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CONSTITUTION
OF
THE SANIBLAKAS NG TAONGBAYAN FOUNDATION, INC.
Preamble
 E
ARE INDIVIDUALLY AND COLLECTIVELY CONSCIOUS of the great power to
be attained in synergism, where the magnitude of a unified whole
is greater than the sum of the separate parts contributing to it,
a principle that is alive in Nature and the Cosmos;
We
are individually and collectively conscious that a fast-growing
number of people all over the world are discovering and
consciously applying the empowering principle of synergism in
various fields of human endeavor, including philosophy and
economics, social and natural sciences, governance and
empowerment, education and profound enlightenment, gender and
family relations, inner and environmental health, culture and
aesthetics;
We
are individually and collectively conscious that there are
compelling reasons and effective ways to hasten, broaden and
stabilize the consistent application of the synergism principle
for people's self-empowerment and national synergy-building, and
that one such way is to establish, strengthen and continually
develop a formal and solid organization of conscious and
consistently-active synergy-builders and facilitate effective
teamwork systems for their work. This is a distinct contribution
to the overall pursuit of total human development and harmony
throughout the world.
And
we individually and collectively commit to live this
consciousness, further grow in it, and spread it far and
wide, to the best of our creative abilities; and on this basis, we
hereby uphold the establishment of the solid organization of
consistently-active synergizers, under the following
definitions, delineations, principles and basic policies.
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PART
ONE: BASIC UNITIES
Article
I:
Name,
Symbol and Office of the Organization
 Section
1.
The full official name of this organization shall be SanibLakas ng Taongbayan
Foundation, Inc. It shall also be publicly projected and known as SanibLakas
Foundation. It shall also
hereinafter be referred to as the “Foundation.”
Section
2.
It
shall be the task of the Foundation to exercise best efforts to cause any
other entity to refrain from using the word “SanibLakas” in the latter’s
name, especially if such use tends to confuse, distort, dilute and/or
denigrate the synergetic essence of this name.
Section
3. The official symbol of the organization shall combine a set
of converging arrows, symbolizing directional unity, with the sunburst,
representing the great power created by that unity, in tribute to the atomic
fusion process of generating energy within all known suns of the universe.
Section 4. The central office of this organization shall be in Metropolitan
Manila, the national capital region of the Philippines.
Article
II. Objectives of the Organization
Section 1.
The objectives of this organization shall be the following:
1)
to work for the development and application of effective
technologies of empowerment for Filipinos as individual human
beings and as individual honorable and productive citizens;
2)
to work for the development and application of effective
technologies of empowerment for Filipinos as groups and
communities, based on the principles of human synergism; and
3)
to contribute to national synergy-building and ultimately
to total human development and universal harmony, on the basis of
the foregoing objectives.
Article
III.
Declaration of Principles for Human Synergism
Section 1.
In all its internal and external dynamics, the organization shall uphold the
Principles of Human Synergism, where empowerment shall be generative and not
merely distributive in character and consequence.
Section
2. Specifically, these principles are the following:
1)
Human dignity and empowerment, as accorded to and enjoyed
by individual humans, shall be exalted and enhanced as the basis
of collective dignity and empowerment.
SanibLakas work shall endeavor to enable every member,
every partner and every person touched by its work, to achieve
one’s maximum potential with the greatest attainable sense of
fulfillment, to develop individual and collective sense of
self-confidence, and to build stronger bonds with fellow-humans
and with the rest of Nature, for personal or group success.
2)
Personal growth and empowerment is a life-long process that
requires fundamental changes manifesting in consistent living
behavior. This can only be built gradually, with each step solidly
constructed, starting from the self. The individual must be
adequately and effectively helped to be self-confident, competent
and clear about the process of empowerment. After the inner self
has become ready, the process can move on to formal and informal
relationships, groups, society as a whole, and humanity as a
whole.
3)
The quality and magnitude of collective commitment, performance
and empowerment are all ultimately rooted in the quality and
magnitude of individual commitment, performance and empowerment,
on the number of individuals contributing to the collective
efforts, and on the quality and degree of their bonding.
4)
A healthy and empowering organization is one where the principle
of synergism is lived to the fullest, where this powerful
principle is very much alive in the members’ strong individual
and collective sense of determination, confidence and fulfillment
(“synergies of heart and spirit”), very much alive in
decision-making processes that are broad-based, integrative and
unifying (“synergy of many minds”), very much alive in
members’ concerted actions (“synergy of the muscles”),
pursuing the organization’s vision, mission, and programs of
action. Organizations that synergize and thus empower their
members fully serve the basic human right to association.
5)
In contrast to personalistic leadership, synergetic leadership
mandates that formal and informal leaders exert influence among
other members to uphold more firmly the organization’s
principles, vision, mission, policies, programs of action and
plans, and all non-divisive processes that can help to refine
these.
6)
Meetings are defined as systematic discussions of a definite set
of topics to forge strong unities on the best possible analyses,
solutions, plans and policies on the basis of earlier synergies of
minds and towards firmer and clearer synergies of minds upon which
stronger synergies of spirit and of bodies can be attained in an
organization as such. Meetings should therefore be active,
participatory, orderly and productive. The chairing of a meeting
is a function that does not elevate the assigned functionary to
any rank higher than that of other participants except only on
matters of the orderly conduct of the same.
Members have the responsibility to come punctually to
meetings prepared to discuss actively, to contribute
substantially, and to respect the other members and their ideas.
Article
IV.
Approaches
of the Foundation
Section 1.
The general approach of SanibLakas ng Taongbayan Foundation in the lawful
pursuit of its objectives shall be that of healthy partnership-building,
applying generative empowerment and respecting all partners as co-equal
teammates in specific endeavors, seeking optimum levels and terms of
partnership, and being aboveboard in all dealings with them.
Section 2.
Such synergetic partnership shall be forged and nurtured by the
SanibLakas Foundation with the individuals and groups that are applying the
principle and building growing synergies in their respective fields of concern
and/or interest.
Section 3. Partnerships shall be encouraged, forged, nurtured and
supported in other ways, among all synergism-oriented individuals and
organizations/institutions. The Foundation shall exert persuasive motivation and
provide facilitation, educational and other forms of support for many of these
synergism-oriented individuals and entities to officially form part of a broad
Synergy Community, to be called "Pamayanang SanibLakas,” which shall have
its own organic leadership elected by its member-entities and by clusters of its
individual members, and which shall officially subscribe as an organization to
the herein Principles of Human Synergism.
Section 4.
SanibLakas Foundation shall form or help form other lawful organizations in line
with its synergy-building priorities, develop these into healthy and
self-reliant organizations (with all "Three Synergies" functioning)
that can spin off, after which eventuality the Foundation shall continue, as a
partner, to guide and help develop these organizations, connect them with other
members of the Pamayanang SanibLakas, and give them other means of support.
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PART
TWO: MEMBERSHIP
POLICIES
Article V:
Recruitment and Retention of Members
Section
1. The
Foundation shall recruit and retain individuals on the basis of the
following premises:
1) the individual’s categorical adoption of
synergism-promotion, synergism-application, and human
synergy-building as part of one’s personal mission in life; and
2) the individual’s acknowledgment of the value of pursuing
such a component of personal mission together with
similarly-motivated individuals.
3)
the individual’s acknowledgment of SanibLakas Foundation as a
formal mechanism for persons to pursue common personal missions
together in synergy, and
4)
the individual’s application for membership and remaining as
member therein is a pledge upon one’s honor to abide by its
policies, plans and programs in pursuit of its role of synergizing
the individual personal efforts.
Article
VI: The Solemn Pledge of Membership
Section
1. SanibLakas
Foundation shall have a Solemn Pledge of Membership with the following text:
:
“Having
freely
adopted as part of my personal life mission the promotion
and conscious application of the synergism principle on day-to-day
and long-term challenges to advance human development and harmony,
“And,
conscious that synergism is a great magnifier of effectiveness
whenever individual and energies are brought together in a working
teamwork, with the commonality of intention and commitment as the
strong bonding element and diversity as the dynamic factor,
“I,
therefore, now voluntarily and solemnly pledge, upon
my honor, to be consistent and forthright with my commitment to
the SanibLakas mission, to hone my skills and help others do the
same with theirs, and to work as a good team player within the
synergism-promoting organization of the SanibLakas ng Taongbayan
Foundation. This I will do in such areas of work as I am most
interested in and/or most appropriate for, and, upon such bases,
create and maximize any and all opportunities for building strong
synergies within my household, community, grouping, area, nation
and global family.
“May
I be helped and closely guided by the Great Synergy of All
Synergies!”\
Section
2 .
The SanibLakas Solemn Pledge of Membership shall
be:
1)
declared and signed before witnesses by every new member
entering the organization;
2)
declared before witnesses by a member or members accepting
a new function or
assignment; and
3)
declared by witnesses in solidarity with members who are
declaring it before them.
Article
VII: Rights and Duties of Members
Section
1. All
Foundation members in good standing shall have the following
rights:
1)
To partake of education on the Synergism Principle and its
applications;
2)
To exercise personal informed choice on assignment to a
team and/or line of work within the organization to be considered
the official task upon approval by the organization.
3)
To be officially identified by the Foundation as a member
of the organization.
4)
To be fully informed on the history and current efforts of
the Foundation;
5)
To vote in elections within the organization and be elected
to positions they are qualified for.
6)
To participate in decision-making processes within the
organization, including the right to submit formal inquiries,
observations, opinions and recommendations for official
acknowledgment, recording and consideration by the organization,
and to circulate such inquiries or views among other members prior
to acknowledgment, provided that such do not include statements or
implications that are unfounded and/or divisive;
7)
To be free to resign honorably from the organization or to
file official leaves of absence as a member; and
8)
To fully enjoy due process in the treatment of sanctionable
cases, and the right to appeal decisions.
Section
2. All
members of the Foundation shall have the following duties:
1)
To consistently live by all the premises and criteria for
recruitment into the organization and for retention therein;
2)
To attend the sessions of the General Assembly and pay annual
membership dues the amount of which shall be determined by a
specific resolution of the Assembly applicable for payment in
registration for the succeeding regular session of the Assembly,
provided that absence from two consecutive regular sessions of
this Assembly shall automatically redound to the technical
suspension from membership of the member concerned;
3)
To keep themselves informed about the entire work of the
SanibLakas Foundation and the Pamayanang SanibLakas and keep alert
for opportunities to interlink efforts and people within and
outside their own teams of choice and assignment;
4)
To be receptive to all information from Foundation center, and
from other centers of leadership and initiative, as a means to
contribute high-quality participation in decision-making meetings
and other meetings.
5)
To file for a formal leave of absence as necessary.
Article
VIII: Accountability
Section
1. Wholesome
discipline,
premised on each member’s solemn declaration of the SanibLakas
Membership of commitment upon entry into the Foundation as a
member, shall be upheld to attain/maintain
a high level of synergy and effectiveness within the organization.
The main approaches to this are quality recruitment and effective
education, and persuasive motivation for optimized synergy.
Section
2. The
following offenses shall be deemed grounds for evaluation to
determine sanctionability:
1)
non-performance of tasks in the chosen line of work
2)
neglect of duty to be constantly in touch with the assigned
team or members thereof;
3)
serious violations of the rights of other members, of
partners, of other individuals;
4)
serious and habitual behavior in violation of the ethics of
honesty, fairness to all, sense of responsibility, and
predisposition to unite;
Section
3. The process of Evaluation for Sanctionability shall uphold at
all times every person’s right to due process, according to the
following:
1)
Investigation shall be all-sided;
2)
Investigative, prosecutory and judgment functions shall be
lodged in separate persons.
3)
The respondent member’s
right to be fully informed, face and rebut witnesses and
allegations shall be upheld;
4)
Respondent members’ right to appeal for reconsideration
of an unfavorable decision as well as for status quo pro ante while
such appeal of unfavorable decision is yet to be decided with
finality.
Section
4. Corrective and conciliatory efforts shall be exhausted and
mitigating and extenuating factors shall be considered before any
sanction appropriate to the sanctionable act becomes applicable.
Such sanctions may take any of the following forms:
1)
a
written reprimand to the member concerned, with notice to the
other Foundation members he/she has direct interaction with;
2)
definite-period suspension, with notice to the other
members and to individual and institutional partners the concerned
member has direct interaction with;
3)
expulsion with notice to all other members and to
individual and institutional partners. Notice to the public may
become necessary if the offense is of public import, highly
destructive, or gravely malicious, provided, however, that such
shall be meted out exclusively by a two-thuirds majority vote of
the Board of Tustees meeting en banc, for post-promulgation review
by the General Assembly
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PART
THREE:
LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT
Article IX:
The General Assembly
Section
1.
The highest policy-formulation and decision-making authority of the
Foundation shall be vested in the General Assembly, hereinafter
also referred to as the “Assembly,” which shall be composed of
all members in good standing, which shall convene in regular
session, motu propio, on the whole day of the third
Saturday of November of every year, or convened by the Board of
Trustees in special sessions whenever necessary, to hear, discuss
if necessary and formally accept the President’s Report; to
hear, inspect, discuss if necessary, and approve the Financial
Report; to hear and formally accept the Auditor’s Report, to
formulate, promulgate and/or amend provisions of the SanibLakas
Foundation Constitution and By-Laws: to evaluate, adopt or amend
the three-year plan; to elect members and alternate members of the
Board of Trustees; and to make such other decisions as are deemed
to be appropriate for this body to act upon.
Section
2.
A regular session of the General Assembly shall require for quorum a
simple majority of all Foundation members in good standing,
counting the respective proxies chosen, and provided that
unexcused absences from two consecutive regular General Assembly
sessions shall redound to the instant exclusion of the member
concerned from the base figure for determining the required
quorum.
Section
3.
The regular session of the General Assembly shall be presided by an
Assembly Chairperson chosen by the Assembly in an election
presided by the Foundation President at the start of the session
proper, provided that the Assembly Chairperson shall be
effectively assisted by an Assembly Floor Leader and an Assembly
Secretary appointed by the Assembly Chairperson, and by a
designated Assembly process observer.
Section
4. To address circumstances urgently necessitating amendments to
the SanibLakas Foundation Constitution and By-Laws, or drastic
adjustments in the current three-year plan, or both, or for any
other urgent purpose of equivalent importance, a special session
of the General Assembly may be convened with specific agenda
specified and clearly explained.
Article X: The
Board of Trustees
Section
1. Between the regular sessions of the General Assembly, the
highest policy-formulation and decision-making authority of the
Foundation shall be vested in a Board of Trustees, hereinafter
also referred to as the “Board,” composed of eleven Foundation
members in good standing elected to the position by the General
Assembly.
Section
2. The incumbent Foundation President shall automatically be
deemed reelected by the Assembly as member of the Board, and each
regular session of the General Assembly shall elect one of two
sets of five Board members for two-year terms, as well as two
alternate Board members for a term of one year.
Section
3. The Board shall meet in regular plenary session four times a
year to adopt and promulgate a one-year plan; to monitor,
supervise, and evaluate the implementation thereof, and, as
necessary, to make timely adjustments thereto; to exercise
supervision over the operation of the entire organization on the
basis of the Constitution and By-Laws of the Foundation and the
other promulgations of the General Assembly, and to call a special
session of the General Assembly whenever necessary.
Section
4. The presence of six out of eleven members shall constitute
the quorum for the plenary meeting of the Board provided that
elected alternate members may be called to attend as official
proxies for absentee Board members.
Section
5. Alternate members, in the order of the number of votes
received during the regular session of the General Assembly, shall
be sworn-in as regular members of the Board in cases where
temporary or permanent vacancies occur in the Board, provided that
the proxies shall only serve unexpired terms, in cases of
permanent vacancies, or during interim periods, in cases of
temporary vacancy.
Section
6. Outside its quarterly plenary meetings, the Board of Trustees
shall reserve the option to exercise its supervisory functions
through special plenary sessions called as often as necessary or
through meetings of its Executive Committee.
Section
7. The Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees shall be
composed of the following executive officers elected by and from
among the members of the Board, with their respective individual
functions and responsibilities as hereunder enumerated:
1)
The Foundation President, who shall also serve as
Chairperson of the Board of Trustees and principal spokesperson
and external relations officer of the Foundation;
2)
The Vice President who shall also serve as Vice Chairperson
of the Board and exercise supplementary guidance over the
Foundation’s human resources expansion and development systems;
3)
The Board Secretary, who shall be responsible for the
generation, safekeeping and efficient retrieval of all official
records of the Foundation, and for preparing official reports of
the Board for submission to the Securities and Exchange
Commission;
4)
The Board Treasurer, who shall be responsible for the
generation, accuracy and comprehensiveness, safekeeping and
efficient retrieval of records of all financial transactions, and
shall likewise be responsible to the Board for the safekeeping,
maintenance and proper use of Foundation funds, assets, and other
properties, including the preparation of financial reports for
submission to the General Assembly and to the Securities and
Exchange Commission..
5)
The Foundation Auditor, who shall be responsible for auditing
financial accounts, and also for auditing organizational
operations for essential and operational fidelity to the
Foundation’s Constitution and By-Laws and to the established
principles of stable and democratic governance within empowering
organizations, including the proper conduct of meetings and
adoption of decisions according to established Rules of Order, and
recommend adjustments in policy and work styles on the basis of
her or his analyses of current operations.
Article XI.
The Management Committee
Section
1. The Board of Trustees shall appoint a Management Committee,
composed of the following officers:
1) The Foundation President who shall be the
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Foundation.
2) The Foundation Executive Director, who shall be the Chief
Operating Officer (COO) of the Foundation, shall be chosen
and hired in accordance with policies previously
promulgated by the Board of Trustees, and shall serve as an
ex-officio member of the Board with no voting powers unless he/she
is a duly elected member of the Board.
3)
The Foundation Finance Officer, who shall be the chief
resources-generation officer and operational funds custodian and
operational supervisor of the Foundation’s voucher, disbursement
and accounting systems, shall be chosen and hired in accordance
with policies previously promulgated by the Board of Trustees.
4)
The Foundation Auditor, whose functions are delineated above, and
who shall receive such honoraria and allowances as determined by
the Board of Trustees, with the Auditor inhibiting herself/himself from participation.
Section
2.
For promulgation of policies, guidelines and standard
operating procedures governing regular operations and the
contracting of personnel, and for specific appointments, the
Management Committee makes decisions collegially.
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Article XII. Standing
Committees
Section
1. There
shall be created, under this Constitution, the following Standing Committees for
specialized organizational functions, under the principal supervision of the
Management Committee:
1)
The Membership Committee, which shall take charge of recruitment, clear tasking,
and development-tracking of members, subject to general guidelines promulgated
by the Board of Trustees and to specific procedures promulgated by the
Management Committee. The Membership Committee shall conduct investigations, motu
propio or upon receiving complaints against members.
2)
The Human Resources Development Committee, which shall orchestrate the
implementation of the Foundation’s internal education thrusts through an
integrated approach that combines formal seminars, reading materials, sharing
sessions, skills training, and lifepath counseling, all geared to the total
human development of the members.
3)
The Finance and Material Resources Committee, which shall orchestrate the
Foundation’s efforts to solicit and mobilize funds and other material
resources to support synergism-oriented efforts of the Pamayanang SanibLakas and
to cover the Foundation’s own administrative and operational expenses.
4)
The External Relations Committee, which shall take charge of generation and
public dissemination of information on the thrusts and activities of the
Foundation and on developments therein, and taking charge, as well, of tracking,
guiding, orchestrating and optimizing the efforts of the members and different
teams of the Foundation and of Pamayanang SanibLakas to build and cultivate
external partnerships with private local, national, foreign, and international
entities and with instrumentalities and functionaries of goverenment.
Section
2.
The Management Committee shall collegially appoint the heads of the Standing
Committees.
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PART
FOUR: OPERATIONAL AND SPECIAL BODIES
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