Serious bets avoid first day of COC filing

MANILA, Philippines – Serious candidates avoided the first day of filing of certificates of candidacy (COCs) yesterday as Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Jose Melo expressed no surprise over the assortment of characters who came early to do so.

A Marcos loyalist and 13 unknown individuals gunning for the presidential seat beat prominent aspirants in filing their COCs before the Comelec.

Only three individuals filed their COCs to join the senatorial race, while no one sought the vice presidential post yesterday.

The Comelec turned away other aspirants for failing to meet documentary requirements.

“Except for Atty. (Oliver) Lozano, the others who filed COCs are unknown. Mga saling-pusa (nuisance candidates)… But I think the first day is orderly,” Melo said.

Lozano is a known supporter of former President Ferdinand Marcos’ family.

Melo said he could not understand why it has become a practice of “serious” candidates to avoid filing their COCs on the first day.

“Maybe that’s part of their (game plan). I really don’t know. Next week, we know the serious ones will start coming to file their COCs,” he told The STAR.

Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said the poll body would screen COCs strictly to eliminate “nuisance candidates” or those not qualified to seek an elective position.

The deadline for the filing of COC is on Dec. 1. After this, the Comelec will start screening the COCs since the printing of the ballots starts in January 2010.

Comelec Commissioner Rene Sarmiento said nuisance candidates pertain to those not capable of waging a national campaign.

They also include those with similar names whose intention in running is to create confusion among the voting public, Sarmiento said.

Sixty-one year-old Rigoberto Madera Jr., who is aspiring to be an “emperor of the world,” was the first to file his COC at 8:40 a.m. yesterday.

Madera, who goes by the nickname NNN or Nanjananan, said in an interview that he was prodded by God to seek the presidency.

He claimed that in October, he topped a survey conducted by God on who should become the country’s next president.

Former President Joseph Estrada came in second.

Confident of winning the Philippine presidential race, Madera noted that his next plan is to run for president of America to dislodge President Barrack Obama and then become “emperor of the world.”

The other aspirant is Marcos loyalist and lawyer Lozano, 69, who lodged his COC through his representative Melchor Chavez.

In a statement, Lozano noted that if elected, he intends to “lift the sequestration of the multi-billion gold and dollar Marcos deposits so it can be used to solve within six months the economic crisis, poverty, hunger and Muslim-NPA rebellion.”

He added that he wanted to run “in protest against the presidential bid of those who have said much but done nothing to solve” the country’s problems.

But Lozano clarified that he is willing to withdraw his presidential bid if Ilocos Norte Rep. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. would run for president.

Another presidential aspirant is businessman Vicente Fabella, 46, who vowed to fight corruption when elected next year.

Asked what would happen if he wins the polls, he retorted in Filipino: “The Philippines will be doomed.”

The last to file before the Comelec closed its receiving areas for COCs at 5 p.m. yesterday was 46-year-old Noel Aguirre, who claimed to be an inventor and overseas contract worker.

During an interview, Aguirre recited a litany of what he intends to do for the Philippines – from eliminating corruption in the government to addressing food shortage.

The other presidential hopefuls are a quantum physics instructor, an “estigramist,” a taxi driver, a businessman, a masseuse, a retired teacher, a licensed insurance agent, a financial consultant, a barangay chairman and a retired government employee.

• Philstar

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