CCS-CSC CHAIR RESIGNS
Students call for whole council resignation
by Ambrielle Zeferino & Reynard Falcon
THE CHAIRPERSON of the College of Computer Studies-College Student Council (CCS-CSC) has stepped down from his position, effective immediately.
Chevy Serrano, who won a landslide victory in the last elections, tendered his resignation yesterday following a report released by the University Student Council (USC). The report claimed that Serrano and some CCS students participated in spreading unverified information that tainted the reputation of Fabienne Lucero, a Theater Arts student and lead actress in the upcoming Romeo and Juliet play.
"I've decided to step aside and give way to an impartial and unbiased investigation," Serrano said in a statement to The Herald. "Whether I've committed a transgression or not, I will leave that to the Student Ombudsman."
Despite the attempt by the perpetrators to mask their IP addresses, the tracking team designated by the USC was able to trace them to areas known as "territory" of CCS students.
"The IP address of the fake news purveyors was tracked down to the ICT building's CyberSpace Room, which is exclusive to CCS," USC Public Information Officer Rowan Oronce said in an emergency press briefing. "They tried to erase the logs, but our campus network administrators managed to retrieve them and identify the individuals who logged on at the same time that the disparaging comments and shares were made."
When sought for Lucero's comment, Repertory Theater's Publicity Manager Priscilla Mercado said the lead actress had nothing to say about the issue.
"Fabienne is currently focused on rehearsals," Mercado said in a text message. "She prefers to leave this matter in the capable hands of the investigators."
Upon Serrano's resignation, CCS-CSC Vice Chairperson Orlando Taneda assumed the chairmanship. However, some CCS students have also called for his resignation and that of the entire council.
"If the chair is involved, everyone in the council must also be involved," said Raegan Singson, the defeated candidate for chairmanship from the SALVo party. "They used the facilities of our building to spread fake news and destroy someone's reputation. They must all be held accountable."
The release of the report as well as the uproar in CCS, happened after whispers of a potential impeachment complaint against USC President Priam Torres and Vice President Valeria Encarnacion began circulating.
The USC has already filed a formal complaint against Serrano and his co-conspirators with the Student Ombudsman. Tasked with holding student-leaders accountable, this year's Ombudsman, appointed by the Office of Student Affairs, is Kayneth Palacio. He rose to prominence after arguing the disqualification case against the AEGIS party's presidential candidate, Candice Delavin, in the last student council elections.
As of press time, Palacio has not released a statement.
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