More than half of 97 pres’l aspirants may be listed as nuisance

MANILA – More than half of the 97 presidential aspirants in the 2022 national and local elections may be declared as nuisance, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said on Monday.

Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez said motu propio cases for the declaration as nuisance candidates have already been filed against 82 of the 97 individuals who filed certificates of candidacies (COCs) for president from October 1 to 8.

“We had 97 filers for president and it looks like more than half of that might be removed as nuisance,” he said in a press briefing on the last day of the filing of statements of withdrawal and substitution at the Comelec main office in Intramuros, Manila.

He said motu propio cases for the declaration as nuisance candidates have also been filed against 15 of the 29 aspirants for vice presidents.

As for those seeking senatorial seats, he said similar cases were filed against 108 out of the 176 filers.

Jimenez said the final list of the qualified candidates for next year’s polls is expected to be released next month.

Under Section 69 of the Omnibus Election Code, the Commission may, motu proprio or upon a verified petition of an interested party, refuse to give due course to or cancel a certificate of candidacy.

Bello not running for senator

Meanwhile, Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Secretary Silvestre Bello apologized to his supporters after he decided not to file COC as a substitute for senator.

He said his decision was for the greater good of the workers and the Filipino people.

“I find it urgent to address the needs of our displaced workers so I’m no longer participating in the polls,” Bello said in a statement.

Bello earlier said he would run for senator if Davao City mayor and presidential daughter Sara Duterte would run for president. Sara on Saturday filed her COC as vice president.

He vowed to intensify the government’s assistance to workers amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

“That is also one of my priorities in keeping my job in DOLE. We need to bring back the jobs our workers lost because of the global outbreak,” he said.

Bello is also the chairperson of the International Labour Organization (ILO) government group.