Politics is a game of chance, but we never thought a coin toss would be involved.
Jim Valerio and Joni Villanueva, daughter of Jesus is Lord founder Eddie Villanueva, both ran for mayor of Bocaue, Bulacan. When the votes were counted on Mon, May 9, it was revealed that each of them got 16,694 votes.
Caught in an unusual situation, the election officials turned to Article 19, Section 240 of the Omnibus Election Code, which stipulates:
“Whenever it shall appear from the canvass that two or more candidates have received an equal and highest number of votes, or in cases where two or more candidates are to be elected for the same position and two or more candidates received the same number of votes for the last place in the number to be elected, the board of canvassers, after recording this fact in its minutes, shall by resolution, upon five days notice to all the tied candidates, hold a special public meeting at which the board of canvassers shall proceed to the drawing of lots of the candidates who have tied and shall proclaim as elected the candidates who may be favored by luck, and the candidates so proclaimed shall have the right to assume office in the same manner as if he had been elected by plurality of vote. The board of canvassers shall forthwith make a certificate stating the name of the candidate who had been favored by luck and his proclamation on the basis thereof.”
Nothing in this section shall be construed as depriving a candidate of his right to contest the election.
On Tue, May 10, Radyo Inquirer 990AM reported that both camps agreed to break the tie with a coin toss, instead of drawing lots.
The Philippine Daily Inquirer report didn’t say who picked heads or tails (cara o cruz in the Spanish-influenced local parlance). It only revealed that “Villanueva was declared mayor after winning two out of three tries.”
In the video, Villanueva’s group is seen cheering upon realizing that she had won.
The report also noted: “On the first try at the coin toss resulted in a tie after the coin landed on its side, resting upright on its edge after hitting a camera cable.”
