Cabanatuan mayor hits rival’s petition to declare her a nuisance bet

Cabanatuan City Mayor Myca Elizabeth Vergara (Official Facebook page of Mayor Myca Elizabeth R. Vergara)

MANILA, Philippines — Reelectionist Cabanatuan City Mayor Myca Elizabeth Vergara said the petition by Nueva Ecija Vice Governor Anthony Umali to declare her a nuisance candidate “defied logic.”

Umali, who is challenging Vergara’s reelection bid, filed the complaint before the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on October 16.

According to the petition, Vergara filed her certificate of candidacy (COC) for Cabanatuan City mayor through a representative on October 7.

Vergara, however, filed a statement of withdrawal but filed a second COC on the same day on October 8, with the same certificate of nomination and acceptance attached to her first COC.

Umali called Vergara’s actions “erratic behavior,” arguing that she “put the election process in mockery or disrepute” and showed “a lack of bona fide intention to genuinely run for the office for which the certificate of candidacy was filed.”

Both arguments are criteria for declaring nuisance candidates in Section 69 of the Omnibus Election Code.

Vergara’s camp, in a statement on Tuesday, however, said the withdrawal and subsequent refiling were to “address imperfections in her COC.”

“It defies logic to call me a nuisance when I refiled promptly to serve the people,” Vergara said.

Vergara’s camp said she “vowed to continue her campaign, undeterred by what she calls a blatant tactic by Umali to control Cabanatuan’s future through a baseless electoral complaint instead of the ballot box.”

Umali responded on Saturday, Nov. 2, telling INQUIRER.net that their petition was based on the Omnibus Election Code and Comelec resolutions.

READ: Nueva Ecija vice gov hits back at Cabanatuan mayor in nuisance bet plea

Comelec Chairman George Garcia said they had 221 petitions against “nuisance candidates” in the upcoming national and local elections, 104 of which were for local posts.