CONSTITUTION PRINCIPALITY PHILIPPINE INTERCULTURAL STUDENT ORGANIZATION

Transcription

1 CONSTITUTION OF THE PRINCIPALITY OF THE PHILIPPINE INTERCULTURAL STUDENT ORGANIZATION

2 Constitution of the Principality of the Philippine Intercultural Student Organization 15 February 2014 We, Jonathan, sovereign reigning Prince of the Philippine Intercultural Student Organization, and Qing Qing, sovereign reigning Princess of the same, make it known herewith that this Constitution has been amended by us and by the Privy Council as follows: Chapter I The Organization 1. The organization s formal name is the Principality of the Philippine Intercultural Student Organization. It exists as an organization of students under the official protection, advisement, and jurisdiction of Vanderbilt University. a. The principality shall possess the official name Philippine Intercultural Student Organization on all university documents. The acronym of the aforementioned name, PISO, is also retained for use in official capacity. b. The formal name, involving the use of the word Principality, reflects the organization s form of governance. c. The name of the principality may only be changed by means of constitutional amendment, the regulation and execution thereof being subject to the pertinent constitutional stipulations. 2. The purpose of PISO s existence shall be to serve the undergraduate community at Vanderbilt University through its provision of channels by which students observe, participate, and share various authentic aspects of

3 Filipino culture such as cuisine, couture, visual and performing arts aesthetics, music, etc. 3. The principality is a constitutional, elective diarchy on a democratic basis; the authority of the principality is embodied in the reigning Prince and Princess, who constitute the Crown, and in its members and shall be exercised by both under the provisions set forth in this constitution. 4. The symbol of the principality as a whole shall be the Greater Coat of Arms of PISO. 5. The symbol of the principality s government shall be the Lesser Coat of Arms of PISO. a. Other symbols of the principality shall be created and implemented upon the approval of the Crown and the government. Chapter II The Crown 1. The Crown is an entity consisting of the reigning sovereign Prince of PISO, and the reigning sovereign Princess of PISO, who shall jointly exercise their full authority as Head of State. 2. The Crown shall represent PISO as its highest-ranking representatives in all social, ceremonial, cultural, and official functions to other student orgs, without prejudice to the requisite participation of any other members of the government. 3. Every by-law requires the sanction of the Crown to attain official recognition. 4. The Crown will at all times be neutral in all governmental affairs unless circumstances surrounding or effects arising from such affairs prove deleterious to PISO. The Crown s supreme duty is to safeguard the independence of PISO

4 and to protect its image and integrity as advocates and embodiments of Filipino culture at the university. 5. The Crown shall possess the right of initiation, allowing the proposal of amendments and by-laws to the government, Privy Council, or the general body. It shall, however, in pursuance to article 4 of this second chapter, refrain from exercising such rights to preserve political neutrality. 6. The Crown shall be dutifully elected by and from the body of peer-electors. 7. Validity of a sovereign s reign occurs at the moment of the Coronation. The Coronation oath shall be upheld by all reigning sovereign Princes and Princesses of PISO. 8. The Crown shall not participate in any activity, hold any position, or sponsor any ideals that directly conflict with or prevent the completely unhindered fulfillment of the Crown s supreme duty as delineated in article 4 of this second chapter. 9. The Crown is charged the choreography, execution, and public performance of the Singkil dance, along with the Grand Duchess and other pertinent members of the principality. Chapter III The Government 1. The entirety of the governance of PISO shall be vested in the Government, consisting of a Prime Minister and seven other cabinet ministers entirely accountable to the Crown and to the general body. 2. The government shall possess the right of initiation, allowing the proposal of amendments and by-laws to the Crown, Privy Council, or the general body 3. The Prime Minister is the Head of Government, and shall exercise this authority under the guidance of the Crown and the general body.

5 4. The Prime Minister is vested with spending power, or the ability to authorize financial transactions between PISO and outside entities using the funds in the Official Treasury disbursed by university officials. This power is jointly exercised together with his or her ministers, their authorized representatives, and by no one else. 5. Any decisions regarding programming, policy changes, co-sponsorships, or any external official organizational business that requires verification, consent, official requests, agreements or any decision requiring executive authority from PISO shall be carried out by the Prime Minister with the advice of his or her other ministers, their authorized representatives, and by no one else. 6. The Prime Minister shall be assisted by two Deputy Prime Ministers, the Deputy Prime Minister of Heritage and the Deputy Prime Minister of the Interior. The Deputy Prime Ministers shall jointly exercise the office of Prime Minister in his or her absence. 7. The other cabinet ministers are as follows: The Minister of the Exchequer, the General Secretary of the Government, the Minister of Social Affairs, and two Co-Ministers of Programming. 8. Each minister s individual responsibilities shall be delineated in an extraconstitutional document regulated by the Crown and Prime Minister. 9. The Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Ministers are elected by general, ranked election involving the entire voting general body of PISO. All other cabinet members are appointed through an interview and selection process. 10. Each government minister holds their position for a term of one academic year. 11. If a government minister loses the confidence of the general body through a petition or signed document with the support no less than two-thirds of the general voting body, a vote shall immediately be taken involving the entire voting body of PISO, whereby a two-thirds majority vote in favor of dismissal will result in removal of the cabinet minister.

6 12. For purposes of familiarity with other, more common organizational polities, the role commonly rendered President shall fall jointly on the Crown and the Prime Minister depending on the circumstantial requirements and in line with the duties of both as stipulated in this constitution. Any other official or unofficial rendering of other board positions shall be drafted by the government in an extra-constitutional document 13. While official or unofficial rendering of positions for external purposes is permitted, the formal, constitutional name for each position is to be used internally, and can only be changed by means of a constitutional amendment, the regulation and execution thereof being subject to the pertinent constitutional stipulations. 14. The structure, polity, and duties of the government, including the addition or subtraction of positions, may only be changed by means of constitutional amendment, the regulation and execution thereof being subject to the pertinent constitutional stipulations Chapter IV The Peerage 1. The Peerage is a system by which positions called peerages are awarded to noted individuals who have contributed to Filipino dances or to PISO s welfare to an extraordinary degree. These peers shall be appointed into a collegial body that serves to elect successors to the Crown from among its members. Aside from membership, there is no legal restraint on who may become a peer. 2. The Peerage shall consist of the Grand Duchess of PISO, fifteen peer-electors, as well as Lords and Ladies of the Royal Household, appointed by the present Crown with advice of its Ministers. a. Peers must be members of PISO as defined by this constitution

7 b. The fifteen peer-electors hold the following distribution: i. Three of the Ducal rank ii. Five of the Comital rank iii. Seven of the Baronial rank c. A unanimous declaration of no confidence in a peerage appointment by the Prime Minister and the two Deputy Prime Ministers shall prevent the elevation of any new individual to the peerage. d. At a time specified by the Crown and its ministers on the anticipated occasion of a graduating sovereign, the Peerage shall be summoned as an Accession Council. Election of one or both sovereigns will be governed by the most recent extra-constitutional instrument of accession. e. Only peers who are not graduating with the exiting sovereign are allowed to stand for election as Prince or Princess. f. Lords and Ladies of the Royal Household are peers appointed by the crown outside the fifteen peer-electors. Each sovereign may appoint up to two of these peers. Lords and Ladies of the Royal Household are considered peers and may stand for election as Prince or Princess, but they may not vote. 3. Peers are distinguished from regular members by their ability to be elected sovereign and ascend the throne. This is called the right of succession. 4. The Crown shall appoint the following official from the peerage: a. A Lord Speaker from the Baronial rank b. A Lord Chamberlain from the Comital rank c. A Lord Chancellor from the Ducal rank d. The roles of each peerage official shall be delineated by the Crown and its Ministers in an extra-constitutional document. However, the Lord Chancellor, by definition, shall be the presiding officer of the Peerage during Privy Council sessions.

8 5. The Grand Duchess shall hold the dignity of the highest peerage, and in precedence is only outranked by members of the royal family. She shall perform the Asik and aid in the choreography and execution of the Singkil dance alongside the Crown. 6. The Grand Duchess shall be personally appointed by the reigning sovereign Princess. 7. Peers who are appointed hold membership in the peerage for the entirety of their undergraduate career. Under normal circumstances, the Crown elevates peers of lower ranks to higher peerages once they are vacated by graduating peers. 8. Peers who act contrary to the behavior expected of their station and who lose the confidence of the Crown may have their peerage rescinded. Because all peers sit at the pleasure and appointment of the Crown any and all peerages can be rescinded at any time for any reason. 9. The Peerage only possesses the right of initiation when sitting in the Privy Council. Outside the Privy Council the Peerage has no legislative powers. Chapter V The People 1. The subjects of the Crown consist of all PISO members who remain active undergraduate students at Vanderbilt University 2. Membership in PISO is granted by the government upon request, after paying a requisite membership fee set and regulated by the same in an extraconstitutional document. 3. Membership can be rescinded by the government for serious reasons where the member in question incites or promotes actions or ideas deleterious to PISO and its welfare.

9 4. All members of the Principality of PISO are equal under its laws with no prejudice for or against any member for any reason outside the fair execution of justice. 5. In fidelity with article 4 of this fifth chapter, the nomenclature and classification of each member is for purposes of ensuring unambiguous language in the passage of this constitution and of all subsequent laws, and does not confer bias on any member of the principality. 6. The nomenclature of members shall be distinguished as follows: a. Members of the Royal Family are distinguished by the style of Royal Highness or Majesty. These include the reigning sovereigns, all living former sovereigns, and all living undergraduate consorts of sovereigns or former sovereigns. b. Peers are those appointed to the Peerage in their own right, holding a Ducal, Comital, or Baronial dignity, or a Lord or Lady of the Royal Household. They are distinguished by the style of Grace or Right Honorable. c. All other members who are neither members of the Royal Family nor peers as stipulated by this constitution are properly termed commoners. Chapter VI The Privy Council 1. The Privy Council is the highest constitutional authority in the principality whose decisions cannot be overturned except its own subsequent acts. 2. The Privy Council consists of three elements: a. The Crown b. The Peerage c. The Government

10 3. The Crown possesses the sole authority of summoning the Privy Council at any time with the advice of its ministers. Chapter VII Amendments 1. The present Constitution shall be universally binding over all matters pertaining to the principality upon its promulgation as the fundamental law of PISO 2. Any member of PISO may propose an amendment to the Crown. On the advice of its ministers, the Crown may summon a Privy Council session. Amendments may only be proposed in front of a full assembly of the Privy Council in its capacity as the highest constitutional authority in PISO. 3. The amendment shall pass if two-thirds of the government, two-thirds of the peerage, and the Crown assent to the amendment s effects. The amendment will take legal force immediately. 4. If the cabinet does not pass the proposed amendment by a two-thirds supermajority, the amendment dies and does not move on for consideration by the peerage. 5. If the peerage does not pass the proposed amendment by a two-thirds supermajority, the amendment dies and does not move on for consideration by the Crown. 6. If the Crown refuses to assent to the amendment, only a three-fourths vote by the rest of the Privy Council will have legal force to enact the amendment. 7. Amendments that are passed must be signed by the Prime Minister in the name of the Government, the Lord Chancellor in the name of the Peerage, and the Prince and Princess jointly, as the royal authority.

11 8. No less than two-thirds of the government ministers or two-thirds of the peerage may submit a proposal to the Prime Minister in the case of the former, or the Lord Chancellor, in the case of the latter, proposing the deposition of a sovereign Prince or Princess. If such a proposal is submitted, the Privy Council must be summoned at the earliest possible time. A threefourths majority of both the government and the peerage in favor of deposition will depose the sovereign in question. Chapter VIII The Dances 1. The official dances of the principality shall the be the Singkil, the Tinikling, and the Sayaw sa Bangko 2. Each dance shall be have no more than two choreographers charged with the design, implementation, and public performance of the dance in keeping with traditional Filipino elements and aesthetics. Under no circumstances can the choreography of the dance deviate from these elements. 3. Ordinarily, a single choreographer for each dance is preferred. If two choreographers are retained, one choreographer must act as the primary choreographer, and the second only as a coadjutor. 4. Aside from the two choreographers, each dance may, as appropriate, retain an administrator to relieve the choreographer of problems related to supervision and logistics of their performances. 5. The Crown, with advice of its Ministers, shall have the right to appoint such choreographers and administrators without requisite recourse to any individual or entity.

12 6. The Crown shall ensure that each primary choreographer is a member of the peerage or royal family, and if a commoner, that he or she be raised to the peerage at the earliest possible moment. 7. While any member or nonmember is welcome to enhance their cultural experience by taking part in the dance, the difficulty of financing troupes for formal performances, showcases, or competitions requires that all those considering participation in PISO as a dancer in an official capacity be a member and pay the requisite membership duty. Chapter IX Final Clauses 1. Any law or statement in contradiction with any explicit provision of this constitution is hereby rendered invalid. 2. Our government shall be entrusted, on our advice, with the execution of this Constitution 3. Our government shall be entrusted, on our advice, with all extraconstitutional documents referred to in this constitution 15 February 2014 The Royal Residence at Lewis House Signed: Jonathan, P Signed: Qing Qing, P

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