‘Placeholders’ should be declared as nuisance in elections, says Chel Diokno

MANILA, Philippines — Senatorial aspirant Chel Diokno said “placeholders” should be declared as nuisance candidates to avoid candidate substitution due to withdrawal later on.

For Diokno, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) should already declare as nuisance those who filed a certificate of candidacy (COC) but have no genuine intent to run before it opens the window for the substitution of candidates.

“Kung meron man tayong dapat amiyendahan sa batas, it should be that Comelec should be required to rule first whether that candidate is a nuisance candidate before allowing the substitution,” Diokno said in an INQside Look interview when asked if he favors removing withdrawal as an allowable ground for candidate substitution under the Omnibus Election Code.

“Kasi kung wala naman siyang genuine intention na tumakbo at ang purpose lang niya ay maging placeholder ay dapat talaga ay ituring siya na nuisance candidate, kung nuisance candidate siya, clear naman, hindi mo pwedeng i-substitute ang nuisance candidate,” he added.

During the last days of substitutions this month, Comelec saw a number of major candidate replacements, including President Rodrigo Duterte, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio and Senator Bong Go.

Duterte formalized his candidacy for the Senate as a substitute candidate while his daughter replaced Lakas-CMD’s Lyle Uy to run for the vice presidency.

Go, meanwhile, filed his COC for president as a substitute for Pederalismo ng Dugong Dakilang Samahan’s (PDDS) initial standard bearer, Grepor Belgica.

Go initially filed a COC to join the vice presidential race under PDP-Laban’s Cusi faction.

“I think there’s a way to tighten up the rules to make sure that only candidates who truly have an intention to run file their COCs,” Diokno also said.

“Kasi ang nangyayari, parang ginagawa nila ngayon, may placeholder na magpa-file ng COC, wala naman talaga siyang intention na tumakbo. Kaya lang siya nag-file ay para pwedeng magkaroon ng substitution later,” he pointed out.

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