• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
A resident of Barangay Progreso in the municipality of Binalbagan was among the 117 senatorial aspirants disqualified by the Commission on Elections for being nuisance candidates.
Provincial Election Supervisor Atty. Ian Lee Ananoria disclosed on Monday that last week he sent a notice of disqualification to Jonry Gargarita in Binalbagan, Negros Occidental.
In a radio interview, Comelec Chair George Garcia, however, said that disqualified candidates can still appeal the matter to the Supreme Court, which has overruled the poll body’s disqualifications in a number of cases in the past.
A total of 183 personalities filed their certificates of candidacy for senator from October 1 to 8. Only 66 were approved by the poll body as legitimate and valid candidates for the elections to be held in May next year.
During the 2022 elections, Gargarita also joined the vice gubernatorial race in Negros Occidental. While he was defeated by incumbent Vice Governor Jeffrey Ferrer, Gargarita, a 36-year-old criminology graduate, however, 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 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 Jesus ‘JV’ Hinlo, former undersecretary of the Department of Interior and Local Government and currently the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino deputy secretary general for Visayas.*
