MANILA – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has declared 23 more individuals who filed their certificates of candidacy (COCs) for the 2025 Senate race as nuisance candidates, bringing the total number to 70.
The poll body’s First and Second Divisions have vetted and disqualified these individuals for not meeting the qualifications or for being unlikely to win.
Among those declared nuisance candidates by the First Division are Primo Puso Aquino, Berteni Causing, and Alice Jumalon.
The Second Division disqualified Miranda Cadion, Melissa Fortes, Deviendo Biazon, and 16 others.
Last week, 47 Senate aspirants were similarly ruled out, and a total of 183 individuals had filed their COCs during the October 1-8 filing period at the Manila Hotel Tent City.
As of now, 66 candidates remain on the partial list of legitimate Senate contenders for the May 2025 elections. The rest, numbering 117, are under scrutiny, facing petitions filed by Comelec’s Law Department.
Bangsamoro Elections Updates
In a separate development, the Comelec has also received 111 COCs for parliamentary district representatives and seven Manifestations of Intent to Participate (MIPs) from regional political parties for the upcoming Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) Parliamentary Elections on May 12, 2025.
A total of 25 parliamentary district seats and 40 regional parliamentary party seats will be contested. COCs and MIPs were filed in the Bangsamoro from November 4-9.
However, Comelec Chairman George Garcia warned that if the BARMM elections are postponed to May 2026, the filed COCs and MIPs may be invalidated. In that case, new filings would be required.
The possibility of postponement hinges on legislation, which could delay the election schedule, Garcia clarified.
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