Coin toss decides mayoral race in Palawan town

PALAWAN, Philippines (3rd UPDATE) – The mayoral race in the town of Araceli in Palawan was decided by a flip of a coin after the elections resulted in a tie.

Fate favored former mayor Sue Cudilla on Friday, May 17. “The coin was tossed thrice and it turned in favor of her (Cudilla) three times,” said netizen Adolf Reynoso, who broadcasted it on Facebook live.

Cudilla will return to the municipal hall in June to dislodge incumbent mayor Noel Beronio. 

Both mayoral candidates received 3,495 votes. The municipal board of canvassers facilitated the coin flipping past 3 p.m. on Friday to break the tie.

“I’m extremely speechless. Thanks for all of your support through prayers,” Cudilla was heard saying on the Facebook video.

She chose the tail face of the coin, while Beronio picked the head side. 

Beronio was not present when they tossed the coin. He was represented by his brother.

The Omnibus Election Code allows candidates to draw lots or toss a coin to settle deadlock in election results. Candidates are not prohibited from filing an election protest.

Beronio said he didn’t expect the fight would really be this close. The reelectionist told Palawan Daily News.

It wasn’t the first time the two went head-to-head for the mayoral race. In 2013, Cudilla defeated Beronio by a slim lead of 759 votes. In 2016, Beronio dethroned Cudilla with a lead of 19 votes.

Located northeast of mainland Palawan, Araceli is a 4th-class island town with a population of over 14,000. It has 9,125 registered voters. – Rappler.com 

Follow Rappler’s full coverage of the 2019 Philippine elections here.
Check out real-time election results here.