The College Student Electoral Board (CSEB) warned the Interdependent Student-Centered Activism (ISA) party regarding the use of T-shirts during campaigns at a meeting held 1 p.m. today.

Students Alliance for the Advancement of Democratic Rights in UP (STAND-UP) filed a complaint with the CSEB about ISA candidates wearing yellow T-shirts with candidates’ names printed on the back early this week.

“We listened to both parties and we deliberated on it. There was a violation committed but the rules aren’t clear on the penalty, so we’re giving them a first warning,” said Prof. Lourdes Portus, CSEB head and college secretary.

Article 8 Section 1 of the Revised UP Diliman Election Code says: “The giving, distribution and use of buttons, badges, matches, T-shirts, food, multimedia promotional materials, gifts and other forms of political gimmickry shall be prohibited.”

The code also allows up to three warnings after which the entire slate will be disqualified.

“Basically it’s the same every year for [three] years now. It’s a politically motivated act,” said Karol Yee, ISA founder and former CMC chairperson, referring to STAND-UP’s complaint coinciding with the college’s miting de avance today dubbed “Hot Off The Grill.”

This is not the first time ISA has been reprimanded on the use of T-shirts.

Last election, ISA committed the same violation when the candidates wore shirts with the party’s name and logo on miting de avance day. The candidates, recognizing the violation, changed shirts minutes before the annual “Hot Off the Grill” started.

College of Mass Communication party Interdependent Student-Centered Activism (ISA) breached a provision of a memorandum released by the University Student Electoral Board by wearing shirts that show their party’s name and logo during the campaign period.

This issue was raised in CMC’s miting de avance dubbed “Hot off the grill” on Feb. 20 when a member of the audience asked if any party violated an election code.

Minutes before the mudslinging started, ISA candidates changed attire from party’s campaign shirts to plain shirts in order to comply with the said memorandum. Jovan Cerda, running for CMC representative, said they also consulted Dr. Lourdes Portus regarding the shirts on the same day.

“Ang importante lang po dito ay tinanong po namin at nakita niyo naman po kahit last minute ay gumawa po kami ng paraan para wala kaming ma-violate,” said Cerda.

Cerda also explained that they consider their shirts as “org shirts” and that they didn’t wear it “dahil gusto lang namin s’yang isuot. Dahil ito ung pagpapakita ng brand namin as an organization.”

“A week prior to this day, mineet po kami ni Dr. Portus, ang head ng CSEB (College Student Electoral Board),” said Rupert Mangilit, standard bearer for local council of Student Alliance for the Advancement of Democratic Rights in UP.

“There is no excuse for both parties na meron tayong na-overlook na mga rules,” added Mangilit.

This memorandum released on Jan. 30 and received by the CMC administration on Feb. 2 “reiterated and clarified” provisions in the university election code.

The memorandum stated that “T-shirts containing party names and logos and campaign slogans are deemed as political gimmickry and therefore prohibited,” as reference to the campaign guideline which states that “pins, buttons, badges, bookmarks, matches, T-shirts and other forms of political gimmickry including the giving/distribution of any form of material gift shall be prohibited.”

(Jo Javan Cerda, ISA candidate for CMC representative, is the editor in chief of Tinig ng Plaridel and has taken a leave of absence from editorial duties in light of his candidacy.)