Inquirer files
MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Wednesday approved the candidacies of 66 senatorial aspirants in the May 2025 midterm polls and endorsed the filing of petitions to declare 117 others as “nuisance candidates.”
Through Resolution No. 24-0824, the commission en banc, adopting the recommendations of the Comelec law department, said 66 candidates were in the “partial/initial” list of those considered legitimate or valid candidates, of which 47 belong to major and minor political parties and 17 are independents.
The number of approved Senate candidates was just slightly higher than the 64 who made it to the ballot in the 2022 race.
READ: Comelec logs 221 petitions vs nuisance candidates for 2025 polls
Among the approved candidates were former Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr.; reelectionist Senators Bong Revilla, Pia Cayetano, Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, Bong Go, Lito Lapid, Imee Marcos and Francis Tolentino; former Senators Bam Aquino, Gregorio Honasan, Ping Lacson, Manny Pacquiao, Kiko Pangilinan and Tito Sotto; detained televangelist Apollo Quiboloy, Makati Mayor Abby Binay; President Marcos’ former campaign spokesperson and Executive Secretary Victor Rodriguez, and brothers Ben and Erwin Tulfo.
Also approved were Rep. Camille Villar, Rep. Wilbert Lee and Rep. Rodante Marcoleta; former lawmakers Chavit Singson, Arlene Brosas, Teddy Casiño, France Castro, Liza Maza, Nur-Ana Sahidulla; labor leaders Leodegario “Ka Leody” de Guzman, Ka Mody Floranda, Jose Montemayor Jr., Mar Valbuena Jr., Luke Espiritu Jr., Sonny Matula and Jerome Adonis; former audit commissioner Heidi Mendoza, and show biz personalities Willie Revillame and Phillip Salvador.
Completing the 66 approved senatorial candidates were Ronaldo Adonis, Wilson Amad, Jocelyn Andamo, Ronnel Arambulo, Ernesto Arellano, Roberto Ballon, Bonifacio Bosita, Roy Cabonegro, Allen Capuyan, Angelo de Alban, David D’Angelo, Eufemia Doringo, Arnel Escobar, Marc Louie Gamboa, Norberto Gonzales, Jesus Hinlo Jr., Raul Lambino, Wilbert Lee, Amirah Lidasan, Norman Marquez, Eric Martinez, Richard Mata, Jose Jessie Olivar, Willie Ong, Ariel Querubin, Danilo Ramos, Michael Tapado and Leandro Verceles.
Due process
The poll body said it adopted the recommendation to file motu proprio (on its own) at the Comelec’s two divisions the nuisance petitions against the 117 other aspirants.
In an interview, Comelec Chair George Erwin Garcia said nuisance petitions were aimed at giving the aspirants due process and the opportunity to explain why they should not be declared as nuisance candidates.
“So, therefore, these 66 are a partial list of those who may be included in the ballot. We say ‘partial’ because we don’t want to preempt the decisions of the divisions and the commission en banc which might favor one or more of the 117, who are, for the meantime, cannot be considered legitimate or valid candidates,” Garcia explained.
Grounds for disqualification
For the position of senator, the Comelec or any candidate running for the same position may initiate the nuisance petition.
However, under Resolution No. 11046 issued on Aug. 28, the Comelec said that at any time before the date of proclamation, a registered voter or political party may still file petitions to disqualify any candidate for several grounds.
Garcia said the poll body’s local offices have also received 16 petitions to declare certain local candidates as nuisance.
Among those in the list of nuisance candidates are disbarred lawyer Berteni Causing, spokesperson of the family of slain broadcaster Percival “Percy Lapid” Mabasa; Peter Joemel Advincula, aka “Bikoy,” a whistleblower who claimed to be behind the 2019 “Ang Totoong Narco-list” videos and convicted last year of perjury; Daniel Magtira, who claimed to be a former husband of actress Kris Aquino and later said he wanted to marry Senator Imee; and online personality Francis Leo Marcos, who claimed to be a son of the late President Ferdinand Marcos Sr.
In her memorandum to the commission, law department director Maria Norina Tangaro-Casingal said a “very careful evaluation” of the aspirants was conducted, including research of their background, affiliations, advocacies, platforms of government, general appearance and presence in the public, media and internet, and behavioral actions.
Tangaro-Casingal also cited the Senate website, saying the reason why senators are smaller in number and elected at large is due to the chamber’s “unique nature” as the training ground for national leaders and possibly “a springboard for the presidency.”
She said senators must have a national outlook of the problems of the country given the public office’s national constituency.
Thus, although the submission of a program of government is merely discretionary, having an ideology, political ideas, or platforms of government demonstrates a candidate’s “seriousness” in vying for a seat in the Senate.
Mocking the process
Under Section 69 of the Omnibus Election Code, a nuisance candidate is one who files a certificate of candidacy to put the election process in mockery or disrepute or cause confusion among the voters by the similarity of the names of the registered candidates.
Such a candidate clearly demonstrates that he or she has no bona fide intention to run for public office and would “prevent a faithful determination of the true will of the electorate,” the law said.
The Comelec said it hoped to come out with the official list of national and local candidates by Dec. 13 and start the printing of ballots by the end of that month.