The 49ers of 2022

LETTERS FROM THE AGNO

David March Fianza

BAGUIO CITY -- As of my latest count Thursday, at least 49 hopefuls representing different political parties filed their respective certificate of candidacy for president. The smaller the country, the more presidentiables there are. That is in comparison to the US of A that had a presidential election last November with only four candidates qualified to appear on enough state ballots.
    But, of the 49 hopefuls, only one will win the position come Monday, May 9, 2022 which is exactly seven months from today, October 9, 2021. Of the 49, at least 35 are independent candidates. As of the last day of filing on Friday, October 8, 2021; at least 15 filed their COC for the position of vice president.
    Out of these numbers, we do not know how many will be declared as “nuisance” candidates by the Comelec. The poll body said it will receive COCs from all those who are seeking to run for any position but the documents will undergo a screening process before the printing of ballots.
    Even the COCs from people who have been declared nuisance candidates in the past will be accepted. It is because a candidate who has been declared as such in the past cannot be “nuisance” forever. This also means that a probable nuisance candidate will have a chance to defend his or her candidacy.
    But if I were given the privilege to issue a final decision, I would allow the 49’ers to go ahead campaign and may the bet with the highest number of votes win. On the outset, if a candidate personally filled up the COC form, had it notarized and everything is in order, then s/he is not a nuisance candidate. More importantly, the candidate believes that s/he can get more than one vote.
    Unfortunately, the Comelec defines “nuisance” candidates differently from mine. The poll body says, a nuisance candidate is one who files a COC without a true intention to run for office, to include persons who filed their COC to make fun of the election system, and mislead the voting public.
    In the case of the three Marcoses who filed COCs for president, namely; Tiburcio Marcos, Maria Aurora Marcos and Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr; I think no one among them is misleading the other. Voters of course can differentiate one Marcos from the other by their first names. Let the best man or woman win!
    The Comelec also disapproves “premature campaigning” by those who have filed their COCs, whatever that means. First, a person who has declared his intention to run for any political position is perceived to be campaigning every time s/he is seen in public, whether s/he has filed a COC or not.
    The poll body defines campaigning as premature if the campaign period has not yet begun. But it is impossible for a candidate to stay away from the eyes of the voting public. Maybe that is why there is no law that punishes premature campaigning.
    For businessman Ericson “Tagel” Felipe, board member Jim Botiwey, former board member Sario M. Copas and incumbent vice governor Johnny Wagis who filed their COCs for vice governor in Benguet, go ahead with your fist bumps, there is no such thing as premature campaigning. Make sure too that you just promote yourselves, mentioning once in a while in your public appearances the shenanigans involving a businessman-politician from the South.