The Commission on Elections (Comelec) will prioritize filing disqualification cases against aspirants identified as nuisance candidates, a local election official said Tuesday.
This comes as individuals vying for elective positions in the May 2025 national and local elections are submitting their Certificates of Candidacy (COCs) from Oct. 1 to 8.
Lawyer Lionel Marco Castillano, Comelec director for the Negros Island Region, clarified that the disqualification of a nuisance candidate must follow due process.
He emphasized that the Comelec, as a ministerial body, cannot reject any COC upon submission.
“There must be a petition for disqualification filed against a perceived nuisance candidate before the Comelec can take action,” Castillano explained. He added that Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia has committed to prioritizing these cases before ballot printing, ensuring that due process is observed.
Castillano noted that nuisance candidates, particularly in national races, can affect the size of the ballots, necessitating swift action.
The official’s statement comes amid speculation about the Comelec’s handling of situations like the 2022 elections, where the late Gov. Roel Degamo faced off against a certain ‘Ruel Degamo’.
The disqualification case against ‘Ruel’ came too late, resulting in his name appearing on the ballot.
Although Roel Degamo lost to Pryde Henry Teves, a subsequent ruling declared ‘Ruel Degamo’ a nuisance candidate, and as a result, had his votes transferred to Roel Degamo, ultimately leading to Teves’ expulsion from the gubernatorial post.
Meanwhile, the first day of filing of COCs for the May 2025 midterm elections in Negros Oriental went smoothly without any major hitches.
Election Commissioner Castillano said the initial turnout was “modest”.
“We have not received reports of any untoward incidents from the Philippine National Police or election officers in the towns and cities,” he said in an interview Tuesday.
By 5 p.m. of Oct. 4, only six candidates had filed their COCs, according to Comelec-NIR records.
These include two aspirants from Dumaguete City, two at the provincial level, and one each from the towns of Basay and La Libertad.
Among the filers are: Lizza Vivar-Perdices, representing the Nationalist People’s Coalition, who is running for Dumaguete city councilor; while Quirino Ramirez (Independent) filed his COC for the Dumaguete mayoral race.
Two independent candidates, Jimmy Petil Merto and Ryan Bustos Ybañez, filed their candidacies for the 2nd District congressional seat.
No further details were provided about the filers from the towns of Basay and La Libertad.
Castillano said he expects the pace of filing to pick up in the coming days, based on trends from previous elections, where candidates often wait until just before the deadline, or choose specific dates they consider lucky, such as Oct. 7 and 8.
A total of 277 positions will be contested in Negros Oriental in the 2025 midterm elections, including governor, vice governor, three congressional representatives, 10 Provincial Board members, 25 mayors, 25 vice mayors, and 212 councilors across the Province’s cities and towns.
Castillano encouraged candidates to file their COCs early to allow time to address any potential issues with their paperwork. (PNA)
