MANILA, Philippines — The ballots for the 2025 midterm elections will feature two Marcoses, as a former nuisance candidate has decided to use his stage name.
Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairman George Erwin Garcia said this was due to the Supreme Court’s (SC) temporary restraining order allowing internet personality Norman Mangusin, who will use the name Francis Leo Marcos, to run for senator.
Mangusin falsely claimed to be the brother of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Sen. Imee Marcos.
Garcia even noted that Francis Leo Marcos’ name comes first on the ballot before Sen. Marcos, who is seeking a second term in the upper chamber.
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This may cause confusion among voters, but Garcia pointed out that the law allows the usage of stage names or nicknames in the ballots.
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“That [factor] is actually included in our decision that the purpose [of Francis Leo Marcos] is also to confuse our voters,” Garcia said in an interview at Museo de Intramuros. “So let’s wait for the final disposition of the Supreme Court.”
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In Nov. 2024, the Comelec declared Mangusin a nuisance candidate, reversing the poll body ruling in 2021 when it allowed him to run for 2022 polls.
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In the 2022 elections, Francis Leo Marcos ranked 27th after getting over 4.5 million votes.
His name will be included on the ballots, with printing set to begin on Saturday, Jan. 25.
The resumption of ballot printing was scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 22, but the addition of Mangusin’s name halted the process.
READ: Francis Leo Marcos’ inclusion delays Comelec ballot printing anew
Mangusin is the second senatorial aspirant favored by the SC for this upcoming election so far.
Senatorial aspirant Subair Mustapha was already added in the latest ballot face of the Comelec after also being favored by the SC.
The printing of over six million ballots began on Jan. 6, but they were discarded since they did not include the names of Mustapha and Mangusin, resulting in a P132 million loss to the poll body.
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