Comelec: Fate of 221 nuisance bet cases known by end November

MANILA – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Thursday vowed to resolve all 221 petitions for declaration as nuisance candidates before the end of next month.

The list includes 117 candidates for national posts and 104 bets for local posts.

"Before the end of November, no nuisance candidate should be on the list. We are going to resolve (these cases) up to the en banc level," Comelec chairperson George Erwin Garcia said in an interview on the sidelines of the poll body's inspection and walkthrough at the Dito Telecommunity in Taguig City.

The telecommunications company is one of the poll body's partners in the forthcoming polls.

Garcia also reported that the cases have been filed before the divisions and the aspirants have been given time to defend themselves as part of due process.

"We opted to do that because for them to have a chance to due process. As in the case of Cipriano vs. Comelec, the decisions would have to be made by the divisions of the poll body first before the en banc," he said.

Garcia, meanwhile, noted that the partial list of 66 senatorial candidates has undergone tight scrutiny.

"If you will notice, the commission can say that the list was balanced and the names were carefully studied. It's not because they are famous or they are seen on television. We also looked into their advocacies," he added.

Of the 66 bets, 17 are neither politicians nor actors.

Garcia said they are looking to have the final list of candidates for the national, local, and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) polls before Dec. 13. (PNA)