USC SUSPENDS 3 OFFICERS
by Ambrielle Zeferino
THE UNIVERSITY Student Council (USC) has suspended three of its officers, according to their press release.
Chief-of-Staff Lavinia Esquivel, Secretary Sabrina Ynares, and Public Information Officer Rowan Oronce have been suspended indefinitely, effective immediately.
"I refuse to work with people who tried to initiate a coup and have me removed from office," USC Acting President Castiel Seville said in his official statement. "They betrayed not only my trust, but also the will of our incumbent president who's still unconscious."
Then-vice president Seville began serving as acting president after USC President Priam Torres was stabbed ten times at the campus fair and fell into a coma. Since he temporarily assumed the powers of the presidency, Seville claimed that he can suspend any of the USC officers.
"All USC appointed officers serve at the pleasure of the president," he added. "Since I'm the president—though in an acting capacity—it's well within the scope of my powers."
Meanwhile, Oronce said they were suspended on the day they reprimanded Seville about his aggressive rhetoric in the first session of the Legislative-Executive Committee (LEXECOM) this semester.
"We prepared a statement for him to read during the presser, but he chose to ignore it and go on a tirade," he revealed. "The USC and the majority bloc may not see eye to eye in terms of policies, but we always try our best to maintain a harmonious partnership with them. The acting president, however, doesn't think the same."
When asked for comment, College of Business and Accountancy's College Student Council (CBA-CSC) Chairperson Alaric Esteban refused to get involved.
"This is a matter between the acting president and his officers. It doesn't concern me, my college, or the LEXECOM," he said in a text message.
During Seville's confirmation hearing as vice president, Esteban moved to terminate the proceeding and asked the LEXECOM sitting as Committee on Appointments to approve Seville's nomination out of courtesy to the USC.
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