MANILA, Philippines - A party-list group representing energy consumers got the first slot on the ballot for the mid-term polls this coming May, the Commission on Elections announced Friday.
Comelec chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. said the top slot was raffled to 1-Consumers Alliance for Rural Energy Inc. (1-CARE).
The Comelec had disqualified 1-CARE from running in the partylist elections, but the group was able to secure a status quo ante order from the Supreme Court.
I-CARE and several other party-list groups trooped to the Comelec office in Intramuros, Manila to participate in the raffle for the ballot line-up.
The second slot in the ballot went to Arts Business and Science Professionals (ABS).
This was the first time that the poll body raffled out slots in the ballot for party-list groups to "level the playing field" and eliminate the practice of using names that begin with 1 or A.
"We want to avoid abnormal names of party-list groups na puro A at 1," Brillantes said.
Comelec Commissioner Rene Sarmiento clarified that a total of 136 party-list groups, not 135 as earlier reported, were included in the raffle.
Ang Minero party-list was not included in the initial first list, Sarmiento said.
During the raffle, a member of the poll body drew one ball at a time in the presence of representatives from partylist groups and members of the media.
In 2010, the Comelec allowed 103 party-list groups with names beginning with A to run in the elections.
The raffle included 85 approved groups by the Comelec en banc, as well as the 51 groups that have already been disqualified, but were given status quo ante order by the Supreme Court.
Sarmiento said in the event that the High Court decides on the disqualification of partylist groups after the elections, the votes cast for the groups would be considered as "stray" votes.
"Noon pa man, umaapela kami sa SC kung pwede ay bilisan ang pag-resolve ng petitions na nakapending sa kanila," Sarmiento said.
The printing of official ballots would begin on the third week of January.