By Danilo P. Padua, PhD

The election exercise in CAR seems to be less problematic, and therefore less costly compared to other regions.
As of middle Jan., 2025, COMELEC has already wasted at least PhP140.0 M due to printing of ballots that can no longer be used. This, despite the fact that the election campaign period is still way off. No thanks to the temporary restraining orders (TROs) issued by the Supreme Court. This stem from the petition of some candidates that were deemed nuisance by the COMELEC. Per SC decision, they are qualified aspirants and needed to be reinstated.
I think there are still pending petitions of similar nature. Naturally, this brings us to the question of how much can we afford to lose unnecessarily due to some exercise of the election process invoking freedom of any sort! After all, the freedom to join for any elective position is guaranteed by the constitution. Thus, it should not be curtailed. Really?
I remember way, way back when somebody named Racuyal was a constant candidate for the presidency for several times. I think this was one of the reasons why the phrase, nuisance candidate, was invented. Nuisance then was loosely referred to somebody who has no chance to win an election.
During this Gen Z generation, is defined differently. You may have the means, but still you maybe considered a nuisance. Take for instance Erece of Caloocan city. He has the means, he is known, he was a former mayor and a former congressman. Yet he was almost disqualified. Until the SC came to his rescue.
An IP in Zambales was also declared a nuisance initially but eventually reinstated in the ballot, together with another known personality in Ilocos Sur aspiring for congressman, and a senatorial aspirant coming from Muslim Mindanao. Include somebody in San Juan, Metro Manila in the same boat. And many more!
We, in the Cordillera region, are more circumspect. I have not known anyone who had been declared as a nuisance aspirant for this coming 2025 polls. Or maybe there are?
The nuisance thing had resulted to a “misuse” of funds, that could have been utiiiized for more meaningful projects to alleviate poverty in the country.
The SC is saying that they are acting with dispatch re the relevant petitions filed last Dec., 2025 and early Jan, 22025. Which must be, otherwise more money will be lost unceremoniously, and portraying that our relevant laws are very inadequate to address such cases. At the end of the day, we will conclude that we have lawmakers who are very short-sighted or not doing due diligence in coming up with laws having futuristic applications.
The COMELEC should start coming up with proper election guidelines for lawmakers to act on as early as possible. When aspirants are declared nuisance, it may be construed as just making a mockery of their freedom to be declared as an honest-to-goodness candidates. Of course, it could be political-colored as well.
Imagine more than a hundred candidates for senator. That alone could add a significant number of pages in the ballot. More costly. Add to that the same number of party lists, and we are looking at an expense which could upset election budget from printing of ballots to distribution nightmare, to additional cost storage, and more hands to handle things.
While there is a constitutional guarantee to become an election candidate, there should be guidelines that will be put in place. I believe, the ability to wage a campaign especially for national candidates, must be considered. For instance, if a candidate does not have his/her own resources, there must be ready groups to lend support to their candidacy. In the case of Party Lists, if any of them were not able to win a seat in Congress for three consecutive elections, they must be considered ineligible for the next election.
We do not want to lose much needed money due to “misprinting” of ballots.**