THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Friday, November 7, 2025, said it will use the latest Supreme Court (SC) ruling on nuisance candidates as guidance in future electoral exercises.
In a phone interview, Comelec Chairman George Garcia said they will refer to the case of Subair Guinthum Mustapha, who was declared a nuisance senatorial candidate in the May 2025 polls, when screening future candidates.
"Jurisprudence such as this is most welcome to fill in the gaps and to explain the gray areas in the law, especially when the latter is age-old," Garcia said.
"We can certainly use this as guidance in future electoral exercises," he added.
In its recent ruling, the SC overruled Comelec’s resolution declaring Mustapha a nuisance candidate in the 2025 polls.
In its original decision, the poll body dismissed Mustapha’s candidacy for senator, noting that he only received 5,387 votes when he ran in the 2022 congressional race in Lanao del Sur.
The SC, however, said that declaring Mustapha a nuisance candidate solely due to his perceived inability to win an election could be considered a grave abuse of discretion. (Anton Banal/SunStar Philippines)