NIEVES. Screengrabbed from UP Diliman Student Council’s Facebook page
The chairperson of the University of the Philippines Diliman student council (USC) has been expelled from his own student party after refusing to resign from Upsilon Sigma Phi fraternity, which is involved in a fraternity-related violence on campus last month.
In a statement on Friday, UP Alyansa said it expelled USC chairperson JP de las Nieves when he did not comply with their agreement that he would resign if Upsilon would be involved in act of violence.
“In enforcing the said contract, UP Alyansa seeks to ensure that JP, as an elected student leader, is accountable not just to the formation, but more importantly to the student body that he serves. Such safeguards are in the contract for that exact purpose—to dispel any conflict of interest that may arise which would keep him from exercising his full capacity toward fulfilling his duty to protect the rights and welfare of the students,” the party said.
On June 18, masked men identified as Cheran Cabrito, Elias Miles Villanueva, Rudolf Gene Karlo Neral, Rannie Mercado, and Sean Rodriguez beat up UP students and members of Alpha Sigma fraternity using lead pipes before fleeing in a getaway blue Mazda.
But the suspects, who had been charged with frustrated murder and illegal possession of ammunition, claimed they were “falsely implicated” and accused the UP police of planting evidence against them.
UP Alyansa said it asked Nieves to resign on June 29 and gave him until July 2 to decide as requested, but he announced on the deadline that he would not quit from his fraternity.
The party said Nieves’ refusal to resign from Upsilon raised doubts over his supposed commitment to prioritize student welfare over any other interest.
“By refusing to resign from his fraternity, we question whether his highest affiliation remains to be the USC, or the fraternity he is a part of. We question whether his loyalty still lies with the students, or with his fraternity brothers,” UP Alyansa said.
Saying his refusal to quit from his fraternity was a form of turning back from his promises during the election, UP Alyansa also called on Nieves to resign as USC chairperson “for failing to uphold the integrity of the USC as an institution mandated to serve and protect the rights, welfare, and interests of the student body.”
“Having been elected by the student body as the USC chairperson and having been entrusted with their mandate, it is imperative for him to make the necessary actions so that the student body would be assured of his dedication in finding justice for the victims,” the party added.
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