The Commission on Elections (Comelec) called on Congress to amend a law against nuisance candidates seeking a government post.
Comelec chairperson George Garcia made the call after the Supreme Court (SC) ruled that popularity is not and should not be a sufficient ground to disqualify a candidate.
“I agree with the decision of the SC,” Garcia said. The official said that it may already be time for Congress to give an updated definition of what and who nuisance candidates really are.
In its decision, the SC said “declaring one a nuisance candidate simply because he or she is not known to the entire country reduces the electoral process—a sacred instrument of democracy—to a mere popularity contest.”
“The matter of the candidate being known (or unknown) should not be taken against the candidate but is best left to the electorate,” the SC said.
“Maybe we should amend the provision of our law regarding nuisance candidacy so we can strengthen it and match it with the existing decisions of the Supreme Court,” Garcia said.
“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 he or she puts 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,” he added.