GUHIT PINAS

(Guild for Upholding and harnessing Indispensable Talents)

ZAMBOANGA CHAPTER
https://www.facebook.com/groups/515611805208358
Email: guhitpinaszamboanga@gmail.com

GUHIT PINAS Central:

www.facebook.com/guhitpinasofficialpage/

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Constitution and By-Laws

PREAMBLE

We, the members of GUHIT Pinas – Zamboanga, proud and inspired, in order to build a heathy
and purposeful society of visual artists in Zamboanga Peninsula that determine to regard and
use art for the common good, do ordain and establish this Constitution and Bylaws.

ARTICLE 1 – IDENTITY

Section 1: The name of the organization shall be GUHIT Pinas – Zamboanga. It shall be referred
to as "Chapter" in this Constitution and By-Laws.

Section 2: The Chapter shall consist primarily of GUHIT Pinas members originating or residing in
the province/city/municipality for which it is established. It shall be supervised and coordinated
by GUHIT Pinas Expansion Brigade Phase 1 (GPEBP1), the division tasked to aid GUHIT Pinas'
expansion in provinces/cities/municipalities across the country. Its scope shall NOT include
official GUHIT Pinas chapters or organizations outside GPEBP1's jurisdiction, unless specified in
a federal contract determined and issued by Expansion Brigade Phase 5 (GPEBP5).

Section 3: The Chapter shall have its own logo, which should primarily contain visual elements
that represent the unique culture and arts of the city / municipality / province the Chapter
represents.

ARTICLE 2 - VISION AND MISSION

Section 1: The Chapter envisions taking part in GUHIT Pinas' efforts to realize the national
visions:
A. A healthy, dynamic, and purposeful community of Filipino visual artists that use art to
promote the welfare of mankind and to initiate progress.

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 B. Philippines as the Art Capital of Asia.

Section 2: To ensure that the Chapter is pressing toward the vision, it shall carry out three
missions:

A. Multiply: Identify and unite all visual artists and art enthusiasts in Zamboanga Peninsula.

B. Train: Design, implement, and develop programs that promote awareness in the true
value of visual art, hone artistic skills and talents, and shape individual character.

C. Expose: Utilize developed artistic skills and talents to realize the Chapter's vision.

ARTICLE 3 - NON-PROFIT DESCRIPTION

The Chapter is and shall remain a non-profit organization for as long as GUHIT Pinas exists. Any
amount collected from membership payments, event registrations, solicitations, donations, and
fundraising projects shall not be for gain or profit to any officer or unauthorized member/s. All
funds shall be utilized to cover expenses for programs and services that benefit the whole
Chapter.

ARTICLE 4 - ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

Section 1: Affiliation

The Powerhouse (the highest governing body of GUHIT Pinas) holds the authority to create,
suspend, and terminate a chapter that belongs to GPEBP1. Any official member who is
interested in founding and leading a municipality / city / provincial chapter must coordinate
with GBEBP1. Chapter creation shall commence as soon as the person who requested such
action agrees to meet certain conditions established by the Powerhouse.

Section 2: Administration

A. Administrators. The Chapter shall be managed by twenty (20) Administrators, nine (9)
of which shall hold office and comprise the Executive Board, and eleven (11) shall
comprise appointed working committees.

B. Executive Board. The highest governing body of the Chapter shall be called the
Executive Board. It shall consist of a set of duly elected officers: a President, a Vice-
President, a Records Officer, a Finance Officer, an Auditor, three Material Design
Specialists, and a Speaker of the House of the Representatives. The Executive Board is

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 responsible for ensuring that the Chapter is carrying out its missions by carefully
reviewing and implementing proposals presented by the House of the Representatives
in addition to the programs and activities it holds.

C. The duties of the officers are as follows:

a) President - Sets and presides over meetings, establishes meeting agenda, makes
final decisions on major concerns based on the body’s consensus, enforces existing
laws, settles issues among the officers, imposes approved punishments and
penalties, delegates tasks, appoints committees, coordinates major projects, and
acts as the Chapter's top representative.

b) Vice-President – Assumes power and duties when the President is absent or no

longer capable of holding the position; manages appointed committees; ensures
that programs and activities are organized in strict accordance with the Chapter’s
vision and mission.

c) Records Officer - Creates, protects, and manages the Chapter's documents (financial
documents, however, shall be under the care of the treasurer and auditor).

d) Finance Officer - Creates, protects, and manages financial documents; prepares

financial reports; and issues official receipts.

e) Auditor - Ensures that the Chapter's funds are spent according to approved budgets;
protects the Chapter's existing assets; and ensures that programs and activities
follow approved standards and correct practices to protect assets and to reduce, if
not eliminate, liabilities.

f) Material Design Specialists - Design and create promotional and decorative

materials for programs and activities that the Chapter plans to conduct.

g) Speaker of the House - Represents the House of the Representatives in meetings

held by the Executive Body, presenting and seeking approval for the House’s
proposals.

D. House of the Representatives

a) The Chapter shall form divisions that will represent the barangays/ municipalities /
cities within its jurisdiction. The members of each division shall elect a leader to
represent them in the House of the Representatives. This representative shall be
responsible for proposing policies, amendments to existing policies, programs, and
activities, relaying significant information to the division members, and settling
division-level issues.

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 b) All proposals shall be presented by the Speaker to the Executive Board for study and
approval during an official meeting.

E. Succession to Presidency

a) The President shall immediately be replaced by the Vice-President when the former
resigns, gets impeached/terminated, and/or becomes incapable of holding the
position. Following in the lineup of successors is the Speaker of the House of the
Representatives.

b) Should the Vice-President or Speaker of the House become subject to the same
conditions through which the President shall be succeeded, a special election
conceded upon by the remaining members of the Executive Board, presided by a
GPEBP1 Coordinator, shall be conducted. The officers, however, may agree to
perform whichever selection method they deem efficient.

Section 3: Election

A. An election of officers shall be done annually on any agreed date within the last month
of the regular term schedule.

B. A Commission on Election (COMELEC) composed of a GPEBP1 Coordinator and select

Chapter members shall be formed to manage the election in accordance with a primer,
which shall be provided by the Powerhouse. The COMELEC is responsible for preserving
the integrity of the election by keeping it clean, fair, and peaceful.

C. The election primer must provide a clear, on point, and comprehensive method for
conducting the election. It must contain restrictions that can eliminate potential sources
of errors, which might compromise the results.

Section 4: Appointment

A. The GPEBP1 Coordinator assigned to handle the Chapter shall appoint twenty (20)
volunteers and/or capable members as Administrators of the group.

B. The first Administrators to be appointed can recommend members for the remaining
administrative positions.

Section 5: Tenure

A. All officers shall hold office for one year, from the date of their election to the date of
the turnover, except when they resign or get terminated.

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 B. The administrators and representatives shall have a term of three years. They shall
remain electorates until their term has expired or they are duly replaced. They are also
entitled to reappointment by a GPEBP coordinator only once after their term.

Section 6: Resignation and Termination

A. An officer can tender his/her resignation for any of the following reasons:

a) When he/she becomes ill and physically incapable of performing his/her duties.

b) When he/she is leaving the Chapter for another due to any of special cases
identified in the membership policy implemented by GPEBP1.

B. Reasons other than those mentioned above shall be ground for termination.
C. To tender resignation, an officer must submit a formal resignation letter addressed to
the President. The records officer shall provide a clearance form to be accomplished by
the resigning officer upon receipt of the letter. The president shall issue clearance for
resignation as soon as all requirements are met.

Section 7: Re-election

An officer can run for the same or a different position the year following his/her term.
However, if he/she wins, he/she cannot run again in the future. He/she is only entitled to a
single re-election. Details of the restrictions of re-election shall be included in the election
primer.

Section 8: Meetings

A. Regular Meeting - The Executive Board shall determine a particular day in each month
on which they can hold a regular meeting to discuss matters concerning the Chapter.

B. Special Meeting - The President has the authority to call for a special meeting when
deemed necessary.

C. Quorum - A quorum is the minimum number of Administrators that must be present at

any meeting to make the proceedings of that meeting valid. It must be established
before any major decision, including but not limited to election, appointment, and fund
use can be made.

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ARTICLE 5 – MEMBERSHIP

Section 1: Registration

Membership to the Chapter is open for all official and unofficial members of GUHIT Pinas who
are born within the Chapter's jurisdiction. By simply joining the Facebook group, one can
become a member; however, to become an official member, he/she must fill out the form
provided by the Powerhouse.

Section 2: Restriction

Joining two or more chapters under GPEBP1 without special permission from the Powerhouse
is strictly prohibited. Anyone caught guilty of this act shall be permanently blocked from the
Guild.

Section 3: Considerations

Considerations, however, shall be made for special cases identified in the membership policy
implemented by GPEBP1, i.e. the following:

A. Relocation. If the applicant is moving to an address within the Chapter's jurisdiction.

B. Additional address/es. If the applicant has a home or property/homes or properties, in

addition to a permanent address, within the jurisdiction of the Chapter for which
membership is sought.

C. Education. If the applicant is studying/has studied in a school located within the

Chapter's jurisdiction.

D. Employment. If the applicant's workplace or business address is located within the

Chapter's jurisdiction.

Take note, however, that these considerations shall all be up to the Chapter Administration to
make. The GPEBP1 allows them to decide whether or not they will accept applicants
considering those conditions. They must finalize the membership system earlier in their term to
avoid impartiality and discrimination when admitting members.

ARTICLE 6 - PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES

A. All programs and activities of the Chapter must be in line with the vision and mission.

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 B. The Executive Board shall create and submit to GPEBP1 for approval an Action Plan for
their term. The Action Plan shall identify regular and special programs and activities
along with their target dates of conduct, objectives, proposed funding and fund sources,
and target audience.

ARTICLE 7 - ACCOMPLISHMENT REPORT

A. The Executive Board shall submit an accomplishment report for every major activity
they will hold. These activities include regular gathering of members, online contests
and collaborations, conventions, seminars, exhibits, tutorials, and the like.

B. The accomplishment report shall follow the standard format provided by GPEBP1.

ARTICLE 8 – FUND

A. Source - The Chapter's funds shall come from the members' contribution, solicitations,
collections from fundraising activities, and donations.

B. Bank - The Chapter's funds shall be deposited in its official bank account, which shall
have three official signatories--President, Treasurer, and Auditor. All bank transactions
must be approved by the officers during a regular meeting.

C. Financial Report - The Finance Officer shall prepare a financial report for every activity
that required the use of the Chapter's funds. The report must be audited by the Auditor.

ARTICLE 9 - AMENDMENT AND RATIFICATION

Any changes to this Constitution and Bylaws shall be individually presented to and ratified by at
least 75% of the Administrators and Representatives during a special meeting provided a
quorum is achieved.

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