THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Saturday, October 12, 2024, announced the extension of the deadline for the filing of petitions to declare a political aspirant as a nuisance candidate from October 14 to 16.
In a public notice, the Comelec said the deadline is being pushed back due to the work suspension in the cities of Manila and Pasay on October 14 and 15, 2024 as announced by MalacaƱang.
"The Commission En Banc approved the extension of the deadline for the filing of Petitions Against Nuisance Candidates from Monday, 14 October 2024, to Wednesday, 16 October 2024, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.," said the Comelec.
On Thursday, MalacaƱang announced that classes at all levels and government work in the City of Manila and Pasay City are suspended from October 14 to 15.
This is to give way for the country's hosting of the Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (APMCDRR).
Under the Omnibus Election Code, the Comelec may, motu proprio or upon a verified petition of an interested party, refuse to give due course to or cancel a COC and declare the filer as a nuisance candidate.
The law said this should be the case when a COC has been filed "to put the election process in mockery or disrepute or to cause confusion among the voters by the similarity of the names of the registered candidates," as well as other acts that clearly demonstrate that the aspirant has "no bona fide intention to run for office." (HDT/SunStar Philippines)