Nueva Ecija vice gov hits back at Cabanatuan mayor in nuisance bet plea
Nueva Ecija Vice Governor Anthony Umali. Photo from Vice Governor Emmanuel Antonio “Doc Anthony” Matias Umali / Facebook
MANILA, Philippines — Nueva Ecija Vice Governor Anthony Umali hit back at reelectionist Cabanatuan City Mayor Myca Vergara, saying his petition to declare her a nuisance candidate was based on the Omnibus Election Code.
The Nueva Ecija vice governor is running to challenge Vergara for the Cabanatuan mayoralty in the 2025 national and local elections.
Umali filed the complaint against her on October 16, citing “erratic behavior” after Vergara withdrew and refiled her previously formalized certificate of candidacy (COC) on the same day to “address imperfections.”
In a statement on Tuesday, Oct. 29, Vergara slammed the petition as “illogical”, with her camp calling it a “blatant tactic to control the future of Cabanatuan through baseless electoral complaints instead of the ballot box.”
READ: Cabanatuan mayor hits rival’s petition to declare her a nuisance bet
Article continues after this advertisementVergara also said, “How can I be a nuisance candidate when I’m the incumbent mayor, committed to serving Cabanatuan?”
Article continues after this advertisementUmali’s camp told INQUIRER.net in a text message on Saturday, Nov. 2, “Our petition is based on Omnibus Election Code which mandates the cancellation of COC of nuisance candidates who, like Myca Vergara, filed their COCs to put the election process in mockery or those who do not have bona fide intention to run.”
“Being an incumbent is not a justification,” they added.
Section 69 of the Omnibus Election Code states that an aspirant may be declared a nuisance candidate if they are proven to “put the election process in mockery or disrepute” or “demonstrate that the candidate has no bona fide intention to run.”
Additionally, Umali’s camp argued that Comelec Resolution 9518 renders an individual who withdrew their COC ineligible to become a candidate for the same position.
READ: Comelec to complete purging nuisance bets from list before end of Nov
They also cited Comelec Resolution 11045, which said: “Nominees who withdraw their acceptance to the nomination shall not be eligible for re-nomination by the same party-list group or nomination by other party-list groups.”
Comelec Chair George Garcia previously said the commission aims to resolve all nuisance candidate complaints and remove them from official ballots by the end of November.
