Rule on nuisance bets explained
How would the Commission on Elections determine whether or not one is a nuisance candidate?
Lawyer Marco Lionel Castillano, Cebu provincial election supervisor, said anyone who has no intent of campaigning and winning in the elections should avoid filing a Certicificate of Candidacy (COC).
He said candidates who are just making fun of the electoral process are just wasting government resources and may be declared nuisance candidates by the Commission on Election.
A candidate should be willing to campaign. He or she should not just decide to run and then hide inside their houses, without intent to win or launch a campaign,” Castillano said.
He said a candidate may be deemed “nuisance” by the Comelec if he or she is “making a mockery of the elections; his or her candidacy is aimed at confusing the voters since his or her name is the same with another candidate; and he or she has no capability of mounting a campaign.
A petition is usually needed in disqualifying a candidate for being a nuisance, said Castillano.
Money or the capacity to spend in an election campaign however cannot be used as the sole basis to declare nuisance candidates.
“There are many ways to run an election campaign that does not necessarily mean spending huge amounts of money,” Castillano said.
One can campaign through the media, Internet, and social networking sites like Facebook.
Castillano said a candidate should be sincere in filing the COC.
Castillano said anyone can also file a petition for disqualification against the candidates five days after end of the filing of the COCs on Friday, Oct. 5.
Serious service
Meanwhile, Cebu Archbishop Emeritus Ricardo Cardinal Vidal advised those who want to seek public office to be sincere in their intent to serve the people.
“The real purpose (should be) to serve the common good of our people,” Vidal said.
Vidal also asked the electorate to “study, reflect, and choose well” the candidates that they will be voting for.
Vidal also admitted Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia sought his advice whether to pursue her dream to become a senator when she visited him in his retirement home in Sto. Niño Village in barangay Banilad, Cebu City.
“I was telling her (Garcia) if you want a national position, you should examine whether you are already known all over the Philippines otherwise she will just be spending money,” he said.
Garcia eventually changed her mind and decided to run for the congressional seat in Cebu’s third district.
