SOX student leaders advance inclusive governance and welfare with 20 resolutions at landmark STRAW Congress

GENERAL SANTOS CITY, Philippines – Students across SOCCSKSARGEN made a powerful push for a more supportive and engaged student environment at the inaugural SOX Student Rights and Welfare (STRAW) Congress 2025, held on April 12th at Mindanao State University - General Santos City (MSU-GSC). 

Approximately 80 student leaders representing five regional institutions convened for the pivotal event, culminating in the passage of 20 significant resolutions aimed at shaping the future of student life in the region.

Photo by: SSC MSU-Gensan

Organized by the MSU-GSC Supreme Student Council (SSC), the congress prioritized student participation in governance and addressed a wide range of welfare concerns.

SSC Senator Ramzel Delloro articulated the core philosophy and main objective of the event, stating, "For us student leaders, it is important to ensure that we establish mechanisms that drive the students to participate in governance. It is important to ensure that the voices of all sectors are heard to better the policies and services that they receive.”

Delloro also highlighted the diverse issues discussed during the congress, including campus safety, student support, and gender responsiveness.

When asked about which topic generated the most discussions among attendees, he recalled the significant talk about protection of student journalists.

"I think it is on the resolution filed by HTC on urging school administrators to establish mechanisms to protect student journalists from state-sponsored threats. It really increased the participation among the participants since it is a contentious topic," he said.

Delloro also emphasized that the most significant outcome of the event is the consensus among the institutions was to institutionalize the SOX STRAW Congress annually.

The inaugural SOX STRAW Congress, fueled by a commitment to inclusive governance and a broad focus on student welfare, concluded with the passage of 20 out of the 25 resolutions filed.

These resolutions include urging academic institutions within SOCCSKSARGEN to establish Students' Rights and Welfare (STRAW) Desks and urging all participating Higher Education Institutions to promote political engagement and participation among students, among others.

Regarding the follow-up of these resolutions, Delloro acknowledged that in the absence of a regional federation, individual institutions will take the lead in implementing the resolutions, with ongoing communication to monitor progress.

"It's really on the lobbying process for these concerns to be heard on relevant offices and institutions so that they would have the information that these issues are happening and it needs urgent actions," he emphasized.