Comelec to delist 10 senatorial hopefuls

MANILA -- The Commission on Elections (Comelec) will deny due course to at least 10 senatorial hopefuls for not appearing in a hearing that will give them chance to defend the legitimacy of their candidacies, a poll body official said Thursday.

Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes said the commission will not give another chance to those who did not appear in the first of the two-day marathon hearings they are conducting despite being formally informed.

"Those who did not come will be removed from the list, unless they can provide us with valid reason," Brillantes said.

Ten individuals who filed their certificates of candidacy last week have failed to appear in Thursday's hearings as of 1 p.m., Comelec records show.

Brillantes said the Comelec might still consider giving due course to the COCs of those who attended Thursday's hearings.

And those who chose to attend were not short of characters as some of them entertained the commissioners while others elected to beg for chances at running in the 2013 polls.

Among them is Daniel Magtira, whose claim to fame is his being the "husband" of presidential sister and celebrity Kris Aquino.

Magtira told the Comelec that he wants to run for senator since there is a need for the Senate to see new faces instead of the traditional ones.

"Ang dapat tanggalin na silang lahat e. Palitan sana lahat ng bago," said Magtira.

He said he does not really need to become a senator since he can earn as much as P2 million per day from singing but that his desire for bringing change to the country weighs more.

"Pag napunta ako sa Senado, wala silang sinabi sa akin sa kantahan," said Magtira, whose occupation is listed as "Talentadong Pinoy TV5," which is a reality talent show of TV5 network.

For his part, Eduardo Syamasundar-Das Fernandez begged the Comelec en banc for them to allow him to run for senator.

"Handa po ako lumuhod sa inyo payagan lamang po ninyo ako tumakbo bilang senador," said Fernandez.

He said he wants to run in good faith since he wants to help the impoverished sector of the country.

"If I become a senator, I will not accept my salary since I already have pension. Instead, ibibigay ko na lang po ito sa mga tao," said Fernandez.

To note, the Comelec had already agreed to give due course to the COCs for the position of senator to 27 aspirants.

Eighty-four individuals had filed their COCs for senator earlier this month at the Comelec main office in Intramuros, Manila. (HDT/Sunnex)