The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is pushing for the imposition of monetary penalty or jail time on anyone found to be a nuisance candidate. Comelec Chairman George Garcia said that they made this proposal to the members of the Senate on Monday, April 17. “Ang pino-propose natin, sana ‘pag ikaw ay napatunayan na isang nuisance candidate at nandun ang intentions mo na talagang guluhin ang ating electoral process, kahapon pino-proposed natin sa Senado  na kung hindi man pagkakulong na three to six years imprisonment,  dapat manlang mayroong fine na hindi bababa ng kalahating milyon (What we are proposing is that if you are proven to be a nuisance candidate and your intentions are there to really disrupt our electoral process—we proposed yesterday to the Senate a penalty of three to six years imprisonment or a fine of not less than half a million),“ said Garcia in an interview on Tuesday, April 18. Imposing such measures will help break such trends during elections, said Garcia. “Kasi ang mangyayari diyan, i-disqualify mo ngayong eleksyon na ito as as a nuisance candidate, sa susunod na election tatakbo nanaman kasi ibang eleksyon na naman ‘yun (What will happen is, you will disqualify them this election because they are found as nuisance candidates. In the next elections, they will run again because that is a different election),” said Garcia. “Para lang tayong winawalang hiya at yung ating proseso ay parang pinagtatawanan lamang ng mga ito. Hindi dapat nagkakaganyan (It's like we're being insulted and our process is being mocked by them. It shouldn't be like that),” he added. Moreover, people who are backing the candidacy of nuisance candidates should also be slapped with penalties, said Garcia. “Kung maituturo kung sino yung mga nagpatakbo sa mga nuisance candidate, yung tinatawag na conspiracy, dapat sila may karampatang parusa rin para sa kanila (If we can identify the individuals behind the candidacy of a nuisance candidate, there should be appropriate punishment for them as well),” he said. “Because sa conspiracy na tinatawag (in conspiracy), the act of one is the act of all,” he added. Under Section 69 of the Omnibus Election Code, the Comelec “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.”