PLM SSC impeaches PRO due to neglect of duty, failure to fulfill responsibilities

Written by Raniel Paquingan • Board by John Ivan Pasion | 11 February 25

Last Feb. 5, the House of Representatives impeached the second-highest official in the country, Vice President Sara Duterte. Ironically, on the same day, the university's highest duly constituted student government moved to impeach one of their executive officers.

With a 15-1 vote, the PLM Supreme Student Council (SSC) officially impeached Joseph Andrei Torres from his position as Public Relations Officer due to misconduct, inactivity, neglect of duty, and failure to fulfill responsibilities, Feb. 11.

The official impeachment discussion and investigation were done on Feb. 5 after SSC President Denisse Margarette Madrid, Vice President Axcel Rose Bates, and acting Secretary Cee Jay Sureta formally submitted a complaint to the council against Torres.

In their petition dated November 17, 2024, the three highest officials of the SSC underscored the council’s Constitution and By-Laws Article 15, Section 2b as grounds for impeachment:

"Section 2. Officers of the PLMSSC may be impeached or suspended as determined by a majority vote of the PLM SSC officers based on justified grounds such as: b) Gross inefficiency and/or serious neglect of duty."

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They also specifically cited recurring issues during Torres' tenure, such as failure to attend meetings, delays in task completion, disorganization in commission duties, overcommitment and inability to fulfill responsibilities, unresponsiveness to council communications, and failure to improve despite multiple opportunities.

Only Luzaira Legaspi, College of Tourism and Hospitality Management representative, opposed the impeachment. Even Torres himself voted in favor of his removal from office.

In late 2023, Torres stepped down from the same position due to alleged bullying, power tripping, and a "terrible experience" in the council.