Comelec logs 104 petitions declaring aspirants as 'nuisance' for Eleksyon 2025

A total of 104 special action cases were filed before the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in a bid to declare some aspirants for the 2025 national and local elections as nuisance candidates. 

As of Wednesday, October 16, Comelec’s clerk office noted that all the 104 petitions were still pending. 

The poll body itself also lodged 117 special action cases motu proprio to declare someone as a nuisance candidate.  

Meanwhile, there were 24 special action cases filed for the cancellation of certificate of candidacy (COC) of certain aspirants, and another one case for disqualification. 

All in all, Comelec said that it has so far received 246 special action cases in connection with the 2025 midterm polls. 

Comelec chairman George Garcia earlier committed to resolve cases involving nuisance candidates for the upcoming elections by the end of November this year.

If the nuisance candidates will be included in the official ballots, Garcia said it may mess up the results of the 2025 polls.

“Kapag naisama, maiboboto sila. Tapos later on kung sasabihin ng Comelec o ng mas mataas na korte katulad ng Korte Suprema, na sadyang sila ay nuisance candidates, lahat ng boto na binigay sa kanila ay ibibigay doon sa lehitimong kandidato,” he explained in a Balitanghali interview.

(If the nuisance candidates are allowed to run, they will be voted. Later on if the Comelec or a higher court like the Supreme Court decides that they are nuisance candidates, all their votes will be given to the legitimate candidate.)

“Eh paano kung ‘pag sinuma total mo pati ‘yung sa mismong lehitimong kandidato at sa nuisance, lalabas na siya dapat pala ang proklamado at nanalo. Ibabalewa namin ang proklamasyon nung inisyal na na-proklama na kandidato na dapat pala ay talo at pagkatapos ay ipoproklama namin ang talagang tunay na nanalo,” he added.

(If you add the total votes including that of a legitimate candidate and the nuisance, it may appear that someone else should have won and have been proclaimed. We will revoke the proclamation of the candidate initially proclaimed who should have lost, and then we will proclaim the real winner.)

The period for the filing of certificates of COC was conducted from October 1 to October 8, concluding with 183 senatorial hopefuls and 156 party-lists filing their Certificates of Nomination and Acceptance (CONAs).

The Comelec has released an initial list of senatorial aspirants whose names may be included in the official ballot for next year's elections.

The Comelec said the list was "without prejudice to the decision of the Division or En Banc in the petitions to declare as nuisance candidates filed by the Law Department."

The Supreme Court earlier ruled that unpopularity and non-membership in a political party are not sufficient grounds to declare an individual as a nuisance candidate.

Based on Comelec Rules of Procedure Part V, Rule 24, any candidate is identified to have no bona fide intention to run for public office if they put the election process in “mockery or disrepute or to cause confusion among the voters by the similarity of the names of the registered candidates or who by other acts or circumstances.”

This may then result in their declaration as a nuisance candidate and their certificate of candidacy being denied due course or canceled. — Giselle Ombay/KBK/RSJ, GMA Integrated News