By Shayne Elizabeth T. Flores

A day before the proclamation of qualified candidates for the Far Eastern University (FEU) Elections 2026, the FEU Commission on Elections (COMELEC) convened an Electoral Tribunal to address the late submission of the certificate of candidacy (COC) by a FEU Central Student Organization (FEUCSO) aspiring presidential candidate yesterday, April 14.

In a dialogue with FEU Advocate, FEU COMELEC student representative and Operations Committee Head Maxine Mananguite stated that the tribunal convened following a petition from Isanliyab Servant Leaders’ Union (ISLU) appealing the late submission of their prospective FEUCSO presidential candidate Katherine Nicholas, who is currently serving as FEUCSO treasurer.

“Apparently, they have no candidate for FEUCSO presidency. So ‘yung finorward sa amin na issue is if they can submit for appeals na mag-submit ng candidate for president kasi wala nga silang na-submit na candidate for president because of some internal issue they have with Kadiwa [Student Coalition (KSC)],” she said.

Per Article IV Section 1 under the Implementing Rules and Regulations of the 2026 Omnibus Election Code (OEC), the COC “shall be filed within the period designated by COMELEC as indicated in the official election calendar, at the Office of Student Involvement (OSI). Only applications filed within the prescribed period shall be accepted.”

As stated in Article VII Section 3, the Electoral Tribunal “shall be convened only upon the filing of a formal written election protest, disqualification complaint, or appeal in accordance with the OEC and this Article IX (Election Protest, Offenses, and Sanctions).”

From its initial schedule of April 10, FEU COMELEC extended the last day of COC filing on April 13 at 12 p.m. 

According to Mananguite, ISLU submitted Nicholas’s COC along with their appeal at around 5 p.m. of the same day, hours after the set deadline.

“After that, nag-emergency meeting kami with Sir [Roderick Evans Bartolome] and all of the other members of COMELEC if we can discuss kung ano ‘yung puwedeng gawin sa appeals nila (After that, an emergency meeting was held with Sir Roderick Evans Bartolome and all the other COMELEC members to discuss what we can do regarding the appeals),” she shared.

To settle the matter, FEU COMELEC invited Nicholas and ISLU’s Chairperson Rico Angeles, along with KSC’s presidential candidate Jasper Calara and Chairperson Sydrix Damolkis to attend the tribunal.

During the hearing, ISLU was given the floor to lay out the reason behind their late submission, while KSC also had the chance to argue against the appeal.

“Pinakinggan namin ‘yung reason, ‘yung side [na] bakit na-late si Isanliyab and also ‘yung facts nila, ‘yung timeline nila bakit ganito ‘yung nangyari. And also, pinakinggan namin ‘yung side ni Kadiwa na bakit sila nag-a-against sa appeal (We heeded to Isanliyab’s side, including their facts and timeline that led up to the issue. We also listened to Kadiwa’s side on why they are against the appeal),” Mananguite stated.

The FEU COMELEC student representative added that the two parties were unable to come to an agreement after the tribunal.

On the other hand, FEU COMELEC is still deliberating and is set to decide on the issue before the proclamation of qualified candidates later today.

“For now, pinag-uusapan pa namin. We're considering all of the facts na binigay ng both parties kasi reasonable naman silang dalawa (For now, we’re still deliberating. We’re considering all of the facts given by the parties since they’re both reasonable). So as soon as possible we'll give our decision before the proclamation,” Mananguite remarked.

FEU Advocate tried reaching out to ISLU and KSC for statements regarding the matter. 

KSC replied that they are currently waiting for FEU COMELEC’s decision with trust that the “OEC/IRR’s integrity is upheld.” 

Meanwhile, ISLU declined to provide a statement given that the situation is still under review.

(Photos by Sean Clifford Malinao/FEU Advocate; Layout by Phoemella Jane Balderrama)