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PAGGAMIT ng government resources sa pangangampanya ang basehan ng isang petition for disqualification na inihain sa Commission on Elections (Comelec) laban sa mag-amang kandidato para kongresista at gobernador sa lalawigan ng Surigao del Norte.
Partikular na tinukoy sa petition for disqualification si congressional bet Francisco “Lalo” Matugas na tumatakbong gobernador at anak na si Francisco Jose “Bingo” Matugas II na aspurante naman para sa posisyon ng punong lalawigan.
Ayon kay Atty. Lucille Sering, na katunggali ng matandang Matugas sa May 2025 midterm elections, ang kanyang inihaing kaso ay batay mismo sa political campaign video noong April 30, 2025 sa official Facebook page ni Cong. Bingo Matugas.
Sa naturang video, makikita aniya ang eksena kung saan tampok ang mga estudyante, faculty at pasilidad ng government-owned Surigao del Norte State University (SNSU) – Del Carmen campus sa Siargao Island, Surigao del Norte.
“The use of these government property and facilities for electoral campaign purposes constitutes Abuse of State Resources (ASR) and it violates Article 261 (o) of the Omnibus Election Code,” giit ni Sering.
“Article 261 (o) states, among others, that “use of public funds, money deposited in trust, equipment, facilities owned or controlled by the government for an election campaign. – Any person who uses under any guise whatsoever, directly or indirectly, x x x x x x x x x x any equipment, vehicle, facility, apparatus, or paraphernalia owned by the government or by its political subdivisions, agencies including government-owned or controlled corporations, x x x x x x x x x x for any election campaign or for any partisan political activity,” dagdag pa niya.
“The use of government property and facilities for partisan political activity is not only an abject violation of the law but it also raises serious concerns about ethical and legal implications of utilizing public resources for political gains. Moreover, the political advertisement depicted young students and a school teacher as actors and political campaign endorsers, further blurring the lines between educational institutions and political campaign propaganda. Such practices not only violate established guidelines on the use of government (state educational institution) facilities but also exploit the academic environment for electoral advantage,” paliwanag din ng lady lawyer.
Bukod dito, nahayag din umano ng maling impormasyon ang father and son na Lalo at Bingo Matugas sa kanilang FB post kung saan binigyan-diin na ang nakatatandang Matugas lamang ang siyang nag-iisang nasa likod ng pagkakatatag ng SNSU.
“The credit-grabbing narrative of Lalo Matugas likewise deliberately omitted significant facts in the legislative process in the passage of RA 10600 (creating the Surigao del Norte State University). Records of the 15th Congress in the House of Representatives yields that – contrary to Matugas’ portrayal — the bill identified as HB 5983 leading to the said law was actually sponsored in the Lower House not by Matugas alone but by Congressmen Romarate, Sonny Angara and Lalo Matugas. In the Senate, it was reported that Sen. Edgardo Angara sponsored the legislation together with Sen. Drilon,” sabi ni Sering.
“Lalo Matugas’ narrative also deliberately distorted the significant historical development of SNSU. It concocted erroneous impression that SNSU originated from Siargao National College of Science and Technology (SNCST) that was converted into a state university by integrating it with the existing government colleges in the province, purportedly including the former Surigao del Norte State College of Technology (SNSCT) in Surigao del Norte and its extension campuses in Malimono and Claver, and the former Surigao del Norte College of Agriculture and Trade (SNCAT) in Mainit town. This narrative, however, is inconsistent with the actual historical antecedents of SNSU,” dagdag niya.
Samantala, bukod sa disqualification case laban sa mag-amang Matugas, nais din ni Sering sampahan ng administrative at criminal cases ang incumbent SNSU President, maging ang SNSU-Del Carmen campus head/director, at iba pang opisyal, teachers at personnel na sumang-ayon na magamit ang SNSU campus facilities para sa production, at filming ng nasabing partisan political campaign video. (ROMEO ALLAN BUTUYAN II)
