Woman aspiring to be Laguna governor declared nuisance candidate

Comelec headquarters in Intramuros, Manila. INQUIRER FILES

MANILA, Philippines — A woman seeking to run for governor of Laguna in next year’s scheduled local and national elections was declared as a nuisance candidate by the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

The Comelec Second Division released the decision last December 11 after it was determined that the respondent Jemma “Rose” Villanueva Hernandez, “lacked a bona fide intention to run for governor, and thus, her candidacy cannot be taken seriously.”

The ruling reads: “Wherefore, premises considered, the Petition is GRANTED. Respondent Jemma “Rose” Villanueva Hernandez is hereby declared a nuisance candidate.”

“Accordingly, the certificate of candidacy (COC) filed by the respondent for the position of governor was denied due course and cancelled,” the decision says further.

READ: Comelec disqualifies female Laguna poll bet using male moniker

READ: EXPLAINER: What is a nuisance candidate?

The order was signed by Second Division Presiding Commissioner Marlon Casquejo and Commissioners Rey Bulay and Nelson Celis.

No previous elective post

It was gathered that the respondent who had no previous record of ever running for any elective position filed her COC last October 6, and opted to use the name HERNANDEZ, ROSE to appear on the official ballot, instead of Jemma or Kuya Jemma, the actual names for which she was known for.

Incumbent Laguna 2nd District Rep. Ruth Hernandez, who was also running for governor was prompted to file a petition against the respondent after determining that the latter’s candidacy was filed with the intent causing confusion among the voters, putting the opponent in disrepute, and making a mockery of the electoral process.

In handing down the decision, the poll body pointed out that the respondent’s decision to change her name was not made for personal or professional reasons, nor did it reflect a long-standing identity.

“Rather, it appears to be a calculated decision made for the sole purpose of confusing voters. The name ‘Rose’ bears a striking resemblance to petitioner’s first name, ‘Ruth,’ and when coupled with the shared surname ‘Hernandez,’ it creates an almost indistinguishable identity from petitioner,” the Comelec said.

It continued: “This trick seems to be aimed at misleading the electorate, particularly those who may not be familiar with the full backgrounds of candidates, and capturing votes intended for petitioner.”

Intent on confusing voters

The poll body likewise stressed that the similarities between “Rose Hernandez” and “Ruth Hernandez” are far from accidental and that they reflect a calculated effort by the respondent to deliberately manipulate voters and confuse the electorate.

At least two witnesses, both residents of Barangay Tuntungin Putho in Los Baños, Laguna, also came forward and attested in their affidavits that they knew the respondent personally.

They said she was widely known in their community as “Jemma” and not Rose, and confirmed that she was using the name “Jemma” in her Facebook account.

No financial backing

The witnesses also testified that the respondent lacked a stable source of income or employment to mount a credible campaign.

In its decision, Comelec highlighted that running for governor was an ambitious undertaking that would need significant financial backing, without which it would highly be unlikely that the respondent could execute a campaign of the necessary scope and scale to be competitive.

“In conclusion, respondent’s inability to fund credible campaign calls into question the authenticity of her candidacy…Instead, it appears that respondent’s campaign may serve other purposes, such as disrupting the election or diverting votes from other candidates. As such, her candidacy should be disqualified under Section 69 of the Omnibus Election Code, as it serves no legitimate purpose.”

Previously, the Comelec has also nullified the candidacies of two individuals both surnamed Hernandez who tried to run for the position of congressman for the 2nd District of Laguna.

This, was after it was determined that they had no capability of mounting a serious campaign and only filed their COCs to disrupt the elections and divert the votes from incumbent Gov. Ramil Hernandez who is running for congressman in the 2nd District.