Election Day Fiasco

Why on earth COMELEC allowed thousands of voters to vote in one small precinct with only one not well working PCOS machine.

No wonder why voters go wild, shouting and irking out loud. Who would love to stay in a queue with thousands of people without breakfast, fell in line on their respective precincts at exactly 7 AM and ended up voting at 3 PM plus the heavy rain?

My goodness. It would make everyone go crazy, in all fairness, these voters stayed and never gave up because casting their votes in their perspective is so much important.

Talking about the system, (I don’t know if we can call it a system though its not systematized at the first place) COMELEC has this problem with simple math analysis.

Yeah, we concede that such PCOS machine could read 1 thousand ballots, however, COMELEC must also consider that they set voting period.

They must study how many voters could vote in an hour.

They must study how small or big the classroom must be.

They must study all these things.

But they failed to.

Well, I’m just one of the victims of their illogical mindsets and problematic plans. Anyway, the election is successful. Yes, it is. However, we must not be contented of the results that we are having right now. We must evaluate and recheck and better all those problems that we encounter within that day.

Remeber, election is not for glamor of COMELEC. It’s for us, it’s for the Filipino people. It’s for our democracy!

My 1st National Voting Experience

Good morning Philippines!

It was 6 AM when I heard noises outside our house. So, I went outside  and there I saw bunches of people holding small envelops. I was wondering what were those. Well, I came inside our gate and I observed something on our mail box. A small envelop, looks like the same with the envelops people are holding outside. I opened up the envelop and there I saw a list of names of our local candidates with 100 pesos.

I was shocked! Goodness. I thought it was a good morning! It became bad because of such envelop. Then I realized that vote-buying is not a folk tale or a sensationalized issue on media. It’s indeed a reality!

I turned on our television, I saw news anchors busy discussing their expectations for election day. Thanks to their virtual presence or shall I say high-tech news coverage it made my mind think of positive things than the negative one.

At exactly 7 AM, I went to a public school where my precinct number is. I checked the lists of voters on that precinct. The problem is that, my name wasn’t there. I asked the volunteers why my name isn’t existing? They only told me to go to the COMELEC office and clarify why I am not listed.

Well, I went to COMELEC Office. There, I saw hundreds of voters complaining. Others came from abroad, excited to vote, without knowing that they are deactivated. Others are also complaining with their names being doubled on the list. And I, same like others, erased on the list.

The COMELEC officer told me that they have the problem in distributing precinct numbers, so I asked them why? They only answered, we could not cater your question as of now boy. Well, Concede. But they must clarify things like that. It annoys me anyhow.

I came back to that public school and went directly to my assigned precinct. There I met thousand of voters irking with the so-called “priority number system” given by the BEIs. There I stand to mediate between the wild voters and so so BEIs. I clarified the teacher’s point and the voters concerns. Well, such act of mediation had a positive result. The unsystematic system flew smoothly. And yes, I had my turn to vote after all.

2:30 PM, I  casted my votes.

I voted for the people I think that would potentially resolved the problems of this poor country. I voted with my conscience. With my mind and heart! With God’s guidance.

Well, I texted my friends that I had a good time despite of my discouragements towards COMELEC’s illogical plans.

At the end of the day, I voted and prayed.

Philippine Election: May 10, 2010

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Ilang araw na lang, gaganapin na ang pinakahihintay nating eleksyon. Ang panahon kung saan tayo’y mamimili’t magdedesisyon kung sinu-sino ang nais nating maihalal at manungkulan sa ating bayan. Ito rin ang araw na magsisimbolo na tayo’y naninirahan pa sa isang bansang demokratiko sa kabila ng malawakang kurapsyon, paglabag ng konstitusyon, at pag-abuso ng kapangyarihan.

Ang mga kabalastugang ito ay hindi na bago sa ating lipunan, wari bang kabilang na ito sa mga libo-libong gawain ng sino mang nailuklok sa pamahalaan, mula sa pinakamaliit na pwesto hanggang sa sentro ng kapangyarihan. Marahil kakambal na ngang maituturing ang panlalamang sa ating politika.

Subalit, may pag-asa pa nga bang masugpo ang mga ito bukod sa pagboto?

Nang nagsimulang bumandera sa radio, telebisyon, dyaryo, at maging man sa ating mga lansangan ang samo’t saring posters at political ads ng mga kandidatong tumatakbo sa taong ito, ay siya ring pagkalat ng kabi-kabilang text-messages na tumatalakay sa pambansang eleksyon maging man sa mga kandidato. Gaya ng mga GM jokes patungkol sa mga politiko na ipinapasa-pasa sa ating mga cellphones.

Halimbawa na lamang nito ay ang “nakaw text story” :

Noynoy: Hindi ako magnanakaw.
Villar: Hindi na ako magnanakaw.
Erap: Babalik ako para magnakaw.
Gloria: Mga tanga! Wala na kayong mananakaw!
(evil laugh) LOL

Mapapansin natin na ang simpleng text message na ito’y hindi lamang gustong magbigay ng halakhak kung hindi’y kakabit nito ang mensaheng nais magmulat at maghatid ng impormasyon na dapat nating malaman. Ipinapakita lamang nito na gising ang mga Pilipino, na kahit sa text ay nagagawa nating gamitin ang ating kalayaan at karapatang isiwalat sa publiko ang ating mga hinanaing at personal na pananaw.

Maging man ang mga simpleng twits o komentong may kinalaman sa politika sa ating mga facebook at twitter accounts ay isa nang ekspresyon na kahit papano’y tayo’y nakikilahok at ‘di nagsasawalang kibo sa mga anomaliyang nangayayari sa ating bayan. Pati ang industriya ng fashion  ay ginawa na ring instrumento upang ipahayag ang kanya-kanyang paninindigan sa pamamagitan ng mga statement shirts at caps. Ang lahat ng ito’y iilan lang sa maituturing makabagong pamamaraan ng pagsulong ng propaganda.

Ngunit ang pakikibaka tungo sa pagbabago ay hindi nagtatapus sa simpleng shout-outs.
Maging man sa pagmarka ng mga “bilog na hugis itlog” ng ating balota. Ang pagsulong ng mga tunay na lider at indibidwal na may progresibong pananaw ay isang solusyon upang malabanan ang mga gahamang politiko na walang ibang ginagawa kundi ay pangalagaan ang kani-kanilang pansariling interes.

Ang pakikipaglaban ay dumadaan sa mahabang proseso kasabay ang tamang pagkilos.
Kaya naman ay marapatin nating usisain ang pagkatao ng mga tumatakbong politiko na nais maglingkod. Husgahan natin sila ayon sa kanilang karanasang makiramay sa mga maralita, mga manggagawa, mga magsasaka, at ng mga ordinaryong mamamayang Pilipino na patuloy na nangangarap at nagsisikap upang makaahon sa kahirapan. Lumahok tayo sa darating na eleksyon dala ang pusong uhaw sa pagbabago. Kumilos tayo’t pagyamanin ang ano mang bagay na ating maibibigay sa inang bayan.

Ang sagot sa tanong kung may pag-asa pa bang masugpo ang mga problemang mayroon ang ating lipunan ay “Oo, May  malaking pag-asa.” Pag-asang nakasalalay mismo sa ating mga kilos at desisyon bilang matapat na mamamayan ng Pilipinas.

Aquino-Roxas get support from Iglesia ni Cristo