THE UNIVERSITY’S highest disciplinary board has ended a month-long battle between rival student leaders, junking an appeal to overturn the results of the Central Student Council (CSC) elections.
In a resolution dated April 25, the Central Judiciary Board (CJB) denied Lakas ng Diwang Tomasino’s (Lakasdiwa) petition to revoke the proclamation of winning candidates due to lack of merit.
However, the CJB reprimanded members of the Central Commission on Elections (Comelec) en banc and called on them to exercise care and diligence in the performance of their duties, warning that the next time they commit errors in election tallies, disciplinary measures will be imposed.
Still, Lakasdiwa asked for an extensive investigation and public hearing for the case. “Justice was not served well for us. Admonition is not enough for the damages,” Lakasdiwa said in its official statement dated May 11. “This election is worse than a nightmare.”
The Comelec’s withdrawal of the Feb. 22 proclamation and announcement of a second set of winners last. Feb. 27 drew flak from Lakasdiwa members, who filed an appeal last March 5.
Lakasdiwa claimed the Central Comelec disregarded due process by taking back the proclamation of its bets in the vice presidential and public relations officers (PRO) races—Guammer Partosa and Jan Michael Borja, respectively. The withdrawal came after the Central Comelec found that it did not count election returns from the College of Rehabilitation Sciences.
Partosa and Borja were replaced by candidates from rival party Lakas Tomasino Coalition, Raymond Angelo Gonzales as vice president and Cris Angelo Salazar as PRO.
“There was officially no first and second proclamation as the Central Comelec issued only one written resolution, proclaiming the duly elected officers of the CSC,” the CJB ruling said.
Lakasdiwa’s request for a temporary restraining order (TRO) on the oath-taking of the duly elected officers was also denied. CJB only issued a TRO on the proclamation of Gonzales and Salazar.
Gonzales and Salazar took their oaths last May 13 after the TRO was lifted. R. D. Madrid
