MANILA, Philippines - What’s in a surname?

Well, if your surname starts with the letter A, you may have a better chance of winning in the May 10 automated elections.

Apparently, this is what Benigno 'Noynoy' Aquino III thinks after he asked the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Monday to reconsider its ruling reinstating Vetallano Acosta in the roster of accredited presidential candidates.

Since the candidates’ names will be listed alphabetically on the ballots, Acosta's name will be on top of the list.

Aquino's name would have been first on the list, but last month, the Comelec reconsidered its ruling on Acosta and reinstated him as an official candidate. Acosta is supposedly the official candidate of the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan (KBL).

With poll automation, voters just have to shade ovals beside the names of their preferences, so an alphabetical arrangement may give candidates whose surnames start with the letter A an edge. In manual polls, the voters had to write down their choices.

Reconsider reinstatement

Last Jan. 15, Aquino's lawyer, Sixto Brillantes, filed a motion for reconsideration to strike out Acosta’s name. The hearing was set on Jan. 29.

In that hearing, Brillantes questioned Acosta’s credentials on the ground that his certificate of candidacy lacked the certification by the KBL that he was the party’s standard-bearer.

A certification from the KBL was later submitted, but it was done way past the deadline imposed by the Comelec. It also did not have Acosta’s acceptance, Brillantes said.

Acosta initially listed himself as an independent candidate. He described himself as a financial consultant. This is his first foray in politics.

'Clearly a nuisance bet'

With the Comelec set to start the printing of the ballots with Acosta’s name on it, Brillantes fears that his motion to delete Acosta from the list with will be rendered moot “to the extreme benefit of Acosta and to the prejudice” of his client Aquino.

Thus, he wants Comelec to resolve the issue before the ballot printing starts. [As of posting time, the printing had already started.]

In a separate interview, Brillantes said Acosta is “clearly a nuisance candidate” out to ruin Aquino’s bid.

Stressing that the main issue is Acosta’s lack of qualification to seriously bid for the presidency, Brillantes said Aquino’s interest has been prejudiced because his advantage of being first on the list has been taken out.

There is also the possibility that voters might mistakenly shade the oval portion for Acosta instead of Aquino's, thus costing his client some crucial votes.

In a close fight, which is what the presidential race is slowly shaping up, every vote counts. Aquino, the Liberal Party standard-bearer, is statistically tied for first place with the Nacionalista Party presidential bet Sen. Manny Villar.

The Cayetano precedent

Consider the case of Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, who also had to fight Comelec over the inclusion of one Joselito Cayetano in the 2007 mid-term race.

Like Acosta, Joselito Cayetano was also supposedly endorsed by the KBL.

In the official count, Senator Cayetano got 11.787 million while Joselito Cayetano got 510,366 votes. Senator Cayetano was number 9 in the senatorial race.

If the voters were merely confused and votes for Joselito Cayetano should have been credited to Senator Cayetano, the latter Cayetano would have placed 8th in the race, overtaking Senator Joker Arroyo who got 11.803 million votes.

A poll commissioner told abs-cbnNEWS.com/Newbreak that Acosta is still considered a legitimate candidate while his case is pending. “That’s why his name had to be included in the printing of ballots.”

In the case of Joselito Cayetano, the Comelec declared him a nuisance candidate 4 days before the May 14, 2007 mid-term case. Still, votes cast under his name were counted, after he filed a motion for reconsideration.