Comelec rejects appeals from 18 nuisance senatorial candidates in the Philippines

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has rejected appeals from 18 senatorial candidates labeled as nuisance candidates. Comelec chairman George Erwin Garcia announced that the candidates can now only appeal to the Supreme Court. One candidate, Felipe Montealto Jr., plans to take his case to the Supreme Court after the Comelec's decision. He noted that the Comelec rarely overturns its own decisions in such cases. In a previous instance in 2022, the Supreme Court reversed a Comelec nuisance candidate declaration. The court ruled that candidates cannot be disqualified based solely on their lack of fame or resources.