Automatic Membership

Dear Fellow CFA members,

Greetings of peace and friendship to all!

Last Saturday, Mila, Ato, Ave, Becky, Beth and I met to discuss the issue of automatic membership provision of the 2007 CFA Constitution duly ratified and with no vote, and which was the product of many discussions and debates that started in the term of Dan Reyes and was finished in my term as CFA president.

President Mila Serrana has requested me to write down some facts and reflection about the issue. And so this write-up.

The old CFA constitution's provision on membership is voluntary and semestral with membership fee paid each semester. So membership expires every end of the sem and recruitment is every sem. Sometimes the CFA officers did not recruit, did not pay their own membership fees, and did not collect membership fees while spending the CFA fund.

When I was the CFA president and before the new constitution, for three consecutive semesters, I would personally approach and recruit teachers to the CFA.

There are two reasons why the automatic membership is justified: legally and ethically.

Legal Justification: the new CFA constitution was duly drafted and duly ratified according to the 1994 CFA constitution without a single no vote. While being drafted, two lawyers were consulted on the legality of the automatic membership. Atty Ngo of the CBEA said that this is a common practice in other schools including the UST college where he was teaching. Atty Faustino Madriaga, JR who was the lawyer of St Paul College-QC and Lourdes School was also consulted and whose legal opinion is that automatic membership is legal and should be put in the constitution, and being an educator for many years, added the opinion that when there are teachers who think and feel they have valid reasons for being exempted from this provision, should write a formal letter to the Executive Board which has the final decision to exempt.

Ethical Reason: the Higher Education Unit is a community of communities and a family of families. A HEU teacher is a member of these communities/families with rights and duties. We do not only come to teach in Miriam College but be a good member of the community of teachers. The College Faculty Association promotes, articulates, defends and represents the rights, the concerns, the interests of all HEU teachers. It is inclusive of all teachers. When it organizes welcome/acquantance parties, Christmas parties, faculty outings, teachers’ day programs, etc., it does not discriminate: it invites and welcomes all teachers. When it dialogues with the President, the HR director, the Finance director, the Deans, it represents all the teachers. When it requests salary benefits, more parking space, better working conditions, better food and better prices in the canteen, better health/accident insurance, it does so for all the teachers. When the CFA honors and shows appreciation for our service awardees and retirees, aren't we all glad and proud that we are part of an appreciative organization? When the CFA shows solidarity and social responsibilty in helping the victims of natural calamities, in fighting for truth and justice in EDSA 1 and 2, in the ZTE scandal, and in so many issues affecting our country, our school and ourselves, aren't we glad and proud we are part of a great organization that has made a difference in the lives of our people?

And what do we give in return for all of these? For most part-time faculty members, it is only their membership fee of P150 per semester. For us who have been officers of the CFA, much work, responsibilities, time, money, criticism, energy, talents, leadership skills have been given in sacrifice for the sake of love of the school and our family of teachers!

Sincerely yours,


Raul F. Alejandrino

CFA President 2006-2008