LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – The Commission on Elections Second Division recently granted a petition declaring Adam Yap as a nuisance candidate due to his lack of genuine intent to actively engage in the election process as Benguet congressional candidate.
ADAM Yap
Rep. Eric Go Yap, who filed the petition, said his namesake maliciously filed his Certificate of Candidacy (COC) and merely put the election process in mockery or disrepute and cause confusion among voters.
"I had to file a petition to declare Mr. Adam Yap as a nuisance candidate because I received reports of what transpired that prompted him to file his candidacy and I thank the Comelec for seeing the merits of my petition," Rep. Yap said.
The Comelec said nuisance candidates are persons who file their COCs to put the election process in mockery or disrepute or cause confusion among voters by the similarity of the names of the registered candidates or by other circumstances and that the candidate has no bonafide intention to run for office.
"I received reports from trusted sources na si Adam Yap daw (that Adam Yap) was approached by two people. They convinced him to file for congressman with the intention to confuse the voters, siyempre nga naman we share the same last name tapos mauuna pa sya sa akin sa balota alphabetically (we have the same surname and first in the ballot. We must remember, shading na po ang ballots so walang ma-credit sa akin pag siya ang naiboto (ballots are shaded and no vote will be credited to me if he is voted) because of confusion," added Rep. Yap.
Comelec noted that Adam Yap as the same surname with Rep. Yap and there is an inherent risk that voters may mistakenly associate him with Rep. Yap which could lead to distorted voting behavior.
Comelec added such instances not only compromise the integrity of the elections but also diminish the public's trust and confidence in the electoral system.