Bet who lost in coin toss wants recount

CALAPAN CITY, Philippines – A mayoral candidate in Oriental Mindoro who agreed to settle his electoral tie with his opponent through a coin toss – which he lost – has changed his mind and is demanding a recount of votes.

Nacionalista Party’s Salvador Py, who lost the mayoral race in San Teodoro town against the Liberal Party’s Marvic Feraren in a coin toss before local officials of the Commission on Elections (Comelec), said yesterday his lawyers are studying all possible legal options in the hope of reversing his fate in last week’s elections.

“I want a recount and if he (Feraren) will emerge as the winner, all doubts from our folk will then be erased,” Py told reporters.

Py also said he cannot just accept that a mere flip of a coin decided his fate, adding that it was unfair after going through a lot of hardships during the campaign.

His piggery, which was once full of hogs and one of his family’s main sources of income, is now empty as he used all his pigs as part of his campaign collateral.

Feraren, on the other hand, said yesterday the coin toss is valid, legal and cannot be reversed.

“Py should honor not only our gentleman’s agreement but also the law that guarantees the drawing of lots or a toss coin in case of a tie,” said Feraren, brother of outgoing San Teodoro Mayor Apollo Feraren.

After the canvassing, Feraren and Py both received 3,236 votes. A coin toss was held to break the tie, with Feraren emerging as the winner.

The rule of the game is that the bet with the most heads in a five-round set wins.

The first try, however, also ended in a tie, with both Feraren and Py getting two heads and three tails.

The town’s municipal election registrar Reny Pagilagan said the Philippine election law states that an electoral tie must be settled by the drawing of lots and a coin toss was an acceptable variant.

Pagilagan also said the incident was not unprecedented as he presided over another coin toss in 2004 to determine the winner of the final seat in a council board of a nearby town.