Volunteers call quits with Tanglaw Fest 2025, dissatisfaction over SKM looms

ADDENDUM [as of 11:54 AM, July 16]: Three heads and 12 members from Finance, three heads and 16 members from Logistics, two heads and 12 members from Program, and three heads and 19 members from Technical committees relinquish their involvements from the Tanglaw Fest 2025 Organizing Committee, as per former Finance Committee Co-Head Marro Daniel C. Alcantara.

Twenty-two volunteers from the Technical Committee, three from the Finance Committee, and one of the overall co-heads have publicly announced stepping down from the organizing committee of Tanglaw Fest (TF) 2025, an annual event organized by the PUP Sentral na Konseho ng Mag-aaral (SKM), on July 14.

Tanglaw Fest 2024. (Photo by Mary Rose Maligmat/The Communicator)

TF Overall Co-Head Ron Ron Manuel Villanueva,  also the incumbent SKM Secretary for Legal, Parliamentary, and Ethics, cites in a letter student council’s inconsistency and constant changes in decision-making, false promises, and disrespect, among others. 

In the same letter, Villanueva acknowledged that he failed to adequately convey the insights and proposals of the Finance, Logistics, and Technical Committees to the Organizing Committee, accepting full responsibility for those oversights.

“I'm leaving my position with my head held high, knowing I did my part with integrity and full commitment. I take responsibility for any shortcomings on my end, but I will never remain silent about the systemic disrespect and mismanagement that has brought this event to its current state,” his letter reads.

In addition, former Logistics Committee Head Shammyzel Ashley Lucina noted setbacks such as a month’s worth of paper processing being “wasted” that could have been prevented with better communication, consultation, and a stronger sense of urgency.

“On several instances, my committee members have spent the entire day on campus, just to have the signatories fail to show up. Sometimes, despite our best efforts to contact the signatories, we wind up with no papers approved at the end of the day because they were unable to be reached,” she stated.

Tanglaw Fest 2025 still at serious risk

The letter from the members of the Technical Committee cited concerns, including “indecisive decision-making,” “indecisiveness of the SKM Executive,” “bureaucracy,” “ineffective meetings,” and a “draining and unproductive work environment.”

According to a committee member’s Facebook post, the TF’s fundraising activity (FRA) began on June 10, but the group claimed that “there has been little to no progress” so far.

Volunteers also criticized SKM President Tiffany Faith Brillante’s last-minute notice of absence from the July 12 steering committee meeting, leaving the technical and other committees to wait four hours, until nearly midnight, for deferred feedback or approvals as well as cutting short the concerns of the committee amid the virtual meeting given the president’s nonappearance due to an urgent personal matter.

“We have been actively participating in planning discussions for over a month, and with the event set for September, the current pace and system place its success at serious risk. We can no longer, in good conscience, continue under such conditions,” the Facebook post reads.

Meanwhile, CJ Diaz, SKM Councilor and Overall Head of Tanglaw Fest 2025, responded in the comment section that the organizing committee and SKM Executives are maintaining careful and thorough decision‑making, especially concerning the FRA, which was rejected by the PUP Administration.

“Gayunpaman, sa kabila ng maingat at demokratikong pagbuo ng plano, hindi pa rin ito inaprubahan ng PUP Administration dahil sa laki ng halagang kailangang ilaan para maisakatuparan ito. Totoo, PUP Admin pa rin ang huling sagot kung ito bang plano na ito ay itutuloy o hindi,” Diaz said.

Moreover, Diaz also believes that the organizations within the University struggle to organize such an event due to the misprioritization of budget allocation by the Marcos Jr. administration to state universities.

The Technical Committee declared that they will not be attending the proposed reconciliation meeting this week, as their resignation is final.

Tight budget approved — Finance Committee

Meanwhile, the entire TF 2025 Finance Committee also posted a copy of their unified letter shortly after the Technical Committee announced its departure. 

It was bared in the Finance Committee’s letter that the approved tight budget strained their ability to work strategically and severely limited their ability to decide on and allocate funds. 

“We tried to adjust, compromise, and make things work–but we’ve reached a point where we are no longer able to serve effectively in this capacity,” the committee declared.

Moreover, all TF committees (Finance, Logistics, Technical, and Program) have pushed for an increased FRA and overall budget, agreeing to meet with the SKM and overall heads so the Finance team can defend a budget sufficient to support the event. 

However, the said meeting did not take place, and the final decision for the budget was pushed through without proper consultation and any presence from the committees.

“We understand the challenges that come with defending a high budget. We never expected this journey to be easy. But what broke us wasn’t the lack of funds. It was the lack of respect for the time, dedication, and energy we gave to this event. That was our final straw,” Finance Committee Co-Head Marro Daniel C. Alcantara said.

Brillante, on the other hand, said that the executive board received a proposal of around P1 million, which will be mainly sourced from ticket sales.

“Sa meeting na ‘yon, agad kong ipinahayag ang concern ng SKM na baka hindi realistic ang amount na ito at baka mauwi sa hindi pag-attain ng mga basic needs ng TF 2025. Kaya napagkasunduan nating mag-submit ng mas conservative na budget proposals, bilang paghahanda kung hindi man maabot ang target income,” Brillante added.

Eventually, the FRA budget was adjusted to P525,000 from the initial P400,000 ceiling according to the committee’s request. 

Tanglaw Fest 2025 is a flagship event conducted by SKM, usually held during the second semester, and was initially scheduled for May but has been moved to September this year.

Flux of dissatisfaction over SKM

The SKM is currently grappling with some internal challenges that have garnered significant attention within the University community, including recurring issues with event management, the departure of some officials from the student council, and the currently idle PUP Student Tribunal.

Recently, some students have raised concerns over the vague appointment process of officials who will take over the position of General Secretary for both SKM and Student Council Assembly (SCA), as well as the position of SKM Treasurer, after the council’s condemnation of Reynalyn Layones and resignation of Shaine Ocampo.

The adopted resolutions, such as Resolution No. 009, Series of 2024-2025, and Resolution No. 011, lack explicit documentation regarding the criteria or procedures for the appointment process.

On the PUP Sta. Mesa Freedom Wall, a community page, an anonymous entry raised concern about the PUP Student Tribunal, which points to SKM’s failure to open applications for the arbitration system this year.

“This branch of the student council which functions as the judiciary could have been an avenue for justice and grievance redressal, especially for issues concerning elected student leaders. Whether deliberate or negligent, this inaction is a massive disservice to students and makes a mockery of their professed commitment to student welfare,” the post stated.

According to Act No. 001 Series of 2022, known as "An Act Establishing the Selection Mechanism of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines Student Council Constitutional Commissions and Student Tribunal,” applicants have to be nominated by the SKM President and be elected by the Student Council Assembly (SCA) members, the highest policy-making body of student councils at PUP Sta. Mesa.

PUP Student Tribunal deals with the controversies between two students or student groups involving student-promulgated rules or complaints against any of the constitutional commissions, and has the jurisdiction to intervene with the ongoing issues.

Criticism towards the SKM poured after the Rainbow Fest 2025 incident last June where several bands were cut off from their performances, with anonymous students seeking the council’s accountability through the said community page.

Article: John Lloyd Estrella Pablico

Graphics: Mary Rose Maligmat