JV runs risk of being declared nuisance candidate — Comelec

MANILA, Philippines — Former senator JV Ejercito runs the risk of being declared a nuisance candidate if he changes his surname to Estrada in the ballots.

According to Commission on Elections spokesman James Jimenez, Ejercito can use Estrada if he seeks an elective post in the 2019 polls but may find himself facing a petition to declare him a nuisance.

“He can give his name as an alias, as a nickname, but that does not stop anyone from filing a case against him,” Jimenez told reporters when asked to comment on the reports that Ejercito was considering using Estrada, his father’s last name, in the ballots.

Jimenez noted that this happened when a certain Peter Cayetano filed his certificate of candidacy for senator when former senator Alan Peter Cayetano was also making his first run for the Senate.

Alan filed a petition to declare Peter a nuisance and won.

The process seeks to declare a candidate a nuisance if he or she adopts a name to create confusion, Jimenez explained.

Ejercito is the son of Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada with San Juan Mayor Guia Gomez. His half-brother, Jinggoy Estrada, is the former president’s son with former senator Loi Ejercito.

Sibling rivalry

For his part, Ejercito said yesterday that his decision to push through with his bid for reelection in next year’s polls was brought about by his desire to finish what he has started and to stop being bullied in his family.

In an interview over dwIZ, Ejercito lamented that he was tired of having to be the one who should make sacrifices.

The sibling rivalry between Ejercito and Estrada has been going on in public for a long time.

Ejercito claimed that he has always been bullied as the younger brother and back then, he would just accept this and give in.

“But sometimes you have to stand up for yourself. There are times when I feel that I am always giving way and as the small brother, it is just natural that you get bullied. But it always appears as if I am the bad guy here,” Ejercito said in Filipino.

Ejercito admitted that the conflict is hurting the entire Estrada family, many of whom are incumbent officials running for reelection. – With Marvin Sy