CANDIDATES FOR auditor in the upcoming Arts and Letters Student Council (ABSC) special elections should educate Artlets on the role and importance of an auditor in the Council, given that it is the second time the position is declared vacant, the chairperson of the Faculty of Arts and Letters Commission on Elections (Comelec) said.
“[W]e (AB Comelec) feel like the students don’t really know what the auditor does or what the auditor’s position is in the Council. So for the candidates who will be running again for the special elections next month, we hope that they will be able to inculcate and explain what an auditor really is and why AB needs it,” AB Comelec Chairperson Ayla-Rhey Salapare told the Flame.
An auditor shall receive and audit all financial reports after each Council activity and perform such other functions officially assigned to him/her by the President, Article VIII, Section 8 of the ABSC Constitution states.
“This (duty of the auditor) is to provide protective and constructive services to the ABSC. The auditor’s role is important because he/she evaluates the effectiveness of the projects hosted by the Council. After all, the Artlet community deserves only the best,” Salapare said.
The position of auditor was declared vacant for the second time as sole candidate Gherick Barlis of the Grand Alliance for Progress (GAP) lost to 1,155 void votes after obtaining 1,149 votes in the special elections.
Article XI, Section 7 of the ABSC constitution states that a simple majority (50 percent of voting population plus one) shall be required in case there is only one candidate for any elective position.
In the April ABSC elections, “abstain” won the positions of auditor, vice president for internal affairs, and secretary, leaving the three positions vacant.
GAP’s Clio Marie Ocampo is the new ABSC vice president for internal affairs while Janina Louise Catap is the new secretary after garnering 824 and 1,160 votes, respectively, in the recently held special elections.
The AB Comelec plans to hold the special elections for the position of auditor after the preliminary examinations in AB in October.
Salapare said they already talked with Assistant Dean Narcisa Tabirara about the schedule of the next polls.
A voter turnout of 89.02 percent or 2,304 out of the 2,952 voting population participated in the ABSC special elections. F
