BEING unknown, independent, and lacking in financial resources are not among the reasons for the disqualification and declaration of 117 senatorial aspirants in the May 2025 polls as nuisance candidates by the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
Comelec chairman George Garcia said the senatorial hopefuls were disqualified based on their assessment that they filed their certificates of candidacy (COCs) to make a mockery of the electoral process and have no bona fide intention to run for public office.
“Nobody from the 117 were declared nuisance candidates because of being poor and lacking resources, unknown, or have no organizations. Those weren’t the basis,” he said in a radio interview.
“As seen by the public, many are not serious in running for public office, and just want to file their COCs to get their so called 15 minutes of fame,” he also said.
Garcia said they used as basis the statements and actions of the aspirants when they filed their COCs at The Tent City of the Manila Hotel last month.
“When they were speaking on stage, it was a very powerful tool to determine if they are really serious or not… We looked into their advocacies, proposals, and stand on issues or is their candidacy just for laughs,” he said.
Under the law, the Comelec may refuse to give due course to a certificate of candidacy if it is shown that it has been filed to put the election process in mockery or disrepute, or to cause confusion among the voters, or by other circumstances or acts which clearly demonstrate that the candidate has no bona fide intention to run for public office.
On the other hand, in separate rulings, the Supreme Court has ruled that unpopularity, lack of financial capacity, and non-membership in a political party are not sufficient grounds to declare one as a nuisance candidate.
To recall, 183 individuals filed their COCs for senator from October 1 to 8.
Of the total, 66 senatorial aspirants have been included in the partial/initial list of aspirants via Minute Resolution No. 24-0824.
On the other hand, the remaining 117 senatorial aspirants were declared as nuisance candidates by either the 1st or 2nd Divisions.
Seventeen nuisance candidates have appealed their disqualifications with the Comelec en banc.
“This coming week, we shall resolve all the MRs (motions for reconsideration) that we’re filed,” said Garcia.
AES CERTIFICATION
For the third straight time, the Comelec will have the automated election system (AES) to be used in the forthcoming May 2025 polls evaluated and certified by the US firm, Pro V&V.
Garcia said they are set to sign the service contract for the “Independent Testing Services by an Established International Certification Entity” for the 2025 national and local elections today in Intramuros, Manila.
“We will have the contract signing with Pro V&V so that they can already begin with the international certification process,” said Garcia.
“The entity that won is the same one that issued international certification in the last elections,” he added.
The Alabama-based company was the one that conducted international certification in the 2019 and 2022 Philippine elections.
Earlier, the Special Bids and Awards Committee (SBAC) bared that Pro V&V submitted the lone bid for the project with an amount of P127,120,455.00.
The poll chief said the independent testing for international certification is expected to run for more or less one month.
“Once we have the international certification, we can now conduct our mock elections,” said Garcia.
Under the Poll Automation Law, an international certification entity (ICE) must be tapped by the Comelec to evaluate the AES every election.
The ICE must categorically state that the AES, including its hardware and software components, is “operating properly, securely, and accurately” in accordance with the law.
