Pangilinan to Comelec: Why not put Mustapha’s name last on ballot paper?

Former Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan. INQUIRER FILES
MANILA, Philippines — Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, who is vying for a Senate comeback via the May 2025 polls, suggested a possible solution to the current problem with ballot papers: list Subair Guinthum Mustapha as the last senatorial candidate.
Pangilinan said in a statement that just assigning Mustapha as the last senatorial candidate in the already-printed ballot sheets would keep the present order of the numbers and spare the Comelec the trouble of destroying them and reprinting fresh ones.
The Comelec earlier said that 6 million ballot papers for the upcoming elections worth P132 million could be up for destruction and recycling after the Supreme Court (SC) issued a ruling stopping the poll body from declaring Mustapha a nuisance candidate.
The January 14 SC decision required the inclusion of Mustapha in the list of senatorial candidates and, therefore, in the ballot papers, which enumerates aspirants in alphabetical order.
READ: SC order on nuisance bet affects Sotto, Quiboloy’s ballot numbers
Article continues after this advertisement“Bakit hindi na lang ilagay si Mustapha sa huling numero bilang huling kandidatong senador sa balota para hindi na kailangan baguhin ang opisyal na numbering at mga numero ng ibang kandidato na inanunsyo na noong nakaraang taon pa?” asked Pangilinan, who were among senatorial candidates to be affected by the repercussions of the SC ruling.
Article continues after this advertisement(Why not put Mustapha on the last number as the last candidate for senator on the ballot paper so that there would be no need to change the official numbering and the ballot numbers of other candidates which have been announced since last year?)
However, Comelec head George Erwin Garcia told reporters in a message on Saturday that Pangilinan’s suggestion might only result in another temporary restraining order and accusations of violations of the 1987 Constitution’s equal protection clause.
Also on Saturday, Comelec spokesperson Laudiangco explained that the alphabetical arrangement of candidates’ surnames in the ballot papers “is the most equitable and most objective order or sequence of candidates by which no particular person will be intentionally given premium and preference.”
He maintained that the SC order to include Mustapha on the list of senatorial candidates likewise meant that he would be afforded the same treatment as other aspirants.
“To put his name last on the list would go against fair play and equality of treatment,” Laudiangco said in a separate message to reporters on Saturday.
Comelec previously announced it would be reprinting new ballot sheets starting Monday, January 20, to include disqualified candidates who secured temporary restraining orders from the SC.
However, Garcia on Friday said that target has been scrapped.