By Mark Vincent A. Durano

The Batch 2024 Government of Far Eastern University (FEU) Nursing Society (NurSoc) revealed that the delayed declaration of funds and the final number of attendees halted them to settle for a venue in the upcoming 2024 Pinning Ceremony-Clinical Graduation (PC-CG) in a now deleted Facebook statement issued last July 24.

The proponents announced that the ceremony will be held at Okada Manila Grand Ballroom in Parañaque City on July 29, together with the payment guidelines in their batch’s Facebook group last July 10.

Under a post on the event’s guidelines, several Nursing graduates and their loved ones expressed their frustration upon the venue’s capacity to only allow one guest per student.

“How about the parents, especially those who came home from the provinces who settled in Manila for a few more days awaiting for this final event only to find out days before the actual event that only one parent, guardian or guest can attend?” a comment read.

The students reiterated that the batch government did not consult with them and urged accountability for limiting their company.

They also insisted that the organizers could have settled for other venues if Okada Manila cannot cater to the attending volume.

After negotiating with the venue coordinators, they allowed each student to bring two guests as of July 24.

According to the statement, the governing body chose Okada Manila as a venue since they were allowed to secure a pencil booking even without a down payment which most venues require.

“Given the interest of time, alongside the venue availability and capacity, and the fact that the coordinator allowed us to secure a pencil booking without initial down payment, we, with the approval of the adviser and the administration, decided to push through with the pencil booking,” the statement read. 

Overdue budget

The project spearheads said that NurSoc declared that the remaining funds total to P355,235.61 only after numerous inquiries and requests for updates since December 2023.

“The three-month delay in channeling of concerns by multiple offices involved, including the outgoing Nursing Society officers, Batch Government, and Treasurer’s Office, caused challenges in the deliberation and submission of project proposal, specifically the budget proposal,” the statement read.

Last June 3, the proponents submitted the final project proposal to their adviser and the Nursing Administration which would then be forwarded to the FEU Treasurer’s Office.

Moreover, the government adjusted and resubmitted their proposal when NurSoc reported P29,267.09 more funds totalling to P384,502.70 last June 5.

Five days after the report, NurSoc issued a revised document reverting back to the batch’s original fund of P355,235.61, prompting the proponents to resubmit another proposal. 

Last June 27, in a meeting with the batch government and their adviser, Nursing administration, and NurSoc, the Treasurer’s Office then said that the remaining fund is P269,013.79.

However, the Treasurer’s Office then informed that their batch only has a remaining fund of P264,005.61 last July 4.

“The Batch Government did not anticipate such a rapid decrease, particularly given the Nursing Society’s established expertise in managing these figures,” the statement added.

Estimated tally

The list of clinical graduates was only finalized last July 18 with around 10 ineligible students and others who are disinterested to join.

FEU Advocate reached out to Batch 2024 Government President Chloe Faye Cruz for the number of attendees but has yet to receive a response as of writing.

Prior to the official list, the proponents emphasized they cannot secure a venue without the number of attendees.

“The Batch Government is continuously requesting for updates for the final list of clinical graduates to determine the number of attendees for the event. More so, due to budget delays, we couldn’t proceed with other venues as they require down payment to secure a pencil booking,” the statement noted.

Okada Manila Grand Ballroom can accommodate up to 1,500 guests but the government bid to increase the room capacity to around 1,700 to 1,800 which was declined due to safety reasons. 

Without a final count, the Nursing students were given five days starting July 10 to settle their payments of P2,035 which was moved to July 18 and later extended until July 22.

The batch government finalized the release of guidelines, including the number of guests, after knowing the number of students who paid on the day of the payment deadline.

The venue coordinators allowed one guest per student if the attendees exceeded 520 and two if the attendees did not exceed the number.

Last April 1, the Nursing Administration first estimated 120 absentees based on the In-House Review (IHR) attendance then approximated at least 30 absentees three months later. 

The number of graduates suddenly increased when the Administration added students who missed clinical duties to the list of attendees but did not have IHR absences last July 6. 

The batch government also recognized the shortcomings and lack of communication between concerned bodies which prompted the delays of funds and limited venue options. 

PC-CG is annually held for Nursing students to mark the end of their clinical practicum and the start of their nursing profession which lauded 493 graduates last year.

(Photo by Gwyneth Mendoza/FEU Advocate)