UPAAS Constitution

CONSTITUTION OF UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES ALUMNI ASSOCIATION (SINGAPORE)

	NAME
1	This Society shall be known as the “University of the Philippines Alumni Association (Singapore)”, hereinafter referred to as the “Society”.
	PLACE OF BUSINESS
2	Its place of business shall be at “43 Pasir Panjang Road, Singapore 118503” or such other address as may subsequently be decided upon by the Management Committee (herein referred to as “Committee”) and approved by the Registrar of Societies. The Society shall carry out its activities only in places and premises which have the prior written approval from the relevant authorities, where necessary.
	OBJECTS
3.1	The Society is a non-stock, non-profit organisation. It’s objects are:
	a) To provide organised alumni assistance to the University of the Philippines in the fulfillment of its mission as an academic institution;
	b) To coordinate projects and activities that benefit the University of the Philippines’ students and alumni;
	c) To help strengthen the University of the Philippines to play its vital role in the development of the Philippine society and of the Filipinos nation;
	d) To promote the welfare of the Filipinos in Singapore and members of the Society; and
	e) To provide opportunities for members of the Society and graduates of other universities to meet one another and provide facilities for interaction and exchange.
	MEMBERSHIP QUALIFICATION AND RIGHTS
4.1	The Society shall consist of the following categories of members: a) Ordinary Members; and b) Honorary Members.
4.2	Ordinary membership is open to every person who is: a) A resident in Singapore; and b) Holding any degree, title or certificate or who is a former regular student of the University of the Philippines having earned at least sixty (60) academic credits, and not having been dismissed for misconduct or scholastic deficiency.
4.3	Honorary membership may be conferred by the Committee on persons who have rendered valuable service to the Society. Honorary Members shall not have any rights to vote or to hold office in the Society.
4.4	Only Ordinary Members who are 21 years of age and above shall have the right to vote and to hold office in the Society.
	APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP
5.1	A person wishing to join the Society should submit his particulars to the Secretary on a prescribed form.
5.2	The Committee will decide on the application for membership.
5.3	A copy of the Constitution shall be furnished to every approved member upon payment of the entrance fee.
	ENTRANCE FEES, SUBSCRIPTIONS AND OTHER DUES
6.1	The entrance fees and annual subscriptions shall be determined by the General Meeting on recommendation from the Committee from time to time.
6.2	Annual subscription fees are for the period of January 1 to December 31. Annual subscriptions are payable within the first month of the year (ie by January 31). If a member falls into arrears with his subscription or other dues, he shall be informed immediately by the Treasurer. If he fails to settle his arrears within 4 weeks of their becoming due (end of February), the President may order that his name be posted on the Society’s notice board and that he be denied the privileges of membership until he settles his account. If he falls into arrears for more than 3 months (March 31), he will automatically cease to be a member and the Committee may take legal action against him provided that they are satisfied that he has received due notice of his debts.
6.3	Any additional fund required for special purposes may only be raised from members with the consent of the General Meeting of the members.
	TERMINATION AND REINSTATEMENT OF MEMBERSHIP
7.1	Membership to the Society can be terminated by the Committee under the following circumstances:
	a) A member has acted in a manner contrary to the interest and objectives of the Society, or has been convicted of any civil or criminal offence subject to the discretion of the Committee;
	b) A member who has expressedly provided a resignation letter to the committee; and
	c) A member of the Society will not be terminated without due process by the Committee. A member who is terminated may submit an appeal against the Committee’s decision within one (1) month of notification of the termination to the General Meeting of members. The decision of the General Meeting shall be final.
7.2	Subscription fees and any other monies banked in the name of the Society are not refundable in the event of cessation of membership
7.3	Any person who previously ceased to be a member of the Society can be readmitted upon the discretion of the Committee, unless the person is declared permanently banned from the Society.
	SUPREME AUTHORITY AND GENERAL MEETINGS
8.1	The supreme authority of the Society is vested in a General Meeting of the members presided over by the President.
8.2	An Annual General Meeting shall be held in March.
8.3	At other times, an Extraordinary General Meeting must be called by the President on the request in writing of not less than 25% of the total voting membership or 30 voting members, whichever is the lesser, and may be called at any time by order of the Committee. The notice in writing shall be given to the Secretary setting forth the business that is to be transacted. The Extraordinary General Meeting shall be convened within two months from receiving this request to convene the Extraordinary General Meeting.
8.4	If the Committee does not within two months after the date of the receipt of the written request proceed to convene an Extraordinary General Meeting, the members who requested for the Extraordinary General Meeting shall convene the Extraordinary General Meeting by giving ten days’ notice to voting members setting forth the business to be transacted and simultaneously posting the agenda on the Society’s notice board.
8.5	At least two weeks’ notice shall be given of an Annual General Meeting and at least ten days’ notice of an Extraordinary General Meeting. Notice of meeting stating the date, time and place of meeting shall be sent by the Secretary to all voting members. The particulars of the agenda shall be posted on the Society’s notice board four days in advance of the meeting.
8.6	Unless otherwise stated in this Constitution, voting by proxy is allowed at all General Meetings. Electronic means of voting may be accepted as and when necessary.
8.7	The following points will be considered at the Annual General Meeting:a) The previous financial year’s accounts and annual report of the Committee.b) Where applicable, the election of office-bearers and Honorary Auditors for the following term.
8.8	Any member who wishes to place an item on the agenda of a General Meeting may do so provided he gives notice to the Secretary one week before the meeting is due to be held.
8.9	At least 25% of the total voting membership or 30 voting members, whichever is the lesser, present at a General Meeting shall form a quorum. Proxies shall not be constituted as part of the quorum.
8.10	In the event of there being no quorum at the commencement of a General Meeting, the meeting shall be adjourned for half an hour and should the number then present be insufficient to form a quorum, those present shall be considered a quorum, but they shall have no power to amend any of the existing Constitution.
	MANAGEMENT AND COMMITTEE
9.1	The administration of the Society shall be entrusted to a Committee consisting of the following: 1. Six Office Bearers, namely:     a) A President     b) A Vice-President     c) A Secretary     d) An Assistant Secretary     e) A Treasurer     f) An Assistant Treasurer 2. At least four but not more than eight Ordinary Committee Members
9.2	Names of the Committee shall be proposed and seconded at the alternate Annual General Meeting and election shall follow on a simple majority vote of the members.
9.3	An Election Council shall be appointed by the Committee prior to sending out the Notice of AGM. They shall be responsible for the conduct of the election of members of the Committee. It shall comprise 3 members who are not seeking election to office. Their role is to examine and ascertain the eligibility and qualifications of each nominee and to preside over the election proceedings at the AGM.
9.4	Election will be either by show of hands or, subject to the agreement of the majority of the voting members present, by a secret ballot. In the event of a tie, a re-vote shall be taken and if it still results in a tie, a lot shall be drawn to determine who shall be the successful candidate unless the contesting candidate(s) withdrew in a favour of one of themselves.
9.5	The term of office of each Committee member, with the exception of the President, is two years and commences from 1 April and ends at 31 March the subsequent year.
9.6	The body shall elect the President among the elected Committee members. The President shall hold the position for 1-year and can be re-elected for a maximum of 4 consecutive years.
9.7	The elected candidates shall, within a week after the general meeting, elect amongst themselves, the office-bearers excluding the President as stated in Rule 9.1, in the first Management Committee Meeting convened for the purpose. All office-bearers, except Treasurer and Assistant Treasurer, may be re-elected to the same or related post for a consecutive term of office.
9.8	A Committee Meeting shall be held at least once every 3 months after giving seven days’ notice to Committee Members. The President may call a Committee Meeting at any time by giving five days’ notice. At least ½ of the Committee Members must be present for its proceedings to be valid.
9.9	Any member of the Committee absenting himself from three meetings consecutively without satisfactory explanations shall be deemed to have withdrawn from the Committee and a successor may be co-opted by the Committee to serve until the next Annual General Meeting. Any changes in the Committee shall be notified to the Registrar of Societies within two weeks of the change.
9.10	The duty of the Committee is to organise and supervise the day to day activities of the Society. The Committee may not act contrary to the expressed wishes of the General Meeting without prior reference to it and always remains subordinate to the General Meetings.
9.11	The Committee has power to authorise the expenditure of a sum not exceeding $6,000.00, or 70% of the total Society’s funds as determined at the AGM, for the Society’s purposes for the year.
	DUTIES OF OFFICE-BEARERS
10.1	The President shall chair all General and Committee meetings. He shall also represent the Society in its dealings with outside persons.
10.2	The Vice-President shall assist the President and deputise for him in his absence.
10.3	The Secretary shall keep all records, except financial, of the Society and shall be responsible for their correctness. He will keep minutes of all General and Committee meetings. He shall maintain an up-to-date Register of Members at all times. He shall also assist in the preparation of all statements and news, stories and articles for all press releases on the Society’s activities and projects.
10.4	The Assistant Secretary shall assist the Secretary and deputise for him in his absence.
10.5	The Treasurer shall keep all funds and collect and disburse all moneys on behalf of the Society and shall keep an account of all monetary transactions and shall be responsible for their correctness. He is authorised to expend up to $1,000.00 per month for petty expenses on behalf of the Society. He will not keep more than $200.00 in the form of cash and money in excess of this will be deposited in a bank to be named by the Committee. Cheques, etc. for withdrawals from the bank will be signed by the Treasurer and either the President or the Vice-President or the Secretary.
10.6	The Assistant Treasurer shall assist the Treasurer and deputise for him in his absence.
10.7	Ordinary Committee Members shall assist in the general administration of the Society and perform duties assigned by the Committee from time to time. They shall also coordinate projects of the Society.
	AUDIT AND FINANCIAL YEAR
11.1	Two voting members, not being members of the Committee, shall be elected as Honorary Auditors at alternate Annual General Meeting and will hold office for a term of two years only and shall not be re-elected for a consecutive term.
11.2	They:a) Will be required to audit each year’s accounts and present a report upon them to the Annual General Meeting.b) May be required by the President to audit the Society’s accounts for any period within their tenure of office at any date and make a report to the Committee.
11.3	The financial year shall be from 1st January to 31st December.
	TRUSTEES
12.1	If the Society at any time acquires any movable, or immovable property, such property shall be vested in trustees subject to a declaration of trust.
12.2	The trustees of the Society shall:a) Not be more than four and not less than two in number.b) Be elected by a General Meeting of members.c) Not effect any sale or mortgage of property without the prior approval of the General Meeting of members.
12.3	The office of the trustee shall be vacated:a) If the trustee dies or becomes a lunatic or of unsound mind.b) If he is absent from the Republic of Singapore for a period of more than one year.c) If he is guilty of misconduct of such a kind as to render it undesirable that he continues as a trustee.d) If he submits notice of resignation from his trusteeship.
12.4	Notice of any proposal to remove a trustee from his trusteeship or to appoint a new trustee to fill a vacancy must be given by posting it on the notice board in the Society’s premises at least two weeks before the General Meeting at which the proposal is to be discussed. The result of such General Meeting shall then be notified to the Registrar of Societies.
12.5	The address of each immovable property, name of each trustee and any subsequent change must be notified to the Registrar of Societies.
	VISITORS AND GUESTS
13	Visitors and guests may be admitted into the premises of the Society but they shall not be admitted into the privileges of the Society. All visitors and guests shall abide by the Society’s rules and regulations.
	PROHIBITIONS
14.1	Gambling of any kind, excluding the promotion or conduct of a private lottery which has been permitted under the Private Lotteries Act Cap 250, is forbidden on the Society’s premises. The introduction of material for gambling or drug taking and of bad characters into the premises is prohibited.
14.2	The funds of the Society shall not be used to pay the fines of members who have been convicted in a court of law.
14.3	The Society shall not engage in any trade union activity as defined in any written law relating to trade unions for the time being in force in Singapore.
14.4	The society shall not attempt to restrict or interfere with trade or make directly or indirectly any recommendation to, any arrangement with its members which has the purpose or is likely to have the effect of fixing or controlling the price or any discount, allowance or rebate relating to any goods or service which adversely affect consumer interests.
14.5	The Society shall not indulge in any political activity or allow its funds and/or premises to be used for political purposes.
14.6	The Society shall not hold any lottery, whether confined to its members or not, in the name of the Society or its office-bearers, Committee or members unless with the prior approval of the relevant authorities.
14.7	The Society shall not raise funds from the public for whatever purposes without the prior approval in writing of the Head, Licensing Division, Singapore Police Force and other relevant authorities.
	AMENDMENTS TO CONSTITUTION
15	No alteration or addition/deletion to this Constitution shall be made except at a General Meeting and with the consent of two-thirds of the voting members present at the General Meeting, and they shall not come into force without the prior sanction of the Registrar of Societies.
	INTERPRETATION
16	In the event of any question or matter pertaining to day-to-day administration which is not expressly provided for in this Constitution, the Committee shall have power to use their own discretion. The decision of the Committee shall be final unless it is reversed at a General Meeting of members.
	DISPUTES
17	In the event of any dispute arising amongst members, they shall attempt to resolve the matter at the Committee Level. If not resolved, an Independent Committee can be formed to mediate and attempt to resolve the dispute. Else, an Extraordinary General Meeting can be held in accordance with this Constitution. Should the members fail to resolve the matter, they may bring the matter to a court of law for settlement.
	DISSOLUTION
18.1	The Society shall not be dissolved, except with the consent of not less than 3/5 of the total voting membership of the Society for the time being resident in Singapore expressed, either in person or by proxy, at a General Meeting convened for the purpose.
18.2	In the event of the Society being dissolved as provided above, all debts and liabilities legally incurred on behalf of the Society shall be fully discharged, and the remaining funds will be disposed of in such manner as the General Meeting of members may determine or donate to an approved charity or charities in Singapore.
18.3	A Certificate of Dissolution shall be given within seven days of the dissolution to the Registrar of Societies.

As Amended during the 19th AGM.
Accepted by ROS 27 July 2025.