3 bets in Isabela mayoral race declared nuisance

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines – Three candidates in the mayoral race in Isabela’s premier city of Santiago, who have the same surname and even the nickname of the re-electionist mayor, have been declared nuisance bets.

In a consolidated resolution dated Jan. 22, the Commission on Elections’ Second Division granted the petition of Santiago City Mayor Amelita “Amy” Navarro to nullify the candidacies of Amy “Amelita” Navarro, Emma “Amy” Navarro and Samuel Navarro for being nuisance candidates.

“Respondents cannot be allowed by this Commission to make a mockery of the elections. We cannot allow (them) to cause confusion to the electorate by allowing them to continue with this travesty upon the sanctity of the elections,” the Second Division said in its resolution.

Besides being a nuisance, the Second Division said Amy Navarro, 21, a former street sweeper, lacks the age requirement – at least 23 – to be qualified as a mayoral candidate under Republic Act 7720, which converted Santiago town into a city.

The Second Division noted that the affidavits that the respondents presented “appeared to have been prepared by only one person.”

It added that it could not give “credence and weight” to bank documents supposedly proving their financial capability to wage a campaign since the deposits appeared to be “new.”

Mayor Navarro suspects that her rivals were behind the fielding of her namesakes.

“My rivals are always trying to bring me down; they even put up candidates obviously intended to confuse the electorate and frustrate the will of the people of Santiago City. But I will tell you, they will not succeed,” she said. 

The Comelec resolution paved the way for a three-cornered mayoral fight: Navarro, who belongs to Lakas-Kampi-CMD; former vice mayor Armando Tan, and former congressman Anthony Miranda, of the Liberal Party and Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino, respectively.