LAKAS Tomasino Coalition (Lakas) has sought the nullification of the Central Student Council (CSC) election results coming from the College of Nursing after the local Commission on Elections (Comelec) opted to push through with the CSC elections despite the postponement of its local elections due to the misprinting of ballots.
According to a letter addressed to the Central Comelec dated Feb. 19, the misprinting of ballots “caused confusion to (the) voters on whether the elections will push through (resulting) in a low voter turnout in the College.”
“(We asked the Central Comelec) to consider the remaining 800 voters of the College of Nursing who were not able to vote due to the negligence of the local Comelec unit,” said Faculty of Civil Law freshman Christer Gaudiano, Lakas standard-bearer.
Gaudiano also said Lakas has questioned the disenfranchisement of the Institute of Physical Education students, “considering they are regular students of the University.” But according to the Central Comelec, they have not received any information about the matter.
The local elections in Nursing were called off after the ballot printers allegedly misprinted the candidates’ names on the “wrong” political parties, according to Nursing Comelec head Ana Karina Padis.
“We tried to make the system organized. Naka-plan na ang lahat three months in advance,” Padis told the Varsitarian. “We opted to call off the (local) elections only after noticing the discrepancy.”
According to the 2003 UST CSC Constitution, synchronized local and University-wide elections should be held on every third Friday of February unless in special cases. And the Nursing local elections, which was held last Feb. 19, was a “special case,” Padis said.
The Central Comelec refused to comment pending investigation on the matter.
As of press time, Alyansa ng Kristiyanong Lakas’ (Aklas) John Voltaire Almeda leads Gaudiano by over 600 votes, while Lakas vice-president Gracen Anteola and treasurer James Domingo are ahead by at least 400 votes each over their Aklas counterparts. On the other hand, Aklas secretary Catherine Airis Pastoral, auditor Marivic Laurel, and public relations officer Marcelo Philippe Ramirez are in the drivers’ seats.
