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Question
In the Municipality of San Mateo, a candidate for mayor, Ms. Liza Cruz, files a certificate of candidacy under Party Unity. She has never held public office and publicly states she has no concrete political platform and does not intend to campaign actively. After screening, the Commission on Elections declares her a nuisance candidate under Section 68 of the Omnibus Election Code and orders the removal of her name from the official ballot for the upcoming local election. Cruz’s supporters challenge the declaration by filing a petition for certiorari under Rule 65, alleging due process and misapplication of nuisance candidacy rules. (a) Identify the nuisance candidacy doctrine and the controlling rule that justifies declaration under Section 68. (b) Distinguish nuisance candidacy from grounds for disqualification and explain the effect of a nuisance declaration on the ballot and on the elector. (c) Apply the rules to the facts: Was the COMELEC declaration valid under Sec. 68? What is the effect on votes for Cruz and on the office she sought? What remedies are available to the parties?