Comelec to decide on petition against nuisance bets this week

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu City Vice Mayor Michael Rama said he was assured by the officials of the Commission on Elections in Manila that the petition of the Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan to disqualify those political aspirants with family names similar to those of their candidates will be resolved before the printing of the official ballots.

When Rama personally went to the Comelec-Manila office early this week somebody gave him a draft of the official list of candidates for Cebu City without the name of Dorotheo Rama who had filed his certificate of candidacy for mayor under the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino but later withdrew his Certificate of Candidacy.

While the name of Dorotheo Rama is already excluded from the list of official candidates for Cebu City, the name of Serafin Rama who filed his candidacy as vice mayor is still reflected in the draft. Serafin Rama was also a subject to the petition.

The BOPK had filed a petition before the Comelec-Manila to disqualify the names of those candidates with family names similar to reelectionist councilor Roberto Cabarrubias, councilorial candidates Nida Cabrera and Alvin Arcilla, all candidates under BOPK.

North district congressional aspirant Rachel “Cutie” del Mar, daughter of North district Rep. Raul del Mar, had also filed a similar petition before the Comelec-Manila requesting the poll body to declare Jacinto del Mar as a nuisance candidate and to delete his name from the list of candidates for congressman.

The BOPK argued that the candidacies of those political aspirants whose family names are similar to the BOPK candidates fueled speculations that the opposition intentionally fielded them to confuse the voters.

One of the grounds that could be a basis to disqualify a candidate is by other acts or circumstances which clearly demonstrate that the candidate has no bonafide intention to run for the office for which the COC has been filed and thus prevent the faithful determination of the true will of the electorate. — Rene U. Borromeo/BRP   (FREEMAN NEWS)