Prime Minister Speech

There’s no such thing as Nuisance Candidates

Definition:

In Section 69 of the Omnibus Election Code it is written that

"Section 69. Nuisance candidates. -- The Commission may motu proprio or upon a verified
petition of an interested party, refuse to give due course to or cancel a certificate of candidacy
if it is shown that said certificate has 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 for which the certificate of candidacy
has been filed and thus prevent a faithful determination of the true will of the electorate."

From this passage, we can define a nuisance candidate as a person whose candidacy is
dismissed by the Commission on Elections due to the person being unworthy of a certificate of
candidacy.

In the Philippine constitution (Section 26), it is clearly written the state shall guarantee everyone
equal access to opportunities for public service. Everyone has the right to run for a position. It is
against the essence of democracy to leave anyone out. No one should be able to prevent any one
from being able to run for public office.

Therefore, this house believes that there is no such thing as a nuisance candidate because the
everyone has the right to run for office. To prevent someone from running is to violate the
constitution and the spirit of democracy.

Ideas that some people find offensive are not necessarily wrong or correct. That is one of the
reasons why we have free speech. Ideas should never be suppressed regardless of how much it
contradicts your beliefs or ideas. It is up to the listener to choose which one to believe or to
accept. Similarly, all candidates should be given the chance to be elected. It should be the voters
who will decide who is most deserving of the position. A candidate’s proposition might be absurd
to some people but it should not be the reason why the candidate should not be allowed to run.