THE PRIMARY plaintiff and author of the impeachment complaint against Artlets Student Council (ABSC) President Rafael Arellano urged Artlets in favor of the complaint to speak out.
Asian studies senior Moses Rivera submitted a letter to the Board of Majors (BOM) last Mar. 21 seeking to impeach Arellano for his alleged “incompetence” and “gross negligence of duties.”
READ: Impeachment complaint filed against ABSC president over AB Week, unreleased AB merch
“To those who are in favor of the complaint, I appreciate them and hope that they speak out as well. To those who called it shallow, I don’t really care. I hope they look at the bigger picture and not on the small details,” Rivera told the Flame in an online exchange.
“It’s about time for ABSC to become a better council,” he added.
The Asian studies senior said the BOM has not yet scheduled a meeting with him but said he appreciates the actions they have taken on the issue. BOM Speaker John Steven Usero previously told the Flame that the complainants and the ABSC will be convened for a meeting.
“I think BOM is doing the right thing,” Rivera said on the board’s release of his letter.
Rivera added that he will respect the BOM’s decision if it decides not to proceed with an impeachment trial.
Michael Valencia, one of the complaint’s signatories who is also an Asian studies senior, echoed Rivera’s sentiments.
“[K]aya ako nag-sign kasi I want change. Gusto ko kasi maging masaya ang AB dahil sa nakikita ko, wala siya (Arellano) masyadong nagawa lalo na no’ng AB week,” he said.
He also stressed that Rivera did not force him or any of the other signatories, the majority of whom are their classmates, to sign the complaint.
“Nag-ask lang siya kung sino gusto mag-sign and nag-volunteer naman ako. Actually, sinabi niya sa [group chat] ng block namin then nag-agree naman kami,” he explained.
“Gusto ko palitan [si Arellano] dahil gusto ko ng change,” Valencia added. F
