TACLOBAN CITY, (PNA) — Ma. Liberty Bustamante was declared winner in the punong barangay race of Barangay 18 in this highly urbanized city of Tacloban after the drawing of lots held at the Commission on Elections (Comelec) Monday morning.
Bustamante picked out the rolled piece of paper marked “congratulations” and got the right of winning the position in line with the October 28 polls.
Luck favored Bustamante over her contender Jessie P. Yu who picked a blank piece of paper. Bustamante and Yu got equal votes of 72 during the recent barangay elections.
Only 174 out of the 221 registered voters of Barangay 18 cast their votes during the barangay polls.
The drawing of lots conducted at the Comelec Office at exactly 9:30 a.m. today was attended by members of the Barangay Board of Canvassers (BBOC) and supervised by Tacloban City Election Officer Rosemarie Ann Reas Polistico.
Pursuant to the Election Code, the process was the way to resolve the tie between two candidates who received equal votes.
Section 240 of the Omnibus Election Code mandates drawing of lots in case there are candidates who garnered equal vote.