Bizarre candidates such as the “Ultimate Messiah” and a man who crows like a chicken are seeking their moments of fame by making unlikely bids for president in next year’s Philippine elections.
Their chances of winning are nonexistent, but they have given a splash of color to the start of a long election race in which the Southeast Asian nation’s chaotic brand of democracy will be on full display.
Rigoberto Madera was the first to register as a candidate at the election commission on Friday, waving handouts identifying him as “Star General Ace Diamond, Commander-in-Chief on Earth ... Emparador [Emperor], Ultimate Messiah.”
But for Madera, 62, winning the May elections and becoming president for six years is only a stepping stone.
“I will run for president of the US, after [US President] Barack Obama,” he declared to reporters.
Another prospective candidate who rushed to register at the Commission of Elections was George Samia, 60, although he said he preferred to go by the name of “Samia Manok,” which translates to Samia Chicken.
To emphasize this, he crowed “cock-a-roo-a-roo,” much to the amusement of the election registrars.
Taxi-driver Wendell Lope insisted on filing his candidacy for president even though at 34, he does not meet the minimum age of 40 as required by the Constitution.
Lope argued that the age restriction was wrong, citing a quote from Filipino national hero Jose Rizal that “the youth are the hope of the nation.”
His main platform is a plan to sue Spain, the US and Japan for damages in relation to their colonial activities in the Philippines from the 1500s to 1946.
Joining the clamor to register on day one was David Torralba Alimurung, 70, who said he was a retired general and represented the “Majestic Alliance of Positive Activists.”
He said he was running because, as president, he wanted to promote a plan to combat climate change by providing seedlings from the Philippines to reforest the deserts of the Middle East.
Daniel Magtira, 49, came to the commission blowing a party horn and handing out T-shirts with “Vote Daniel Magtira” printed on them.
His main reason for running is to push for the Philippines to switch from its standard 220 volts on electricity sockets to 110 volts.
“We will advance if we are like America with 110 volts. And if a person gets electrocuted, it won’t be as bad,” Magtira said.
Insurance agent Mel Carreon, 63, sought to stand out from the crowd.
He wore a red headband and a sash emblazoned with his name, and loudly proclaimed himself as a “long-term survivor who refused to surrender” — but refused to say what conflict he had been involved in.
Such candidates have been a staple of presidential elections in the Philippines since the fall of dictator Ferdinand Marcos ushered in a tumultuous era of democracy.
In previous elections, men claiming to be Jesus Christ or relatives of Adolf Hitler have also registered to run.
The election commission usually declares them “nuisance candidates,” however, and removes their names from the ballots before polling day.
Nevertheless, commission spokesman James Jimenez said authorities would not immediately dismiss the likes of the “Ultimate Messiah,” and that they would all have a chance to prove themselves legitimate presidential contenders.
“The primary thing is we try to determine whether the candidacy is in good faith,” Jimenez told local TV network ABS-CBN. “Essentially what we are looking at is to decide if a candidacy has been filed to cause confusion in voters or perhaps for the purpose of putting the process in mockery or disrepute.”
Jimenez said the candidates also had to prove they had the capacity to conduct a nationwide campaign — meaning they needed to have both the money and the political machinery to campaign nationwide.
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