This code was amended by the General Assembly of UP Manila student councils last June, and consequently ratified by the University Student Council General Assembly on July 13, 2000 at the Conference Room, Student Center, UP Manila.

Section 1. This code shall be known as the "UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES MANILA ELECTION CODE".

Section 2 This code shall govern the University Student Council, College Student Councils, and Freshmen Assembly elections in UP Manila.

Section 3 The objectives of the code are:

1. To ensure that orderly and properly coordinated elections are conducted;
2. To ensure that matters pertaining to the elections are clarified;
3. To prescribe the conduct of elections from the filing of certificates of candidacy to the induction of the newly elected officers;
4. To define the qualifications of electors and candidates for the elective positions;
5. To define the creation, compositions, and functions of the UP Manila electoral boards.

Section 4 For the purpose of this code, unless the context indicates otherwise:

1. "Code" refers to the UP Manila Election Code.
2. "University of the Philippines Manila" refers to all degree-granting units under the autonomous unit of UP Manila.
3. "University Student Council (USC)" means the duly constituted body over all colleges and distinguished from the college student councils.
4. "College Student Council"(CSC)" means the duly constituted central student organization of a unit that offers at least a bachelor's degree program. It includes:
   • College of Allied Medical Professions
   • College of Arts and Sciences
   • College of Dentistry
   • College of Medicine
   • College of Nursing
   • College of Pharmacy
   • College of Public Health
   • National Teachers Training Center for Health Professionals
   • School of Health Sciences, Palo, Leyte

5. "Freshmen Assembly (FA)" means the duly constituted central student assembly of all first year students of the University of the Philippines Manila
6. "University Electoral Board (UEB)" means the electoral board that shall oversee and implement the UPM Election Code for the USC election.
7. "College Electoral Board (CEB)" means the electoral board that shall oversee and implement the UPM Election Code for the CSC election.
8. "Freshmen Electoral Board (FEB)" means the electoral board that shall oversee and implement the UPM Election Code for the FA election.
9. "Council members" mean any officer of the USC, CSC's and FA.
10. "Freshman" means a first-time student of UPM enrolled in any of its undergraduate program including the Pre-dentistry and Intarmed programs, without any previous college degree.
11. "UPM Electoral Boards" refer to the UEB, CEB and FEB.
12. "Election Calendar" refers to the period of time from the announcement of election calendar/call for applications to the induction of newly elected officers.

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Section 1 The USC, CSC, and FA positions are those stipulated in their respective constitutions.

Section 2 The elected members of the councils shall be filled in accordance with the rules of the UEB, CEB and FEB respectively and provisions of the UP Manila Election Code.

Section 3 The members of the USC, CSC's and FA shall be elected every academic year in accordance with the rules promulgated by the UEB, CEB and FEB respectively and provisions of the UPM Election Code.

Section 4 Vacancy

4.1 University Student Council

1. Permanent vacancy (death, impeachment of officer, resignation from office) in the office of the Chairperson shall be filled by the Vice-chairperson. Permanent vacancy in the office of the Vice-chairperson shall be filled through an election among the University Councilors.
2. Should both the Chairperson and the Vice-chairperson of the council be incapacitated due to illness, family emergency, the remaining members of the council shall elect from among the University Councilors an acting Chairperson and acting Vice-chairperson, both of whom shall relinquish their positions upon return of the elected officers. A special election shall be conducted if the permanent vacancy in both offices occurs during the first three (3) months of the term, otherwise, the acting Chairperson and acting Vice-chairperson shall serve the rest of the unexpired term. In no case shall the council be dissolved or rendered inoperative due to any vacancy in positions.
3. If the permanent vacancy occurs in the office of a University Councilor, the candidate who obtained the next highest number of votes in the last general election of the student council shall take his/her place. In case more than one person obtained the next highest number of votes, a concurrence shall be made by the remaining officers of the USC.
4. If a permanent vacancy occurs in the office of the College Representative, the CSC shall select a replacement by a special election or by appointment.

4.2 College Student Council

A vacancy in the office of the CSC's shall be filled in accordance with their respective constitution.

4.3 Freshmen Assembly

A vacancy in the office of the Freshmen Assembly shall be filled in accordance with its constitution.

4.4 Temporary vacancy shall not exceed (30) thirty working days.

Section 1 Every candidate for the membership in the USC and CSC's and FA must:

1. be a Filipino citizen;
2. have at least one (1) semester residence in UP Manila;
3. be a bona fide student of UP Manila;
4. not have been found guilty in any disciplinary case nor any act involving moral turpitude in the University.

Section 2 Every candidate for membership to the Freshmen Assembly must:

1. be a Filipino citizen;
2. be a freshman as defined in the general provisions;
3. not have been found guilty in any disciplinary case or any act involving moral turpitude in the University.

Section 3. Every council member shall hold office for one (1) academic year or until his successor has been duly elected, certified and has assumed office, provided that the Councilors who fill vacant seats shall hold office for the remainder of the unexpired term.

Section 4. The induction of council members shall take place one (1) week after their proclamation by the UEB, CEB and FEB respectively; the oath to be administered by the UP Manila Chancellor or his duly authorized representative.

Section 5 No council member shall hold office as editor-in-chief of a university publication or head any student organization in the university without forfeiting his seat in the council.

A qualified elector must be a duly registered student of any college or school in UP Manila, including cross-enrollees from other UP units.

Section 1 University Electoral Board

1. The UEB shall be composed of the Dean of Students as Chairperson, one (1) faculty, and seven (7) student representatives.
2. One (1) student representative shall be appointed by the incumbent USC from each college in consultation with the incumbent CSC to compose the student representatives.
3. The officers of the USC shall select one (1) faculty member.
4. The Dean of Students shall serve as the UEB's Chairperson without voting power.

Section 2 College Electoral Board

1. The CEB shall be composed of the Officer for Student Relations as chairperson, one (1) faculty member, and two (2) students per year-level.
2. The outgoing CSC shall select one (1) faculty member.
3. The Officer for Student Relations shall serve as the CEB's Chairperson without voting power.
4. The outgoing CSC officers shall appoint two (2) student representatives per year level in consultation with the year-level concerned.

Section 3 Freshmen Electoral Board

The FEB shall be composed of the Dean of Students as chairperson without voting power, one (1) faculty member, and one (1) freshmen representative each from the seven (7) colleges.

Section 4 The members of the UP Manila Electoral Boards shall not be involved in any partisan political activity during the election period, except to cast their votes as in the case of the student representatives.

Section 5 All questions regarding the composition of the UP Manila Electoral Boards shall be elevated to the outgoing USC.

Section 6 The UP Manila Electoral Boards shall have the following functions:

1. To formulate rules and regulations consistent with the provisions of the UP Manila Election Code and the USC Constitution.
2. To implement and enforce the provisions of the said code, and the rules and regulations it may adopt, pursuant to the above provisions.
3. To supervise the conduct of elections for the USC, CSC and FA.
4. To disseminate information on the provisions of the UP Manila Election Code, and the rules and regulations that the Board may adopt.
5. To hear and decide questions & cases regarding violations of the UP Manila Code and the rules and regulations the electoral boards have adopted.
6. ccept and act on protests that may be brought to the attention of the boards during and after the election period.
7. nforce the penal clause of this code.

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Section 1 a. The UEB, CEB & FEB shall determine the election calendar, provided that the said election shall not be held later than six (6) weeks after the last day of the late registration every first semester of each academic year. The elections and campaign period shall last not more than five (5) weeks unless extended by the UP Manila Electoral Boards.

b. The FEB shall determine the day of election for the Freshmen Assembly, provided that the day of election shall not be held earlier than the second (2nd) week of July and not later than the last week of August. The election calendar shall last not more than three (3) weeks, unless extended by the FEB.

Section 2 Schedule of the activities for the first week of the election period shall include the dissemination of election information and guidelines.

Section 3 The schedule of activities for the second week of election shall include the following:

1. ng of certificates of candidacy;
2. ission of bio-data of candidates;
3. ission of certificates of enrolment and good moral character; and
4. ission of individual platform, as well as platform of the political party unless the candidate is running independently.

Section 4 The schedule of activities for the third week of the election period shall include the deliberations by the University Electoral Board and the College Electoral Boards on protests against the candidates.

Section 5 Schedule of activities for the fourth and fifth week of the election period shall include the following:

1. Start of the official campaign period;
2. Holding of the University Convocation to present the official USC Manila candidates;
3. Holding of College Convocations to present the official candidates for college councils;
4. Election proper; and
5. Canvassing of votes cast.

Section 6 Post election protests shall be filed before the UP Manila Electoral Boards three (3) working days after the release of official results, and shall be settled within the week immediately following the elections.

Section 1 A qualified candidate for the USC, CSC's and FA positions shall file his/her certificates of candidacy to the UP Manila Electoral Board concerned within the second (2nd) week of the election period.

Section 2 Together with the certificate of candidacy, the candidates shall submit to the electoral board concerned the following:

1. Bio-data;
2. Certificate of enrolment and good moral character; and
3. Individual platform, as well as the platform of the political party unless the candidate is running independently.

Section 3 Protests against the candidates for the USC, CSC's and FA shall be filed before the electoral board concerned and must be resolved before the official campaign period.

Section 4 Failure on the part of any candidate to the USC, CSC's and FA positions to comply with any of the requirements specified in this Article shall be sufficient grounds for disqualification from running.

Section 1 Campaigns shall be allowed during the prescribed period set by the UEB, CEB and FEB and done in such a manner that on-going classes, conferences, and other University and College functions will not be disturbed, hampered or disrupted.

Section 2 The UEB and CEB shall organize at least one (1) University and College Convocation respectively, in the latter case at least one convocation in the College or Unit within the 4th and 5th weeks of the election period provided that no convocation shall be held not later than one (1) day before the election.

Section 3 Room to room campaign shall be undertaken only with the consent of the faculty concerned and limited to a maximum of ten (10) minutes.

Section 4 Threats to bodily harm, intimidation, coercion and acts of similar nature are prohibited and considered as administrative cases under the jurisdiction of the Student Disciplinary Tribunal.

Section 1 All polling places shall be opened from 8:00 am-6:00 pm with no lunch break. All those within the premises of the polling places before the cut-off time but have not cast their votes after 6:00 pm will be allowed to vote. Those who arrived after 6:00 pm will no longer be allowed to vote.

Section 2 There shall be as many precincts in every college as necessary. The CEB of every college shall determine the number of election precincts. For the FA election, the FEB shall determine the number of precincts.

Section 3 Political parties and independent candidates are entitled to one (1) poll watcher each in every polling place. The poll watcher shall present to the CEB/FEB a written appointment as watcher from the candidate or party whose interests he/she represents.

Section 4 The voting procedure shall be as follows:

1. The elector shall present his/her duly countersigned I.D./temporary I.D. or Form 5 to the election personnel or in the default thereof, a certificate of enrolment from the College Secretary that he/she is a bona fide student of the College. he signs his/her name in the official voter's list prepared by the UEB/CEB/FEB and receives the official ballot, and
2. he votes in an election booth, folds and drops the ballot in the ballot box.

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Section 1 Immediately after the close of voting and before the counting of ballots the members of the UEB, CEB and FEB (for the FA election) shall note down the actual number of votes as shown in the official voter's list. He/She shall then open the ballot boxes, taking note of any discrepancy between the number of students who voted and the number of ballots in the ballot boxes. If there are more ballots than the number of student who voted, a UEB/CEB/FEB member shall remove at random and without unfolding them or seeing their contents such number of ballots corresponding to the excess so that the number of voters and the number of ballots are equal. If the number if ballots is less than the number of voters, there shall be no deduction to the ballots in the ballot boxes.

Section 2 Any question regarding a vote or ballot from any member of the UEB/CEB/FEB, or from any of the duly authorized poll watchers, or any bona fide UP Manila student shall be immediately decided by the UEB/CEB/FEB.

Section 3 A ballot is considered invalid if:

• It is not an official ballot, and
• s tampered or defaced.

Section 4 After the votes have been counted by the Board of Canvassers (UEB/CEB/FEB), the results of the USC Manila, CSC and FA elections shall be embodied in a report certified by all members of the UEB, CEB & FEB, respectively reporting the following:

1. s of the candidates;
2. er of votes received by each; and
3. question that arose during the canvassing of votes together with the final decisions reached by the UEB, CEB and FEB.

Section 5 The final results of the USC, CSC and FA elections shall be embodied in the report certified by all the members of the UEB, CEB and FEB respectively.

Section 1 The University of the Philippines Manila Electoral Boards shall proclaim the candidates for the University Student Council, College Student Councils and Freshmen Assembly respectively upon complete tabulation of election results. A copy of the list of duly elected USC, CSC's and FA officers shall be forwarded to the UP Manila Chancellor. Copies of the same shall be posted in conspicuous places in all colleges, schools and institutes.

Section 2 The University Electoral Board, College Electoral Board and Freshmen Electoral Board shall proclaim the winning candidates for the University Student Council, College Council election and Freshmen Assembly election respectively.

Section 1 Post-election protests shall be filed before the UP Manila Electoral Boards within one (1) week after Election Day.

Section 2 The UP Manila Electoral Boards shall hear and decide:

1. Cases of violation of the UP Manila Election Code, and the rules and regulations adopted, and
2. Post-election protests regarding the USC Manila, College Student Councils and Freshmen Assembly respectively.

Section 3 Cases shall be tried in accordance with the rules and procedures by the UP Manila Electoral Board concerned, provided that all cases be filed before the said body and shall be decided upon within seven (7) days after the date of filing.

Any violation of the UP Manila Election Code and the rules and regulations adopted consistent herewith, shall result in the rejection o forfeiture of the seats in case the violation is after the proclamation of the candidate/s. Any student/ group of students found guilty of the same offense shall be subject to suspension, the length of which depends on the degree of the offense. The latter shall be elevated to the jurisdiction of the Student Disciplinary Tribunal.

These rules shall be amended by 2/3 votes of all the members of the USC Manila.

The UP Manila Election Code shall take effect upon approval of the University Student Council.

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