PIA Press Release
Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Comelec settles election dispute thru ‘draw-lot’

DAGUPAN CITY, Jan. 24 (PIA) -- The raging political battle is over in Barangay Salisay this city, as the Commission on Elections (Comelec) here proclaimed Andrew Carvajal as the new barangay chairman through a draw-lot held today at the Department of Education (DepEd) Training Center.

The draw-lot was done to finally determine the chairman of the barangay after a series of protests and counter-protests which failed to resolve the issue between Andrew Carvajal and his political opponent Conrad Muyalde.

Muyalde won the October 2010 elections by a single vote which compelled Carvajal to file a protest. In a recount, Carvajal prevailed by two votes which provoked Muyalde to appeal to the Comelec Second Division in Manila. Here, their votes were counted equal. Thus to settle the dispute, Comelec has to rely on chance to choose the chair of the barangay.

Based on Section 240 of the Omnibus Election Code, draw lots is conducted in case of a tie of two or more electoral candidates garnering the same or equal highest number of votes. The candidate which will be proclaimed as winner is said to be favored by luck.

Before the actual draw lot, the board of canvassers headed by Jimmy Cancino summoned the two parties to sign the peace covenant. It is a pledge that they will humbly accept the result whether it is favorable or unfavorable to them and that they will not commit any wrongdoings against each other, the board of canvassers, and the election committee.

The board of canvassers prepared two pieces of paper with numbers one and two written on them validated by Atty. Remarque Ravanzo, the City Elections Officer. Whoever picks the paper inscribed with a number one will be declared as the winner, Cancino explained.

The two candidates simultaneously opened the rolled papers they picked and fate sided with Carvajal.

Carvajal vowed to lay down good plans for the barangay. To jump in, Ravanzo said “Carvajal has the biggest test to set the roadmap towards reconciliation. Since the people have been divisive, it is his task to reconcile the residents for the betterment of Barangay Salisay.”

The Department of Interior and Local Government, Philippine National Police, Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting, city officials, educators and the media were present to witness the event.

The city government continues to exhaust all possibilities to provide immediate service to Dagupeños as part of national government’s good governance policies. (ANL/AMM-PIA 1 Pangasinan)