5th presidential bet? Comelec keeps public guessing

MANILA, Philippines - A fifth presidential candidate may qualify for next year’s elections.

Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Andres Bautista, however, declined to identify the candidate until the poll body weeds out the nuisance candidates.

The other four presidential candidates are Liberal Party standard bearer Mar Roxas, Vice President Jejomar Binay of the United Nationalist Alliance and Sens. Grace Poe and Miriam Defensor-Santiago, who are running as independent. 

“At this point, it would not be fair to the others because there is still no prima facie evidence that they are nuisance,” Bautista said during the Kapihan sa Manila Hotel media forum yesterday. 

Last week, the Comelec sent letters to 125 of the 130 people who filed their certificates of candidacy (COCs) for president, asking them to show proof or evidence why they should not be declared as nuisance candidates. Thirteen of the 19 vice presidential aspirants and 128 of the 172 senatorial candidates were also sent such letters. 

“It is part and parcel of due process that every candidate be given the opportunity to show that they are not nuisance candidates… One of the parameters pursuant to a Supreme Court ruling on the Ely Pamatong case is the resources, the capability to mount a campaign,” Bautista said. 

Among those who filed COCs for president are losing senatorial candidate Rizalito David of Ang Kapatiran Party, OFW Family Club party-list Rep. Roy Señeres of the Partido ng Manggagawa at Magsasaka Workers and Peasant Party and former Technical Education and Skills Development Authority Augusto Syjuco Jr. who is running as independent. 

In separate interviews, Señeres and David said they have not received such letters from the Comelec.

Señeres said he has a legitimate political party with the capability to launch a nationwide campaign. He added his party-list group ranked 8th in the 2013 elections. 

“Among the overseas absentee voters, I was number one in all countries… I am taking up the cudgels for the 15 million contractual workers in the country,” he added.

David, who had filed a disqualification case against Poe, said the Comelec-accredited Ang Kapatiran has the campaign machinery.

“Even if we are all subjected to a hearing to justify why we should not be declared nuisance, we can prove that we are capable… I have not received a letter and (neither has) my vice president,” he said.