The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Wednesday disqualified 73 candidates who are seeking various local posts in the May 13 midterm elections.

The poll body, in its Resolution 9610, declared 63 candidates as nuisance, while 10 others were deemed ineligible to run for the positions they are seeking.

Comelec issued the resolution after receiving the consolidated reports from their regional election directors, provincial election supervisors and election officers.

According to the commission, nuisance candidates are those whose Certificate of Candidacies were found to have 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, or by other circumstances or acts which clearly demonstrate that the candidate has no bona fide intention to run for the office.”

The candidates declared as nuisance bets include Onofre Abad, Felix Cantal, Fidel Cruz, Samuel Gabot, Rodolfo Lim, Marino Magallanes and Benjamin Rivera, all running for Manila mayor; Fred Bello, Merlita Esquila, Eduardo Garibay, Melanio Gonzales, Arlan Gurnot, Romeo Lapuz, Anastacio Malquisto, Adrian Pangilinan and Luis Razo, all running for Caloocan mayor; Romeo Acebedo, running for Quezon mayor; Oscar Marmeto, running for Muntinlupa mayor; Rosendo Ancheta, running for Muntinlupa vice mayor; Allan Bantilo and Fermin Idea, both running for Quezon vice mayor; Pilar Ebarrete, running for San Juan vice mayor; and Adolfo Padalhin, running for mayor of Mandaluyong City.

Also declared nuisance candidates were Roberto Aquino, Cherlito Crisostomo, Ferdinand Gundayao, Milagros Pragas, Clearence dela Merced, Edwin Dumalag, Jose Gonzales, Edgar Lim, Serafico Placer and Joseph Timbol, all running for councilor in Caloocan; Amelia Aquino, Elmer Claus, Benedicto Laberinto, Ellen Malit and Ruben Moreno, all running for councilor in Muntinlupa; and Norgene Santos, running for councilor in Parañaque City.

In the provinces, those not allowed to run were Antonio Aliangan, running for Isabela governor; Jaime Almera, Bulacan governor; Joel Bersamina, Abra governor; Jorge Lumongsod, Agusan del Norte governor; Norberto Mijares,Davao del Norte governor; Jose Perez, Cagayan governor; Lilia Uy, Isabela governor; Jones Basbas, Sison, Pangasinan mayor; Lea Ong and Miguel Selim, Cebu City mayor; Charlie Talledo, Surigao City mayor; Mark Alvin Tan, Santiago City, Isabela mayor; and Felipe Gorospe, Sison, Pangasinan vice mayor.

Also declared as nuisance were Cherwin Calimag, Second District, Cagayan representative; Mauricio Plaza Jr., Second District, Agusan del Sur representative; Juan Arenasa, First District, Cebu City representative; Erlinda Sollano, Second Distirct, Cebu representative; Eliseo Tumulak, First District, Cebu representative; Eustaquio Bueno, First District, Abra board member; Bert Abella, Second District, Cebu councilor; Ricardo Adlawan, First District, Cebu councilor; Jose Cane, Second District, Cebu councilor; Gumersindo Canete, Second District, Cebu councilor; and Jimmy de Jesus, Agusan del Sur councilor.

Ten others that were declared ineligible to run because of failure in meeting Comelec requirements were Tarajo Abalde, Zamboanga Sibugay board member; Angelica Jalosjos-Carreon, Zamboanga del Norte board member; Janine Bustos, Second District, Taguig City councilor; Kimberly Cerafica, First District, Taguig City councilor; Elvis Magnaye, Fifth District, Quezon councilor; Jardiya Martele, Sixth District, Quezon councilor; Mary Kaye Andres, First District, Marikina councilor; Juan Rafael Crespo, First District, Manila councilor; Marjorie Asensi, Lucena City, Quezon councilor; and Maria Romeo, Mutia, Zamboanga del Norte councilor.

Meanwhile, a poll official said that actor Aga Muhlach can still run for Congress in the Fourth District of Camarines Sur because of the 60-day temporary restraining order issued by the Court of Appeals.
Comelec Commissioner Rene Sarmiento said that the restraining order automatically reinstated the couple in the certified list of voters.