UP PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY

Diliman, Quezon City

Constitution and By-Laws

Preamble

We, the active learners of philosophy, in the earnest pursuit of Knowledge and
Understanding, in order to establish a society that shall embody our ideals, enhance our
intellectual skills, develop and maintain the philosophically-academic nature of our Society,
secure and preserve the principle of individual freedom in an atmosphere of fairness, equality
and love, do hereby ordain and promulgate this Constitution.

Article I
Name of the Organization
Section 1 It shall be called the U.P. Philosophical Society, or by its abbreviation, the UP
PHILOSOC.

Article II
Basic Principles and Objectives
Section 1 It shall be a vehicle of student involvement in the Department of Philosophy.

Section 2 It shall promote academic excellence among its members, spearheading efforts
geared towards academic purposes.

Section 3 It shall keep up with those issues of academic importance and involve itself for
the benefit of the studentry.

Section 4 It shall promote camaraderie among its members and other students.

Article III
Membership
Section 1 All bona fide students of the university who had expressed the desire to join the
society can become members provided s/he pass the following requirements:
a. S/He must have completed, or is presently enrolled in, at least six (6) units of
philosophy subjects OR must undergo ‘PHILOSOPHY 101’ (to be provided by
the organization).
b. S/He must have passed the approval of the Society’s Membership Committee.

Section 2 Membership shall be on an individual and voluntary basis.

Section 3 Applicants shall be subject to specific and definite requirements that are set by the
Membership Committee as approved by the Executive Committee.

Section 4 All granting of honorary membership shall be decided upon by the Society. Those
to be granted in the field of Philosophy and have made a significant contribution
to the pursuits of the Society.

UP PHILOSOC
The Constitution
 UP PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY
Diliman, Quezon City

Section 5 After the Membership Committee’s petition for an applicant’s acceptance,

the petition will be submitted to the Executive Committee and then to the entire
membership for approval.

Section 6 An inactive or suspended member shall have her/his rights and privileges suspen-
ded until such time s/he has her/his membership renewed or has her/his suspen-
sion expired, respectively.

Section 7 An alumna or alumnus can renew her/his membership when s/he re-enrolls in the
university.

Section 8 Renewal of membership shall be good only for one (1) semester.

Section 9 Any member who fails to renew her/his membership for two (2) consecutive
semesters loses all her/his rights and privileges as a member of the Society.
S/He will have to re-apply for membership.

Section 10 At least sixty percent (60%) of the membership for the Society should be
Philosophy majors.

Article IV
Rights and Obligations
Section 1 A member shall have the following rights:
a. S/He enjoys the right of suffrage.
b. S/He has the right to know and discuss freely and openly all issues pertaining to
the Society.
c. S/He has the right to run for any elective position provided s/he meets the quali-
fications provided for in Article VII of this Constitution.
d. S/He has the right to choose the committee of her/his preference provided that
the quota of that particular committee has not been filled yet.
d.1. the quota is 1/5 or 20% of the total number of the members of the
Society.
e. S/He has the right to partake of the extrinsic and intrinsic benefits afforded by
the Society.
f. S/He has the right to file impeachment charges against any officer before the
Membership Committee.
g. S/He has the right to file expulsion charges against any member before the
Membership Committee.

Section 2 Each member is required to attend all general, emergency and committee
meetings. Any member may be excused from such meetings provided a valid
reason is presented to the Chairman of the Records Committee not later than a day
before the meeting. In cases where the member is not able to attend a meeting due
to certain unforeseen circumstances, a valid excuse must be given to the
Chairman of the Records committee.

UP PHILOSOC
The Constitution
 UP PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY
Diliman, Quezon City

Section 3 Each member must join only one (1) committee.

Section 4 Each member must participate in at least 60% of the major activities sponsored by
the Society, total number of meetings, as well as other minor committee projects.

Section 5 Each member must know the Constitution and By-Laws of the Society.

Article V
Officers and Committees
Section 1 There shall be an Executive Committee or EXECOM headed by the over-all
Chairman, which shall be the head coordinating committee of the Society. It shall
have its members as the other chairpersons of the committees, all whom have
tenure of one (1) year.

Section 2 The over-all Chairman shall make sure that each officer is doing her/his job
efficiently and in accordance with the Constitution and By-Laws. S/He shall be
the spokesperson of the Society. S/He shall call all general, specific, emergency
and EXECOM meetings and shall act as the presiding officer during such
meetings.

Section 3 The over-all Chairman must be a Philosophy major, must possess at least a junior
collegiate status in the university, and must have one year’s residency in the
Society.

Section 4 The MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE, or the MEMCOM, shall take charge of the
application, screening and induction of the applicants into the Society. It shall
administer the renewal of membership, suspension or expulsion of a member and
the impeachment of officers. The head of this committee reserves the right to
choose her/his members.
The Chairman of the Membership Committee shall assume the role of the over-all
Chairman in case of the latter’s absence, incapacitation or death.

Section 5 The Chairman of the Membership Committee must be a Philosophy Major and
must possess senior collegiate status in the University.

Section 6 There shall be an EXTERNAL COMMITTEE, or EXTERCOM, that shall take

charge of the inter-organizational and university contracts. It shall take charge of
the publication/newsletter board and other printed materials of the Society.
The Chairman of this committee shall be responsible for maintaining the rapport
of the Society with all other recognized organizations and/or bodies of students in
the University.

Section 7 The Chairman of the External Committee may be a non-Philosophy Major but
must have at least one semester’s residency in the Society.

UP PHILOSOC
The Constitution
 UP PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY
Diliman, Quezon City

Section 8 There shall be an ACADEMICS COMMITTEE that shall take charge of the
academic projects of the Society. It shall plan, direct and implement such
activities.
The Chairman of this committee shall head the tasks concerning academic
activities.

Section 9 The Chairman of the Academic Committee must be a Philosophy Major and must
possess senior collegiate status in the University or one year’s residency in the
Society.

Section 10 There shall be a RECORDS COMMITTEE, or RECCOM, that shall be

responsible for taking and keeping of all records. It shall be responsible for
keeping all the members informed of all the plans, activities and reports of each
minute. It shall provide the policies and regulations concerning the library of the
Society.
The Chairman of this committee shall take the minutes of general, special, and
emergency meetings.

Section 11 The position of Records Committee is open to non-Philosophy Majors with at

least one semester’s residency in the Society.

Section 12 There shall be a FINANCE COMMITTEE, or FINCOM, that shall take charge of
the financial transactions of the Society and will work hand-in-hand with any of
the committees that need financial aid for its projects.
The Chairman of the Finance Committee shall be the co-signatory of the over-all
Chairman in the Society’s bank account.

Section 13 The Chairman of the Finance Committee must present periodic financial
statements regarding the Society’s financial position. S/He may be a non-
Philosophy major but must have at least one (1) semester’s residency in the
Society.

Section 14 Each committee, through its chairman, is required to submit all its plans and
reports on its proposals and activities to the EXECOM, which shall in turn submit
them to the entire membership for approval.

Section 15 In case any need arises, appointment of any new committee head shall be
deliberated upon by the EXECOM and then presented to the entire membership
for final approval.

Article VI
Faculty Adviser
Section 1 At least one (1) Faculty Adviser shall be selected by the entire active membership.

UP PHILOSOC
The Constitution
 UP PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY
Diliman, Quezon City

Section 2 The faculty adviser/s is/are solely for advice and in no way will s/he/they govern
any decision making of the Society.

Section 3 The Faculty Adviser’s/s’ decision shall be subject to the discussion and approval
of the entire active membership.

Section 4 The Faculty Adviser/s will be chosen every academic school year, giving
him/her/them tenure of one (1) year.

Section 5 During a hearing, the adviser/s must be present. S/He/They must be consulted
regarding any impeachment or expulsion of any member or officer but has/have
no voting power.

Article VII
Elections
Section 1 The following qualifications must be met by any member who intends to run for
any elective position:
a. S/He must be enrolled during the year of tenure,
b. S/He must be a bona fide member of the Society,
c. S/He must not have been subjected to any disciplinary action within the Society
and within the University.
d. Newly inducted members may not run for chairmanship of the Executive,
Membership and Academic committees

Section 2 Officers may be re-elected only once for the same position or office.

Section 3 Officers shall have tenure of one (1) year.

Section 4 Any member who qualifies for an office may file his/her own candidacy.

Section 5 Any member who has been nominated for a position reserves the right to
withdraw his/her own candidacy.

Section 6 Any member who qualifies for office may run for only one (1) position.

Section 7 Only resident, bona fide members who have not been subject to carry out a
suspension at that time or have not been in any state of inactivity for that semester
shall be qualified to vote.

Section 8 Vote by proxy shall not be allowed.

Section 9 The following are the election procedures:

a. Election shall be conducted through secret balloting.
b. A win will be defined by simple plurality in cases where there is more than one
(1) candidate for a position.

UP PHILOSOC
The Constitution
 UP PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY
Diliman, Quezon City

c. A majority vote shall consist of 2/3 of the entire turnout of voters and shall be
sufficient to elect a lone candidate for a position.
d. In cases of a tie, or when a lone candidate does not receive a majority vote, the
Executive Committee shall decide on the matter not later than one (1) week after
the general elections.

Section 10 There shall be an electoral board, the provisions for which are the following:
a. It shall be known as the Electoral Board.
b. It shall be composed of three (3) members, including a chairperson, who shall
be chosen by the entire active membership.
c. Any bona fide senior member with one (1) year residency may be appointed to
the Electoral Board provided s/he shall not have been previously subjected to any
disciplinary action within the Society.
d. The entire active membership shall choose the members of the Electoral Board
at the end of the school year.

Section 11 The following are the functions of the Electoral Board:

a. It shall ensure and supervise the holding of a clean, free and honest election,
subject to the provisions of this article.
b. It shall decide on all matters pertaining to the elections both general and
specific which shall be subject to discussions and approval of the entire active
membership.
c. It shall prepare a timetable for the elections within two (2) weeks after its
formation. The timetable shall include the date of the elections, the period for
protests, petitions and settlements of disputes.
d. It shall define the electoral process in detail and shall announce such process to
the body, together with the timetable.
e. In cases of special elections, the Electoral Board shall be given three (3) days
within which it must announce to the body its timetable and electoral process.

Article VIII
General Provisions
Section 1 In all meetings of the Society wherein the approval of the Society is needed
concerning major activities and minor committee projects, a quorum is required
and is defined as one-half (1/2) plus one (1) of the entire active membership.

Section 2 There shall be at least two (2) general meetings every month to be presided over
by the Over-all Chairman or his/her designated representative.

Section 3 The EXECOM shall meet at least twice a month or as often as necessary.

Section 4 Each member is required to pay the amount of fifty (50) pesos as the active
renewal fee and sixty (60) for inactive membership renewal.

UP PHILOSOC
The Constitution
 UP PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY
Diliman, Quezon City

Section 5 Each applicant is required to pay the amount of sixty (60) pesos as application
fee.

Section 6 Any committee head who is unable to attend an EXECOM meeting must send an
official representative from his/her committee.

Article IX
Impeachment
Section 1 Any officer of the Society may be impeached by a vote of two-thirds (2/3) of the
active membership.

Section 2 The grounds for impeachment will be as follows:

a. The officer involved has not fulfilled his/her duties and obligations.
b. S/He has exhibited misconduct and/or unbecoming behavior.
c. S/He has been inexcusably absent for twenty-five (25) percent of the EXECOM
meetings.

Article X
Expulsion
Section 1 Any member may be expelled from the Society by two-thirds (2/3) vote of the
entire active membership.

Section 2 The grounds for expulsion will be as follows:

a. S/He has not fulfilled his/her duties and obligations.
b. S/He has exhibited misconduct and/or unbecoming behavior.
c. S/He has been inexcusably absent thrice consecutively in general, specific,
and/or committee meetings.

Section 3 Any member shall be put on probation if s/he has been inexcusably absent twice
in general, special, emergency and/or committee meetings.

Section 4 A member recommended for expulsion shall be informed and given a fair hearing
in order for him/her to explain his/her side at least in a period of one (1) week and
at most in a period of two (2) weeks. The faculty adviser/s must be present during
the hearing/s.

Section 5 Any member who has been issued and expulsion letter from the Society
immediately becomes a non-member.

Article XI
Amendments
Section 1 Any member of the Society may propose any amendments to this Constitution.

Section 2 This Constitution may be amended by a vote of two-thirds (2/3) of the entire
active membership.

UP PHILOSOC
The Constitution
 UP PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY
Diliman, Quezon City

Article XII
By-Laws
Section 1 This Society shall adopt By-Laws not inconsistent with the Constitution,
emphasizing such provision as may be necessary for the proper and successful
management of this Society as well as for the achievement of the objectives of
this Society.
a. Any member who wishes to file an application for inactivity may do so not later
than three (3) weeks from the first day of classes of the Semester. No application
shall be accepted after such period.
b. Each member shall abide by the rules set by the committee to which s/he
belongs. Failure to do so may qualify a member for expulsion.
c. The rules set by all committees shall be considered official upon the approval
of the entire active membership following a deliberation by the membership of
that committee.

Section 2 Emergency unconstitutional measures shall be resorted to in any matter

concerning the efficient management of the Society upon the approval of the
Executive Committee.

***** Nothing follows *****

UP PHILOSOC
The Constitution