Noynoy wants KBL bet Acosta declared nuisance

(Updated 2:02 p.m.) Senator Benigno Simeon “Noynoy" Aquino III has asked the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to declare as a nuisance candidate the presidential bet of Marcos-led Kilusang Bagong Lipunan (KBL) party. Aquino, through lawyer Sixto Brillantes, filed on Friday a motion for intervention and reconsideration, asking the Comelec to block the candidacy of KBL’s Vetellano Acosta, whose presidential bid was approved by the poll body through Resolution No. 8743 released on Thursday.
Brillantes argued that Acosta is "undeniably a nuisance candidate" whose intention is to "dislodge (Aquino) from his original position as first in the name order of candidates for President" to be printed on ballots in alphabetical order. "Aquino used to be number one in the ballot. Now, Acosta will be number one... Acosta is really a nuisance candidate. Has anybody seen or heard of him in the past?" he told GMANews.TV. Aquino is seeking the presidency under the banner of the Liberal Party. According to Comelec Resolution No. 8678, a nuisance candidate is one who “put(s) the election process in mockery or disrepute; cause(s) confusion among the voters by the similarity of names of registered candidates; or one who has no bona fide intention to run for the office. Aquino’s counsel likewise questioned the authenticity of the nomination Acosta supposedly received from the KBL. No authentic documents “He did not submit any authentic document to prove he was endorsed by the KBL. His supposed nomination is fake and he remains an independent, nuisance candidate," Brillantes said. The KBL, founded by former President Ferdinand Marcos in 1978, was the dominant political party in the Philippines until Marcos' ouster in 1986 via a popular uprising led by the late President Corazon Aquino. Today, the party continues to enjoy support in the late dictator’s home province, Ilocos Norte. - TJD/RSJ, GMANews.TV