The Commission on Election has disqualified 117 senatorial aspirants for the 2025 national elections after declaring them as nuisance candidates.

Upon recommendation by the poll body’s law department, the Comelec First and Second Division, approved the disqualification of 117 of the 186 individuals who filed their certificates of candidacy last month.

Comelec Chairman George Garcia said the disqualified aspirants have been declared as “nuisance” bets and do not have “a senior intent to run for election.”

Seven of those disqualified filed motions for reconsideration contesting the decision.

The seven were identified as Felipe Montealto Jr., a business consultant and law student from Iloilo; lawyer Orlando de Guzman from San Carlos City, Pangasinan; businessmen John Rafael Escobar from Quezon city; Fernando Diaz from Pasay City and Luther Meniano from Mandaluyong City; Roberto Sembrano, a salesman from Mandaue City, Cebu; and Alexander Encarnacion, an electrician- carpenter who had previously made bits to run for senator in 2019 and for president in 2022.

De Guzman and Meniano have obtained nomination documents from the Partido Pederal ng Maharlika while Diaz is a candidate representing Partido Pilipino sa Pagbabago. The rest are independents.

The Comelec en banc is expected to resolve the motions for reconsideration next week, giving the aspirants enough time to present their case before the Supreme Court in case the motions are junked.