Comelec officially declares 21 ‘nuisance’ senatoriables

Comelec headquarters in Intramuros, Manila. INQUIRER FILES

The Commission on Election (Comelec) on Friday finally declared as nuisance candidates 21 aspirants seeking a seat in the Senate in next year’s midterm polls.

Comelec Chair George Erwin Garcia told reporters in an interview that the commission en banc denied the motions of reconsideration (MR) filed by the 21 candidates.

EXPLAINER: What is a nuisance candidate?

The poll body released resolutions denying the MRs of 18 candidates, namely Francis Leo Marcos, Felipe Montealto Jr., Orlando de Guzman, Manuel Andrada, Sonny Pimentel, Elpidio Rosales Jr., Jaime Balmas, Pedro Ordiales, John Rafael Escobar, Roberto Sembrano, Romulo San Ramon, Fernando Diaz, Luther Meniano, Romeo Macaraeg, Subair Mustapha, Monique Kokkinaras, Berteni Causing and Alexander Encarnacion.

The resolutions denying the appeals of three other candidates have not been released by Comelec as of press time.

Under Comelec rules, en banc resolutions in special action cases, such as those involving nuisance candidates, become final and executory after five days from its promulgation unless restrained by the Supreme Court.

The Comelec’s law department motu proprio (on its own initiative) filed on Oct. 17 the petitions to declare as nuisance candidates and cancel the certificates of candidacy filed by 117 of the 183 senatorial aspirants. The cases were raffled off to either of the Comelec’s two divisions. INQ