THE SAN BEDA Electoral Board (ELBO) has denied the Nationalist Youth and Progressive Democrats’ (NYPD) petition for reconsideration after a 30-minute submission lapse on its reaccreditation documents, effectively excluding the party from fielding a candidate in the upcoming 2025 first-year representative elections.  

In Decision No. 01-2526, with reference to NYPD’s petition for reconsideration of the denial of extension of re-accreditation, the Electoral Board’s Preliminary Adjudication Panel ruled that the NYPD’s submission of documents — made at 12:30 p.m. on August 23 — was beyond the 12:00 noon cut-off on Saturdays, as explicitly stated in Section 9, Article III of the newly revised and fully executory Omnibus Election Code (OEC). 

Following the decision, NYPD posted a statement on their social media platforms acknowledging the finality of the decision, as they vowed that they would remain firm in their advocacy and that they would “continue to serve through other means.” 

The contentions on the decision broadened beyond the ELBO and the affected party, with rival party San Bigkis Party (SBP) also releasing a statement about the electoral judgment.  

SBP likewise acknowledged the finality of the judgment, but they moved to reiterate their stance of endorsement of NYPD’s re-accreditation despite their acknowledgement of the procedural lapses of the party, invoking the “higher interest of democratic participation and pluralism.” 

Responding to the invocation, ELBO commissioner Frank Anthony Magdame emphasized that representation does not depend solely on political parties.  

“The will to serve does not solely depend on political parties but rather should begin with the student’s commitment to serve…it is not the political parties the electorate votes for, it’s the students,” he told The Bedan in an interview.  

Expounding on the decision along with its contentions, Magdame, who was the ponente of the decision, expressed that upon the publication of the OEC, a copy was transmitted to the Student Organization Circle (SOC) and reposted online with a downloadable portable document format (PDF) file, asserting that, “all concerned students were given sufficient notice and were properly informed of the new provisions.”  

Fellow ELBO Commissioner Ramyl Felix Frilles maintained that the measures were “reasonable and sufficient to enable student organizations and other parties to be fully apprised of the Code and its requirements.”   

He acclaimed how the accreditation period was even extended from the usual two days to a full week, with three full days and two half-days allotted for submissions, noting that ELBO had also kept its online accounts and activity room open for inquiries.  

 While majority of the commissioners ruled in favor of the technicalities of the OEC, a sole dissenting opinion was filed by Frilles as he argued that the resolutions issued by the Electoral Commission did not explicitly fix reaccreditation deadlines to coincide with office hours. According to him, the ambiguity should have been resolved in favor of the applicants, especially since the revisions in the OEC had only recently taken effect.  

The ruling, now final and executory, leaves SBP as the lone political party accredited in the upcoming student polls.  

NYPD refused to issue a comment when sought for an interview regarding the matter.  

UPDATE: In a resolution promulgated on September 9, 2025, the Board released the list of qualified candidates for the 2025 first-year level representative elections, which included only one independent candidate: Courtney Allaine Celestino Acuna.

(with Dianne Radel Magallon)