COMELEC to raffle party-list slots on ballots

Party-list groups with names starting with the letter "A" or with the number "1" might not necessarily get the top slots on the 2013 ballot.

According to Commission on Elections Resolution No. 9467, promulgated June 15, 2012, the poll body is set to conduct a raffle of accredited party-list groups "for purposes of determining their order of listing in the official ballot," to be used in the May 13, 2013 national and local elections.

"Only party-list groups/coalitions accredited by or duly registered with the Commission, and which have manifested their desire to participate in the party-list election, may participate in the raffle for purposes of determining their order of listing in the ballot," the COMELEC stated in the Resolution, which also prescribed the rules and regulations in the conduct of the raffle.

The raffle will be conducted on December 14, 2012; 1:30 PM at the COMELEC Session Hall, 8th floor, Palacio del Gobernador Building, in Intramuros, Manila. For purposes of the raffle, party-list groups/coalitions shall be listed in alphabetical order.

"The raffle shall be conducted in the presence of at least three Members of the Commission; Chairman/President or in his absence, the Secretary-General of the Party-list groups/coalitions and representatives of the media. To ensure the orderly conduct of the raffle, only the persons mentioned herein shall be allowed inside the Session Hall during the raffle," said the COMELEC.

The COMELEC will be using a raffle drum or tambiolo and numbered balls. The number on the balls correspond to the alphabetical order of the party-list organization.

During the raffle proper, the COMELEC said "a Member of the Commission shall then draw one ball at a time. Drawing of the balls shall be in accordance with the sequence of listing in the ballot, e.g. first ball drawn shall represent slot number one on the ballot, and so and so forth. The Member of the Commission who drew the ball shall announce the number printed on the ball. The Office of the Clerk of the Commission shall then verify the identity of the party-list group/coalition being represented by such number by checking on the list of party-list groups/coalitions. After verifying, the name of the party-list group/coalition being represented by the number shall then be written on a board, depicting the order of listing in the ballot. The ball drawn shall not be returned to the raffle drum."

This procedure shall be repeated until all the balls inside the raffle drum had been drawn, the COMELEC said. - comelec.gov.ph — ARA