Memo No.

2013-002
___________________________________________________________________________ To: National Executive Council/ Student Government or Council of Private/Public Veterinary Schools of the Philippines Subject: NCVMS Constitution First Nationwide Veterinary Student Consultation __________________________________________________________________________ The National Congress of Veterinary Medicine Students constitution should be revised and ratified in the next convention. There will be three (3) series of nationwide veterinary student consultation. This is the first. Please read the PROPOSED NCVMS constitution by yours truly, with consultation from a knowledgeable person in constitution-making. Please do a PROPER student consultation. We need your inputs in this matter. What are your proposed amendments, comments and suggestions? The amendments, comments and suggestions should be written in a FORMAL LETTER. The proposals and amendments should be sent at rj08mosaso@yahoo.com.ph or rj08mosaso@gmail.com . The deadline will be on July 26, 2013. Your proposed amendments may or may not be included in the second draft. But if you insist of including your proposals, after the last/3rd nationwide veterinary student consultation, there will be a LAST CALL FOR AMENDMENTS in which you can submit all of your proposals/amendment. This will be included in the agenda of our plenary session for deliberation and discussion in the 10th NCVMS Convention and Scientific Conference in UPLB. Thank you very much. Mabuhay ang mga Estudyante ng Medisinang Pambeterinaryo!

CONSTITUTION and BYLAWS OF THE NATIONAL CONGRESS OF VETERINARY MEDICINE STUDENTS (NCVMS)

PREAMBLE

We, the students of veterinary medicine of the Philippines, recognize the vital role of veterinary profession to the society, to the nation and to the world, aim for the development and advancement of technology, knowledge and application in veterinary medicine and in animal health and science, believe in our responsibility to uphold and promote veterinary education as a course, seek to protect the welfare and interest of veterinary students and our immediate community, and aspire to settle our cultural differences and install leadership among veterinary students, unite ourselves and promulgate this constitution and bylaws hereunder.

Article I Name of Organization and Convention

Section 1. Section 2.

The organization shall be called National Congress of Veterinary Medicine Students. The National Congress of Veterinary Medicine Students shall convene annually every February before or during the Veterinary Medicine Week, as stated in the Malacaan Palace Proclamation No. 1964. Article II General Provision

Section 1. Section 2.

National Congress of Veterinary Medicine Students or NCVMS or congress or organization shall refer to the uniting organization of veterinary students nationwide. Convention or meeting shall refer to the annual gatherin g of veterinary students every February to conduct lectures on the field of veterinary medicine as well as hold the election of the officers of NCVMS for the next academic year.

Revision by: Royd Joseph Mosaso, National Director 2014

With Consultation from: Ms. Marikris De Guzman, Graduate Councillor of UP Diliman NCPAG Student Council (National College of Public Administration and Governance)

Section 3. Section 4.

Member school shall refer to the veterinary school which applied for membership and is a certified member of the congress for one academic year. Member students shall refer to all the registered veterinary students whose names are submitted by their respective student government or student council upon application of membership. National Executive Council or NEC shall refer to the highest governing and decisionmaking body of the congress. Representative shall refer to an individual internally elected by their respective school to become an officer or part of National Executive Council. Region shall refer to the three islands of the Philippines namely Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. Body shall refer to all the student members who are present during the convention. Host School shall refer to a member school which is chosen to host the convention.

Section 5. Section 6. Section 8. Section 9. Section 10.

Article III Colour, Official Seal and Theme Song

Section 1. Section 2. Section 3.

The NCVMS shall have an official colour, logo and theme song. The Colour that shall represent the NCVMS shall be grey which represents the course Veterinary Medicine. The Seal of the NCVMS shall be the icon below:

Section 4.

a. The four squares shall represent the four thrusts that are veterinarians oath. This are representative for: Animal Health, Animal Compassion, Public Health Concern and Medical Knowledge; b. The blue, like water, which highlight the colour of the squares shall represent the life that runs through the essence of a veterinarians call; c. The caduceus logo on the foreground of a Philippine map shall represents the scope of a veterinarians responsibility in this country; d. The colour red shall refer to veterinarians passion; and e. The colour green shall be the veterinarians role in the conservation of environmental diversity. The Theme Song of the congress shall be Beterinaryo, Propesyong may Puso which was originally written and sung by the Central Mindanao University- College of Veterinary Medicine (CMU-CVM) Chorale. The theme song shall be played and sing every opening and closing of the convention.

Article IV Organizational Objectives

Section 1.

The organization shall adhere to the following objectives:

a. To gather and organize the veterinary students in the country; b. To provide a venue to communicate and unite in honour of the veterinary profession; c. To acquire and share new ideas, knowledge and technology related to veterinary medicine and animal health among fellow veterinary students; d. To create a National Executive Council of veterinary students which shall oversee the implementation and conduct of the congress; e. To train and develop veterinary students in the practice of the veterinary profession; f. To create discourses on various issues and concerns affecting the veterinary discipline and profession; g. To settle cultural differences and unite the students of veterinary medicine across the archipelago. Article V Membership

Section 1.

The membership to the NCVMS is filed by the veterinary school/college annually.

Section 2.

The filing of membership is a responsibility of the veterinary schools Student Government or Student Council.

Section 3.The application for membership shall be filed every start of NCVMS convention every year. Section 4. Section 5. Membership fee is 1,000 pesos and should be paid before the start of the annual convention. The membership fee is different from other fees and dues like registration fee. To register, the student government or student council shall submit the list of REGISTERED veterinary students in their school, together with the application form, letter of intent, constitution and by-laws and the list of their school officers to the National Executive Council. They shall automatically become members of NCVMS for one academic year. The list of registered veterinary students to be submitted should have an approval or counter signature of the schools College Secretary, Dean or President. The school which did not pay the membership fee cannot participate in the annual convention. There shall also be honorary members who will be allowed to join the National Congress. Honorary member shall refer to any non-student individual with significant contribution to the field who is nominated by the National Executive Council. The NEC shall determine, approve and certify the list of honorary members of the organization.

Section 6. Section 7.

Section 8.The National Executive Council shall release a list of qualified and approved members and a certificate for the school.

Article VI Rights and Privileges

The following shall be the rights and duties of the members:

Section 1. Section 2.

I. Rights and Privileges of the Member Schools All member schools are entitled to one voting power in all the decisions to be made inthe congress. All member schools are given one slot for a representative who can become an officer and represent them in the National Executive Council.

Section 1. Section 2.

II. Rights and Privileges of the Individual Members All student members have the right to express their opinions and views regarding activities and issues surrounding the congress. All student members are entitled to participate in the planning activity to be undertaken by the National Executive Council.

Article VII Duties and Responsibilities of the Members

The following shall be the duties and responsibilities of the members: a. To uphold the constitution and abide by its laws and matters decided upon by the organization. b. To pay the membership fee annually and other necessary dues. c. To support, join and help in the projects and activities of the NCVMS. d. To participate and encourage fellow students to attend in the annual convention. e. To uphold ethics in the practice of the profession. Article VIII National Executive Council

Section 1.

The National Executive Council shall have the following duties and responsibilities: a. Shall coordinate with the different sectors for a worthy projects and activities; b. Shall link all the member schools and inform all the veterinary students nationwide of the projects and activities of the congress; c. Shall receive and distribute any endorsement for honorary membership or amendments of this constitution; and d. Shall see to it that the constitution is being followed. e. Shall serve as the elections committee during the election of the new set of officers. The NCVMS shall have National Executive Officers which will be composed of the National Director, Vice Presidents Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, Secretary General, Public Information Officers and Representatives of the member schools. The National Director shall have the following duties: a. Shall be the head of National Executive Council; b. Shall represent the organization in his/her official capacity as the National Director as the need arises; c. Sign all resolutions, communications and papers of the council; d. Shall preside the convention and meetings; and e. Shall preside and facilitate the regular election of the congress. The National Director shall automatically be the head the Committee on Elections. The Vice Presidents Luzon,Visayas, Mindanao, shall have the following duties and responsibilities: a. They shall assist the National Director in all matters where their assistance is required; b. In absence of National Director, any of the three can represent NCVMS or preside the meeting; and

Section 2.

Section 3.

Section4.

Section 5.

c. They shall coordinate all the activities and projects of the congress in their respective region; and d. They shall perform such other duties as the National Executive Council or the National Director may assign on them from time to time. The Secretary General shall have the following duties and responsibilities: a. He/she shall keep the minutes of the proceedings of National Executive Council and the meeting of NCVMS; a. He/she shall receive and file all papers and correspondence of the organization; b. He/she shall certify all acts of the same; and c. He/she shall perform such other duties as the National Executive Council or the National Director may assign on him/her from time to time. The Public Information Officer or P.I.O shall have the following duties and responsibilities: a. He/she shall be responsible for the publicity of the congress; b. He/shall be the editor-in-chief of NCVMS Newsletter which shall be released every October. The NCVMS Newsletter is the official publication of NCVMS. It will be circulated in the member schools as well as potential partner organizations and the like. c. He/she shall perform such other duties as the National Executive Council or the National Director may assign tohim/her from time to time. Representatives of the Schools shall have the following duties and responsibilities: a. Each representatives shall coordinate all the activities and projects of the congress in their respective school; and b. They shall perform such other duties as the National Executive Council or the National Director may assign to them from time to time. Article IX The National Convention

Section 6.

Section 7.

Section 1. Section 2. Section 3.

The NCVMS shall convene every February as stated in Article I, Section 2 of this Constitution. The length of the NCVMS convention and programs shall be decided upon by the host school as stated in Article X, Section 5. The convention shall consist of lectures, fora and discussion on the field of veterinary medicine. Should there be proposals to revise the constitution; the discussion of the amendments shall be facilitated by the National Executive Council. Student members are the only ones who can and shall participate in all the proceedings, deliberations, and discussion. They should strive for consensus in every decision to be made. The convention discourages the intervention of other people in all the proceedings, deliberations, and discussion, but may allow soif the situation calls for it. The member students should strive for autonomy of NCVMS.

Section 4. Section 5.

Article X The Next National Director and Next Host School

Section 1.

Four (4) months before the convention, the National Executive Council shall send letters to all member schools address to the administration and student government or student council announcing the search for the next National Director and next Host School. If the school is interested to host the next convention, they should find a representative student who will run as the National Director during the convention. To become the National Director or officer of National Executive Council, he/she must be able to meet the qualifications stated in Article X, Section 4. During the convention, it is mandatory that all the member schools give one representative to represent their school. The representative shall signify intent to host the next convention or decline acceptance of hosting. The body shall have the final decision on who will host the next NCVMS convention. There will be voting to determine the next host school where member schools will be given one vote each. The school which will receive majority vote shall be declared as the next host school. The next Host Schools representative will automatically become the next National Director as stated in Article X, Section 2. It is the responsibility of the National Director and Host School to organize the convention. They shall have the prerogative on the length of NCVMS convention and the program content. The Host School is discouraged to compete again as host the following year unless the necessity arises. The school may run again after one academic year to give opportunity to other schools to host the convention.

Section 2.

Section 3.

Section 4.

Section 4. Section 5. Section 6.

Article XI Vacanciesand Replacementsin the National Executive Council

Section 1.

All the positions in the National Executive Council may be vacated due to the following reasons: death, dismissal, resignation, permanent illness, or any other reason preventing him/her from performing the functions. In the event of a vacancy, the National Executive Council should announce it to the member schools. It shall convene two weeks after to facilitate the election to fill the vacancy. Upon the vacancy of National Directorship the following shall be done: a. First option is to ask the Host School if they are still willing to host even in the absence of the latter. If the school agrees, they shall internally elect an Acting Director.

Section 2. Section 3.

Section 4.

b. Second option, if the supposedly Host School declines, the three Vice Presidents will internally elect the new National Director, thus their school will be the new Host School. c. Third option is to reopen the hosting of the convention to all member schools. The Vice Presidents shall find the new Host School. The new host will internally elect an Acting Director. The Acting Director shall have no same power as that of the duly elected National Director. His/her responsibility only is to coordinate the NCVMS convention in their school. The Vice Presidents are still the ones to preside the meetings as stated in Article 8, Section 4, b. Upon the vacancy of Vice Presidents, the Representatives of the School of the same region will internally elect their new Vice President. Upon the vacancy of School Representatives, the school should select a new Representative and submit the name to the National Executive Council.

Section 5. Section 6.

Article XII Honorary Members

Section 1. Section 2.

Honorary member is ANY individual who has EXCEPTIONAL contribution/s to the discipline of veterinary profession or has significant contribution/s to the organization. To become an honorary member, the person should be endorsed by a member school, with a formal letter forwarded to the National Executive Council four (4) months before the date of convention. The formal letter should include justifications on why he/she must become a honorary member. The National Executive Council shall distribute the endorsement to all the member school one (1) month before the convention. During the convention, the body will deliberate and vote for the honorary membership in which majority vote is needed. Approval of honorary member shall be publicly announced. A recognition ceremony of the honorary member is encourage but not required. The honorary member shall have the following privileges: a. He/she can participate in all proceedings, deliberations and discussion of the congress. b. He/she shall be free from any fee such as registration fee. Honorary membership is considered a lifetime membership.

Section 3. Section 4. Section 5. Section 6. Section 7.

Section 8.

Article XIII Elections

Section 1. Section 2. Section 3.

Each member school shall have one representative which will constitute the National Executive Council. From the school representatives, the officers of the NEC shall be elected. The National Directorship position is automatically given to the representative of the next Host School. The representatives shall elect the Vice President Luzon,Vice President Visayas, Vice President Mindanao, Secretary General and Public Information Officer. Those who will not be elected for any position shall be called Representative of the Schools. Qualification of Representatives/Officers: a. b. c. d. e. He/she must be in his first to third year veterinary medicine proper student. He/she has shown good leadership skills and good track record. He/she can devote his time and efforts for the welfare of the organization. He/she must be able to serve for one year following the elections. He/she must be endorsed by the schools Student Council or Student Government. The schools are given the freedom to create an internal mechanism to select their School Representative. Quorum shall mean a majority (50%+1) of member schools present and voting. Majority vote shall refer to 50% plus 1 of the total number of member schools that are present and that are voting.

Section 4.

Section 5. Section 6.

Article XIV Amendments

Section 1.

The constitution can be amended if there are proposals to amend from the member schools. Proposals for revision or amendments of any article or section of this constitution must be forwarded to the National Executive Council one (1) month before the scheduled national convention. Upon receiving the proposal, the National Executive Council shall distribute and endorse the amendments to all the member schools for review and comments.

Section 2.

Section 3.

During the convention, the body shall discuss and deliberate on the proposed revision.

Section 4.

The revision of any part of this constitution requires majority vote of all the member schools present and voting.

Article XV Effectivity

This constitution shall commence upon its unanimous ratification by all the members school.