Comelec pares down more nuisance bets in 2016 polls

MANILA, Philippines - The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has decided on 29 of 41 motions for reconsideration (MRs) filed by those declared as nuisance candidates.

“Somehow, we are quick on deciding on these cases,” Comelec Chairman Andres Bautista told a press briefing yesterday.

A total of 130 individuals have filed their COC for president, 19 for vice president and 172 for senators.

The Comelec law department filed petitions to declare as nuisance candidates those deemed incapable of mounting a nationwide campaign, among other criteria of a nuisance bet. 

Rizalito David of Ang Kapatiran party and former Technical Education and Skills Development Authority chairman Augusto Syjuco Jr. were among those declared as nuisance candidates.

The Comelec said Syjuco failed to comply with the requirements, including the certificate of nomination and acceptance from a political party. 

While Syjuco’s statement of assets, liabilities and net worth is “impressive,” the poll body said there was “no clear proof of his financial capability, campaign plan or political machinery to sustain the financial rigors of waging a nationwide campaign.”

David, on other hand, was found to have “misrepresented himself to be officially nominated by Kapatiran party.” The Kapatiran through its president Normal Cabrera said it is not fielding any candidates in next year’s elections.   

Bautista said they hope to resolve all pending MRs by Dec. 23 in time for the release of the provisional list of candidates to be included in the official ballots.

The Comelec is targeting Jan. 8 to come up with a complete list.

Bautista said the number of candidates is material to the length of the ballots.

“Senior Commissioner (Christian Robert) Lim as the chairman of our steering committee is concerned about the length of the ballot. And how the ballot is going to look like. Again that is one of the improvements that we would like to showcase in the 2016 elections,” he said. – With Jess Diaz, Marvin Sy