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| Photo from DEKADA's Facebook Page |
Candidates of the DEKADA party list, who faced claims of electoral offenses during the Artlets Student Council (ABSC) Halalan ‘23, were deemed not guilty of such allegations; as banked on the ruling of the Faculty of Arts and Letters’ Commission on Elections (AB Comelec) which was promulgated on May 11, 2023.
Under Resolution No. 16 posted by AB Comelec on their Facebook page, the claims faced by DEKADA for offenses on Sections 4.4 and 4.11 of the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) No. 9 during the ‘TAGISAN: Miting de Avance 2023’ holds ‘no merit’.
It is to be noted that the Certificate of Candidacies (CoCs) of DEKADA’s candidates were suspended after last month’s Proklamasyon due to the complaints of ‘persistent coaching and cheating’ during the ‘For or Against’ segment of the said Miting De Avance; as well as violations prior and during the campaign period in which Chronicle released an article on its’ full scope.
However, on AB Comelec’s separate ruling under Resolution No. 15, DEKADA’s Campaign Manager Hanielle U. Garcia was found guilty of the alleged violations of ‘meeting and/or hurdling’ with the party during breaks & providing technical cues; within Sections 4.9 and 4.11 of the IRR No. 9 during the ‘TAGISAN: Miting de Avance 2023’
On that note, the COMELEC then imposed a ‘stern warning’ to DEKADA, and ‘any repetition of the offense shall result in heavier penalties.'
Further developments
Upon the previous rulings, AB COMELEC, under Resolution No. 17, has lifted the suspension of CoCs of President-elect Timothy John C. Santiago, Vice President-Internal candidate Josh Enrique B. Moncayo. Vice President External-elect John Matthew M. Enriquez, Secretary-elect Hannah Patricia B. Calara, Auditor-elect Joseph Lorsan A. Coronel, and Public Relations Officer-elect Rachelle Anne S. Mirasol.
Santiago, Enriquez, Calara, Coronel, and Mirasol were also duly proclaimed to their respective posts under the same resolution.
DEKADA’s Statement
After the rulings released by the COMELEC, DEKADA published May 24th on their official Facebook page a statement regarding the Tribunal’s decision and as a response to queries they have received during the time being.
Explaining the ‘facts’ and ‘case and arguments’ of the matter, DEKADA ended their public statement with a call upon the next student leaders to ‘create and enact laws that strengthen checks and balances and review pre-existing provisions open to change’.
