Comelec still to purge list of poll bets

Comelec Commissioner Rowena Guanzon. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) reiterated on Saturday that the initial list of candidates for the May 9, 2022 election that the poll body released on Christmas Eve would still be purged of the names of nuisance candidates for various national and local positions.

“We at Comelec will delete nuisance candidates,” Comelec Commissioner Rowena Guanzon said on Twitter, adding that the final list should be completed within the month as the printing of the official ballots was scheduled to start on Jan. 2.

On the list were 15 individuals seeking to succeed President Duterte, including presidential race front-runners Vice President Leni Robredo and former Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.

Besides the son and namesake of dictator Ferdinand Marcos, another Marcos—Maria Aurora Marcos—also made it to the tentative list of presidential aspirants.

Maria Aurora will be running for the country’s highest public post as an independent candidate.

Joining them in the list were Sen. Panfilo Lacson, Sen. Manny Pacquiao, Manila Mayor Isko Moreno, former Palace spokesperson Ernesto Abella, labor leader Leody de Guzman and former National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales.

Interestingly, retired Army Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr., whose stint as spokesperson of an interagency committee against communist insurgency made him one of the most controversial figures in the Duterte administration, did not make the cut.

Also running for president were Hilario Andres, Gerald Arcega, Danilo Lihaylihay, Faisal Mangondato, Jose Montemayor Jr. and Edgar Niez.

Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez said the list of candidates was still tentative pending the resolution of disqualification cases against some of them, including Marcos.

“Names will still be stricken off the list as the judgment in their respective cases achieve finality,” Jimenez said.