ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐ง๐จ๐๐๐ก๐ง ๐๐ข๐จ๐ก๐๐๐ ๐๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐บ๐ถ๐ฐ ๐ฌ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฒโ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ณ
