A string of controversies has tarnished the operations of the Lasallian Enrichment Alternative Program (LEAP), turning the annual multi-day event into a case study on financial irregularities. Held by the Council of Student Organizations (CSO), LEAP introduces students to special interest courses. However, unresolved transactions from the past two years have exposed gaps in CSO’s system.
Fraud case shadows LEAP ‘23
Issues first appeared in LEAP 2023. The Office of Student Leadership Involvement, Formation, and Empowerment (SLIFE) Director James Laxa confirmed reports that then-project head Jolly Baltazar had pocketed funds worth P199,000, which were intended as payment for Comedy Manila, a production house hired for the event LEAP 2023: Comedy Manila: United in Laughter.
Although Comedy Manila has since been paid back, the problem went undetected for nearly a year. It only surfaced when the company followed up on the outstanding balance during their re-invitation to LEAP 2024.
A whistleblower, who once served in the LEAP Central Committee (CenComm), clarified that the case transpired under LEAP 2023’s CenComm. Therefore, this does not reflect LEAP 2024’s CenComm, as each academic year has different members.
Laxa, who assumed office in September 2024, was only made aware of the incident when The LaSallian reached out to him for a statement on SLIFE’s behalf. He explained that much of his understanding of the issue came from consulting USG Coordinator Zaldy Dueñas, who handled part of the resolution process.
While no official announcements have been issued, Laxa and the whistleblower believed that the incident may have “partly” changed CSO’s financial processes. Prior to LEAP, transactions were made directly between the project heads and external partners through electronic wallets like GCash and Maya. Though this system allowed for flexibility, tracking discrepancies became difficult. Now, all payments must pass through the University’s official payment channels before being disbursed to external entities.
As for the final resolution of Baltazar’s case, Laxa clarified that cases of financial fraud, misappropriation of funds, or non-payment typically fall under the jurisdiction of the Student Discipline Formation Office. However, he laments that this incident was “internally processed,” and it is unclear what specific actions were taken to hold the former project head accountable.
Asterisko Coffee slams CSO for unpaid dues in LEAP ‘24
Despite being managed by a new team under a different financial system, LEAP 2024 still had its own complications. Asterisko Coffee proprietor Paulo Cabildo described his experience with the CSO as “unprofessional.” His coffee shop was invited to conduct a workshop last June 25, with the agreed payment consisting of P24,000—fifty percent of the class’ accumulated revenue—and P5,000 as compensation for the materials used.
Although Asterisko Coffee completed its end of the contract, the payment remained unfulfilled for over nine months. “It’s already March 12, no [payment] pa rin,” Cabildo said in an interview with The LaSallian.
(…there is still no payment.)
Cabildo’s first follow-up was on September 13, when CSO informed him that they are still awaiting the official receipt from the Finance and Accounting Office (FAO). Similar responses were given last October and November, with multiple CSO officers claiming the payments were being finalized. Despite these reassurances, there has been no significant movement in the release of funds as of press time.
For Cabildo, the most concerning aspect of the transaction was the lack of accountability and task delegation. “Nobody knows who is responsible for the money, where the money is, and who is [going to] be the one sending it,” he emphasized. “They don’t have any idea what is happening, but they should. They are the ones who are customer-facing.”
Bottlenecks in the system
The payment system for student-led events is more complex than it may appear. While CSO initiates the process, payments must go through multiple administrative checkpoints before they are issued.
When holding events, Laxa explained that a contract must be stipulated and agreed upon by all parties involved. The payment is then processed through a billing. After the event, a billing is sent to the Business Processing Management Software (BPMS) under FAO. It is then approved by a respective administrative member, whether the SLIFE Director or the next administrative level, depending on the amount of funds for endorsement. A check is issued once the payment has been verified.
Yet, delays still occur. Laxa admitted that both CSO and SLIFE share responsibility for handling the transactions. The former must ensure that the contracted partners are paid by doing “all the follow-ups in the different stages until it becomes a check.” Meanwhile, the latter approves the payments.
However, once transactions reach FAO, their status often becomes unclear. Despite being the director of SLIFE, Laxa revealed that even he does not have full visibility into the payment system. “[For] the BPMS, we cannot access [the system’s files]… After I approve, it disappears. I am not an owner of the system in terms of being able to go inside the system. I am just allowed simply to review a payment within my level.”
The BPMS has turned into a bureaucratic maze. According to Laxa, around 30 transactions—most of which were overdue vendor payments—have an unknown status in the system. “The office that handles BPMS…it’s ITS (Information Technology Services Office),” he elaborated in Filipino. The SLIFE Director was told that a new system would be in place soon.
He continued that as things stand, “We cannot trace the RFPs (Requests for Payment), meaning we imputed them and quoted them in the system. When you check the reference number in the system, they could not be found. So, you don’t know what’s the status. Is it pending? Was it returned [or] declined? Or [is it] already a check paid and collected? Nothing.”
Cabildo’s situation highlights how these blind spots impact vendors. As no office takes full responsibility for monitoring transactions from start to finish, delays can stretch for months without intervention. He said organizers were “passing his concerns around,” resulting in dialogue with multiple project heads.
Reflecting on his experience as a student officer, the ID 113 alumni recalled how CSO’s operations were held to a higher standard then.
“I don’t know if [organizations] right now [are] just a nameplate for students,” Cabildo posits. “Like, ‘Oh, I was the president or the finance officer of this event,’ but what did you do during those times?”
Legal action considered
Despite the missing payment, Asterisko Coffee has not ruled out future partnerships with CSO. “As long as there [are] contracts, I’m okay with it,” Cabildo shared, acknowledging that the first contract did not stipulate when he was going to receive the payment.
The SLIFE Director agreed with the proprietor’s statement. “I think we should put it (payment’s delivery date) there so that everyone else is forced or guided that the payment should happen,” Laxa remarked.
Laxa added that CSO has its own internal guidelines for resolving payments. Ideally, the dues should be settled within three days after the event, “but that’s not true. That never happens.”
Meanwhile, Cabildo stated that Asterisko Coffee may consider legal action if no payment is made for another year, maintaining that the situation warrants an explanation and compensation for the delay. “In terms of money, [it] should have had interest already.”
In response to this, Laxa said that Asterisko Coffee is free to pursue legal action, though he suggested that the vendor first raise the concern to him.
Lingering questions and future reforms
Dismayed by the situation, Laxa emphasized the need for policy changes to prevent similar issues in the future. “I’m sad that this is happening. Although it did not happen under my watch, the fact that it did happen…[is] still sad. The way we do things, there really [are] gaps that allow such things to happen.”
The director has confirmed that CSO’s audits and evaluations are scheduled to ensure adherence to University financial policies.
Moving forward, Laxa plans to form a team to address outstanding payables, tackle existing backlogs, and ensure smoother operations. “I will be creating a separate team of CSO officers, if not SLIFE volunteers, to help me track and pay transactions not only from 2023-2024 but also 2022-2023,” he declared.
With LEAP 2025 on the horizon, it is uncertain whether these reforms will take effect in time. As past vendors and stakeholders wait for action, confidence in CSO’s financial management continues to erode.
The LaSallian has reached out to Comedy Manila for comments but was denied. Meanwhile, Jolly Baltazar was contacted for a statement, but no response was given as of press time. The publication opted not to contact USG Coordinator Zaldy Dueñas due to him being on leave.
This is a developing story. The LaSallian will continue to monitor unpaid transactions and financial reforms in the coming months.
