Kibungan, Benguet – It took the traditional draw lots to break the tie in the last seat for the 8-member municipal in this fifth-class town.
After the votes from all the clustered precincts in the different barangays had been canvassed by the municipal board of canvassers, Onoda Alpat and Ben Palukpok were both tied at eighth spot with identical 1,921 votes while Joseph Cayad-an was in seventh place with total votes of 1,923.
Richard Buenaventura, municipal election officer, said upon learning of the identical votes garnered by the two aspirants for municipal councillor, he requested the public who were inside the jampacked canvassing center on what were their recommended ways to break the tie which is allowed under the provisions of the Omnibus Election code.
“We had to render a quick decision at that time because the municipal canvass results were already being awaited by the provincial board of canvassers to facilitate the proclamation of winners in the provincial level,” Buenaventura stressed.
Upon consultation with the public, the concerned parties and the members of the municipal board of canvassers, he disclosed that it was agreed that a draw lots will be done in order to break the tie.
Aplat and Palukpok also agreed to respect the outcome of the draw lots and that the losing party will not file any motion for reconsideration before the municipal board of canvassers which might cause further delay in the proclamation of the winning candidates for the municipal level.
According to Buenaventura, he took two pieces of paper and marked the numbers 8 and 9 in each of the paper then dropped it inside a big box where the patties will draw the number that will determine their fate in the said exercise.
He narrated that Palukpok being a senior citizen was the first to draw and he was able to take that paper with No. 9 marked on it while Aplat drew the last sheet of paper which contained the N0.8 marking that eventually resulted to the latter’s proclamation as the last member of the 8-member municipal council.
The municipal election officer said that Palukpok openly admitted his defeat in the draw lots and was sport enough in extending his well wishes to the new set of municipal officials in the discharge of their sworn duties and responsibilities to work for the welfare of the people of their municipality, saying that he has to aim his sights to the next mid-term leections by 2019.
Cesar Molitas was declared the winning mayoralty candidate while Aureiana Sacpa won the race for the vice mayoralty position.
The 8-member council will be composed of winning candidates Labio Nabe, Lawrence Toking, Susan Atayoc, Marcos Olayo, Philmor Dayao, Saturnino Tayag, Cayad-an and Aplat.
By HENT
