• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
A Negrense, who filed a certificate of candidacy (COC) for senator, was disqualified by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) for being a nuisance candidate.
Provincial Elections Supervisor Ian Lee Ananoria said on Monday (Nov. 25) that he sent last week a notice of disqualification to Jonry Gargarita of Binalbagan, Negros Occidental.
In a radio interview, Comelec Chairman George Garcia, however, said that disqualified candidates can still appeal the matter to the Supreme Court, which has overruled the poll body’s disqualification in a number of cases in the past.
A total of 183 personalities filed their COCs for senator from Oct. 1 to 8.
Only 66 were approved by the poll body as legitimate and valid candidates for the May 2025 elections.
During the 2022 elections, Gargarita also joined the vice gubernatorial race in Negros Occidental.
While he was defeated by incumbent Vice Gov. Jeffrey Ferrer, the 36-year- old Criminology graduate still managed to secure 70,374 votes.
According to Section 69 of the Omnibus Election Code, a nuisance candidate is someone who filed a COC “to put the election process in mockery or disrepute, or to cause confusion among the voters by the similarity of the names; or in other circumstances, which clearly demonstrate that the candidate has no bona fide intention to run for office and to prevent a faithful determination of the true will of the electorate.”
Garcia said that the Comelec en banc would resolve the motions for consideration by next week to give the aspirants enough time to elevate their cases before the Supreme Court should they wish to do so.
On the other hand, the Comelec approved the candidacy of Negrense lawyer Jesus Hinlo, former undersecretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government.
Hinlo is the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino deputy-secretary general for Visayas. | GB
