Phillippines ? Two candidates broke a rare tie in last week’s elections by tossing a coin, officials said Sunday.

After a count of last Monday’s ballots, local elections officials discovered that Bryan Byrd Bellang and Benjamin Ngeteg had tied for the final of eight seats on the council in Bontoc town in Mountain province, elections supervisor Mary Umaming said.

“I asked them if they wanted to break the tie by tossing a coin or drawing lots, and somebody in the crowd wondered if I was cracking a joke,” Umaming said. “I said those options were in the rules, and they agreed to flip a coin.”

Bellang, who chose heads, won the toss on Tuesday in the local town hall. The candidates then sealed the agreement with a handshake, and the crowd erupted with applause, Umaming said.