The Commission on Elections (Comelec) Clerk of the Commission received a total of 68 petitions for disqualification of candidates who filed their certificates of candidacy last week.
High-profile senatorial aspirant Mar Roxas has asked the Comelec to block the candidacy of a person who has the same surname, Jesus Roxas, a senatorial bet of Katipunan ng Demokratikong Pilipino (KDP).
Incumbent Senators Koko Pimentel and Loren Legarda were not exempted to disqualification petitions. Ferdinand Topacio filed a disqualification case to Sen. Pimentel who is seeking for re-election.
Aiming to represent the lone district of Antique, Sen. Loren Legarda is facing two disqualification cases filed by her rival, former Antique governor Exquiel Javier, and a certain Robin Rubinor. Legarda is in her last term in the upper house.
Meanwhile, mayoralty candidates from the different cities in Metro Manila are also facing the same predicament. Ex-Manila vice mayor Isko Moreno filed a disqualification case against mayoralty candidate Onofredo Estrada Abad. Moreno is gunning for the top post in the country’s capital. Marikina Mayor Marcelino Teodoro, a re-electionist, also filed disqualification cases against other Marikina mayoralty aspirants Marjoy Villoso and Lorderito Nebres.
Re-electionist Marikina Mayor Marcelino Teodoro also filed disqualification cases against rivals Marjoy Villoso and Lorderito Nebres.
Bacoor Mayor Lani Mercado-Revilla filed separate disqualification cases against mayoralty aspirants Tranquilino Estrada and Emelita Villar.
In Visayas, Cebu Third District Rep. Gwendolyn Garcia faces two disqualification cases filed by Edgar Gica and Norma Pozon. Garcia is seeking for a gubernatorial post in her province.
Other prominent candidates who have filed disqualification cases against their rivals are Quezon City vice mayoralty bet Gian Carlo Sotto, Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña and Isabela Rep. Antonio Albano.
Comelec Commissioner Rowena Guanzon said they will no longer accept late submission of Certificates of Nomination and Acceptance (CONAs).
Guanzon said they decided to strictly enforce the deadline to observe fairness with other candidates who complied with their regulations.
“We cannot allow that anymore. Just to be fair to everyone, the rule will apply to all parties,” Guanzon said.
