REYNARD

FINALLY, THE fun was about to start!

It had been a week since the start of the second semester. Walang masyadong ganap no'ng unang linggo dahil mostly ay distribution at discussion ng course syllabus. Wala ring masyadong ganap sa 'kin sa Herald dahil 'di pa nagre-resume no'n ang LEXECOM sessions. The only thing keeping me intrigued was whether or not Alaric Esteban had any involvement in Priam Torres' assassination.

On one hand, the idea seemed so outlandish that I was tempted to dismiss it immediately. It felt presumptous of me to judge him, but he didn't strike me as the type to resort to such drastic measures for campus politics. Besides, he was quite well-liked and he held significant control within the LEXECOM. Walang dahilan para gumawa siya ng bagay na posibleng maglagay sa kaniya sa isang seryosong controversy. If he was implicated in the assassination, it would likely spell the end for him.

On the other hand, it would be unfair to ignore that possibility. Journalism was all about seeking every perspective and figuring out which was the truth. Parang pagiging detective o police din 'yan. We needed to explore every angle and motive to piece together the puzzle and uncover the full story. If he was overly confident in his ability to get away with anything, he might have tested the limits. But that seemed crazy, especially given his position.

I got an idea from my best bud Michelangelo. It wasn't a solid lead, but it was something worth investigating soon.

Later in the afternoon, after stopping by the editorial office to say hi to my colleagues, I headed straight to the LEXECOM office for their first official session this semester. No show pa rin si Castiel sa USC office at class niya. His temporary assumption of the presidency raised an important question: Who would chair the committee meetings now that the vice president—who was also the presiding officer—was acting as president?

The answer became clear right away.

"Good afternoon," greeted Alaric Esteban, the majority leader. Umupo siya sa puwesto ng presiding officer at hinawakan ang gavel. "In accordance with the established rules of this committee, I, as the chair pro tempore, will oversee our session due to the vacancy in the presiding officer's position. I will now call the roll. Kindly say 'present' when your name is called. I will start with Avrille Mae Padilla from the College of Allied Medical Professions..."

Each person around the decagonal table responded with "present" once recognized. New semester, but same faces except for one—the representative from the College of Computer Studies. Dahil sa scandal na kinaharap ni Chevy Serrano, ang protest na humarang sa promotion ni Orlando Taneda, at ang hindi pag-enroll ni Mason Urbina ngayong semester, may bago na namang representative ang CCS sa LEXECOM. Her name is Palmira Delgado, a junior IT student and the lone independent in their college student council.

I wonder how she's gonna shake things up. I heard from my fellow Herald reporter covering CCS that she was leaning toward AEGIS' policies, but she had also voted a few times with the SALVo councilors in their council.

"All nine chairpersons are present. A quorum is hereby declared," said Alaric before striking the gavel. It must feel so good for him to be back as the presiding officer again. His streak was only interrupted that one time Castiel took charge right after his confirmation as the new VP.

I turned on my laptop and opened my preferred word processor. Ang huling discussion dito sa LEXECOM ay ang proposed amendments sa Constitution and By-laws. The chairpersons agreed to resume the discussion in the second semester—which is now, by the way—so they would probably pick up where they left off. Now that Alaric was in charge, he probably wouldn't let this opportunity pass.

"Our agenda for today is the preliminary discussion on the motion to amend the Constitution and By-laws of Elysian University Student Government," he continued. Called it! "Before the semestral break, we provided each council with a copy of our proposal. I would like us to discuss each point—"

The door swung open. A series of clanks echoed in the room, interrupting Alaric's speech and causing us to turn in that direction. Reporters around me gasped as they recognized the face of the person who just entered. Finally! My lips twisted into a smirk. After weeks of making no public appearances, that person had decided to come out of hiding. Pero parang pumayat ang mukha niya? Maybe the rumor about him getting sick was true.

"Excuse me. You're sitting in my chair," Castiel Seville told the guy currently presiding over the session. I thought that he came here alone, but he wasn't. Nakasunod sa kaniya ang matangkad na Ombudsman na si Kayneth Palacio. They were sorta enemies during the impeachment trial. But now, they're allies?

"Castiel," Alaric stood to greet him, "it's great to see you again after your weeks of absence. I hope you're feeling better now from the flu."

"I would feel much better if you vacate my chair and return to your assigned seat." Castiel stood face to face with him, placing his cane in front with both hands on the head. "If you didn't hear me the first time, I would suggest a trip to an ENT doctor."

Oh, boy! This was about to get more interesting! At first, I was worried this session was gonna be boring. Without him, there wouldn't be any fun at all. The tension was becoming palpable in the room as almost everyone held their breath.

"I'm afraid you've got it mixed up." Alaric remained unfazed. He wouldn't just give up that seat as if this were a game of Trip to Jerusalem. "Since you took your oath as acting president, the chair of the LEXECOM's presiding officer has become vacant. Therefore, as chair pro tempore, I shall assume this position."

"I'm going to insist that the chair belongs to me while you're going to insist that the chair belongs to you, so let's have someone settle the issue for us." Castiel motioned to the tall student standing behind him. "The Ombudsman who once prosecuted us during the impeachment trial is, I believe, an authority on these matters. Why don't we consult him?"

Oh. That's why he brought him here.

Kayneth cleared his throat first. "The Constitution states that the vice president shall be the presiding officer of the Legislative-Executive Committee. Castiel Seville may have assumed the presidency for the time being, but he remains the vice president. The VP position is not technically vacant, therefore the seat of the presiding officer is also not vacant."

"Since I'm no longer indisposed due to the flu, there's no reason for the chair pro tempore to preside over," Castiel added. "Thank you for stepping up, but you may step aside. Now."

Nagkasukatan ng tingin ang dalawa, parang nag-i-staring contest na nga. If looks could only hurt, one of them would have been rushed to the hospital by now. Grabe ang talim ng mga mata ni Castiel.

"I'm relinquishing my temporary chairmanship of this committee," Alaric announced. Kumalas na siya ng tingin at bumalik sa naka-designate na upuan para sa CBA.

How anticlimactic! I was hoping that more sparks would fly at the very first session this semester. Agad na nabahag ang buntot ni Alaric. Maybe he's more of a scaredy-cat than a fearless tiger.

Pumuwesto sa unang row ng gallery ang ombudsman habang umupo na si Castiel sa chair para sa presiding officer. He must have anticipated that Alaric would try to take his place, so he consulted an expert and dragged that person here. Given the ombudsman's reputation for neutrality and his involvement in the impeachment trial against the USC, only a fool would question his objectivity.

"Let's get back to business," Castiel began, banging the gavel once. "I have watched the livestream and learned that this committee is about to discuss the proposed constitutional amendments."

"Indeed, Mister Chair," Alaric replied. Everything returned to normal as if nothing had happened moments ago. "We were about to discuss each point before your arrival."

"I reviewed the proposal over the sem break. Let's save time and skip the point-by-point discussion." The presiding officer scanned the faces at the table. May lakad ba siya? Parang nagmamadali siya, eh. "Does anyone wish to raise inquiries or objections?"

Avrille raised her hand. "Mister Chair, we have concerns about raising the minimum maintaining grade for student leaders from 80 to 83. Magiging unfair sa mga nagbabalak na tumakbo sa council lalo't iba-iba ang standards ng bawat prof at ang difficulty ng bawat course."

That's a valid point. My Introduction to Mass Communication prof before was less generous than the other prof in the same subject.

Alaric promptly raised his hand next. The debate between the two leaders was about to start! "While professors exercise individual judgment and courses vary in difficulty, they must adhere to university standards. As discussed in our session before the break, our officers must set a good example for students not only in leadership but also in academics."

"We from the SALVo party strongly oppose that proposal and will definitely vote against it," Avrille said, giving her allies a side-eye as they nodded in agreement. "Mahirap na nga ang trabaho ng pagiging student council officer, 'tapos mas pahihirapan pa natin sila? Not everyone who has the heart to serve is academically excellent."

"We're not requiring our officers to be academically excellent." Alaric shook his head. "We're only asking them to exceed the minimum slightly. Based on our available data, the average grade of students in this university is between 83-85. Is it too much to ask them to perform at an average level?"

"Our point stands. We must not raise the bar any higher than 80." Avrille glanced at each chairperson, hoping to sway them. "In fact, instead of a grade requirement, we should propose eliminating it because it doesn't accurately measure a student leader's capability to serve."

"That's a bit misleading," Alaric countered. "The grades of student leaders can offer insight into how they value their education and their commitment to fulfilling their primary responsibility as students."

"It's just one aspect. It doesn't provide the full picture—"

"Nevertheless, it's a metric we can rely on—"

Castiel intervened, banging the gavel to silence them both. "We've heard enough. We will put it to a vote later. Moving on to the first proposed amendment, does anyone wish to raise a point of inquiry or objection?"

"I support constitutionally limiting the service of a USC president to one term only," Avrille said. Uh-oh. "Our party believes one year is sufficient for a good president and too much for a bad one."

"The minority leader and I may not always see eye to eye," Alaric spoke next, "but I appreciate her party's support for that amendment."

If both parties supported the term limit, that would spell trouble for the USC!

Castiel steepled his fingers. "I actually agree with that proposal as well."

My brows furrowed. Really? Gusto niyang ma-limit ang term ng isang USC president? If that happened, Priam wouldn't be able to run for reelection. Baka may sakit pa siya kaya clouded ang kaniyang isip? He should have probably just stayed home.

"However," he continued, "I suggest we hold the referendum concurrently with the next student council election. Let's also include in the transitory provision that the amendments will take effect next academic year."

"I agree." Avrille gave him a nod. "Mas makatitipid tayo ng resources at 'di magiging hassle sa mga estudyante. There's no reason to rush approval by the student body."

"We don't need to spend excessive resources on the referendum. We can hold it as soon as this committee approves the amendments," Alaric argued. "Just to cite an example, Clark University amended their Constitution and By-laws through their online school portal. Every student was required to vote on the amendments. Those who didn't vote weren't cleared to take their major examinations."

"That's actually a great idea," Castiel replied, nodding. Wow. I never thought I'd hear him agree with that person. "We can request our university's IT department to include that feature in our school portal. But I see no need for us to rush the ratification since they will take effect in 2022-2023."

"Why do we have to wait until next academic year if we can implement these amendments before the next student council elections?" Alaric asked. "We're not in a hurry, yes, but wouldn't it be better if we implemeny these changes for our next set of leaders?"

Napatango ang ilan sa mga kaalyado niya habang naningkit ang mga mata ng hindi.

"Pardon me for asking this question," Castiel leaned forward, "but are you targeting a potential candidate in the next elections?"

"Excuse me?" Alaric squinted his eyes. "I'm sorry, but I don't follow."

"It's not my place to make this announcement, but Priam Torres intends to run for reelection," Castiel revealed. My colleagues started buzzing like bees. Shush! I'm trying to listen here. "Our current constitution doesn't prohibit him from running again. However, if your first amendment is ratified and takes effect immediately in the next election, he won't be eligible to run anymore."

"My only objective is to calrify and address the ambiguities in the constitution," Alaric explained, not sounding particularly remorseful. But I saw right through him. "To suggest that I'm targeting the incumbent is absurd."

"Then why rush it? Can't these changes wait until next academic year?"

"It's better to correct the mistakes now than later—"

"Sorry, wrong question," Castiel cut him off. "Let me ask this instead: Do you intend to run for USC president in the next elections?"

Bullseye! Alaric fell silent for a few seconds. Castiel would have been a good journalist if he could ask direct questions like that one.

"I'm not ruling out that possibility."

"There you have it." The presiding officer gestured toward him. "The reason why Alaric Esteban of CBA wants to rush the approval and ratification of the constitutional amendments. I hope our LEXECOM reporters caught that admission. He's also running for president, so he's trying to eliminate his rival this early."

"Isn't it unfair to conclude that my motive for pushing these amendments is purely political?" Alaric fired back.

Castiel rested his forearms on the surface and leaned closer to his microphone. "Right now, Priam is in a coma. We don't know when or if he will wake up again. But here you are, using legal maneuvers against him while he's down. That's distasteful, Alaric. Shame on you."

Everyone around me gasped. This was no longer sparks flying. This was a wildfire getting out of control! Ito yata ang first time kong makapanood ng LEXECOM session na nagkasagutan ang presiding officer at ang isang chairperson. This was definitely gonna make headlines in a bit!

"And shame on everyone who supports the proposal that specifically targets the unconscious USC president!" Castiel added before facing the camera. "If your representatives choose to support it, I encourage you to file an impeachment complaint against them or vote them out in the next elections."

"Mister Chair!"

"That's unacceptable!"

"Friends, let's stay on topic—"

"We demand the chair retract that statement."

"Motion to adjourn!"

"I don't care!" Castiel roared. "What I care about is stopping heartless opportunists like yourselves from staying in power! If everyone in the AEGIS party thinks it's fair game to target an incumbent who can't even speak for himself and fight back, you all deserve to go to hell!"

I leaned back in my seat. Oh, boy. Castiel had just declared war.

30

NEXT UPDATE: Castiel returns to the USC office and shows who's the boss.