ILOILO City – In their certificates of candidacy (COC), aspirants for the May 2022 elections were asked to state their preferred names and nicknames to appear in the official ballots.
The purpose of this is to further help voters easily identify or further distinguish candidates from one another, said Atty. Wilfred Jay E. Balisado, director of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Region 6.
This is because some candidates are more known by their nicknames than their real names, Balisado explained.
It also enhances enhancing name recall, he added.
But personally, according to Balisado, he believes the candidates’ use or choice of nicknames must be regulated so as not to create confusion.
“Alam naman natin ‘yong nickname natin is mayroon talaga ‘yang pattern sa real name natin. If we use nicknames far from our real names, people might confuse you for some other person,” said Balisado.
A case on this lodged with the Comelec, according to Balisado, could help set parameters in the candidates’ use of nicknames “kasi nga it can be abused and it can confuse people.”
What is a nickname?
It is usually a descriptive name given instead of or in addition to a person’s true name, according to the Merriam-Wester Dictionary, or a familiar form of a proper name.
It is an informal name for someone or something, “especially a name that you are called by your friends or family, usually based on your real name or your character,” according to the Cambridge Dictionary.
Nicknames of election candidates, however, can be a ticklish issue, according to Balisado, especially if the nickname is far from the candidate’s name or is really not the moniker the candidate is known for.
Balisado said candidates must be able justify their nicknames.
“If that is in your COC, then you must be able to justify it. Baka mamaya may mag-question. Kung walang mag-question, wala namang problema. Pero the fact is, puedeng ma-question,” said Balisado.
In Antique for example, some Facebook users were questioning the nickname stated by an aspirant for the province’s lone congressional seat.
Aspirant Antonio Agapito Legarda Jr., popularly known by his nickname “AA”, stated in his COC that his preferred name to appear on the ballot is “Legarda, AA ‘Inday Loren’ NPC”.
Legarda is a brother of Antique incumbent congresswoman Loren Legarda who is not seeking reelection but is instead running for a Senate seat.
Balisado, speaking in general, said what’s stated in all candidates’ COCs are under oath, and thus must be justified by the aspirants.
“Ang sa akin, paano kon may mag-question? Paano kon maging dahilan ‘yan for you to be disqualified? It is a possibility. I don’t know really no kasi naka-under oath ‘yan ang COC,” stressed Balisado.
So far, according to the regional director, Comelec-6 has not received complaints about candidates using other monikers far from their real names or nicknames but he confirmed having received information about congressional aspirant Antonio Agapito Legarda Jr. of the Nationalist People’s Coalition invoking his sister’s name as his nickname for the official ballot.
This information was confirmed by Atty. Tomas Valera, Comelec-6 assistant director and concurrently serving as Antique election officer-in-charge.
He said he was the one who received Antonio Agapito Legarda Jr.’s COC.
“Amo na ang nakasulat sa iya COC form: Legarda, AA ‘Inday Loren’ NPC,” said Valera.
According to Balisado, those who felt aggrieved “na hindi yon talaga nickname, then it is within your right siguro whether to file a case doon sa COC kasi it’s under oath. It’s very unlikely na mag-iiba yong nickname mo from your name.”
Comelec’s law department will resolve these matters, he said./PN