Around 100 ‘nuisance’ bets likely to turn up at Comelec – poll exec

Commisioner Rowena Guanzon. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / RICHARD A. REYES

Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioner Rowena Guanzon said Wednesday they are expecting around 100 nuisance senatorial candidates to show up in their headquarters in Intramuros, Manila, as the filing of certificates of candidacy (COCs) of aspirants for next year’s midterm elections has started.

Guanzon said that in the last national elections, 90 nuisance candidates were slashed from the original 140 aspirants, who filed their COCs for the 2016 polls.

“Siguro aabot din tayo ng 100 [nuisance candidates] (We may reach another 100 nuisance candidates),” she said in press briefing.

Guanzon’s remark came after some hopefuls appeared at the Comelec main office on the first day of the COC filing – one claiming to be an ex-husband of Kris Aquino and another declaring himself as a former flame of Mocha Uson.

Nothing in the law stops nuisance candidates to file their COCs, as it is part of Philippine democracy, according to Guanzon.

“Demokrasya po ito eh. Personal ko lang na opinyon ito. Sa akin, karapatan ‘yan ng citizen, basta natural born, able to read and write,” she said.

(This is democracy. This is just my personal opinion. For me, it’s the right of citizens, as long as they are natural born and able to read and write.)

She then described nuisance candidates as those who filed their candidacy in a bid “to make a mockery” of the election system.

“Ayokong dagdagan ang definition ng nuisance candidates kasi dapat inclusive ang election. Lahat pwedeng tumakbo (I don’t want to add to the definition of nuisance candidates because election should be inclusive. Everyone should be allowed to run),” Guanzon said.  /kga