A Vote to Remember
Filipinos, across the globe, are all eyes to the result of the “first automated election” in the Philippines. Even the journalists and observers from different countries have been observing everything about the 2010 Election. At the start of the day on May 10, regular TV schedules were replaced with news occurring all throughout the country either good or bad.
To give you a background of the said event, I would give brief information. The Filipinos have been electing government officials in the Philippines, a country in the Southeast Asia, using manual election for so long, that a transition must be done in order to facilitate the process and to prevent fraudulent acts. After much planning and unsuccessful attempt, finally, the first automated election transpired. The PCOS (Precinct Count Optical Scan) machine produced by Smartmatic is the invaluable tool in this historic event. Before the 2010 Election, the machine and its paraphernalia have experienced delays and problems; nonetheless, the election for the national and local positions push through.
As a proof, my right index finger was marked with indelible ink. The color has faded because of the household chores I can’t put aside. The seemingly injured finger shows my successful participation. (There’s a possibility of one’s vote not to be counted if you didn’t follow the instructions.)
As a witness, I’ll give first-hand information about the advantages and disadvantages of the automated election in the Philippines.
1. Perhaps, I should excuse the slow process of voting because though the people in charge in the polling precincts have undergone training, the execution may differ as a result of unexpected problems. A contributing factor is evident: everyone was careful in shading the oval beside his chosen candidates. Proper shading is a must because failure to comply can take away your right to vote. What a waste of time and opportunity.
2. Though, I went to the polling precinct an hour after the onset of voting, I still had to endure standing and waiting for my turn to vote for 2 hours. But it’s worth the wait, anyway.
3. Senior citizens have been spare of the agony of waiting in line because they are given the priority to vote immediately.
4. At the end of the day, the results from the different polling precincts were transmitted at the designated server station. A quick count for the much-awaited result.
5. The people in charge at the polling stations didn’t have to deal with manual counting of votes. But this is not the case in some areas, where PCOS machines had some serious defects that a replacement was required.
Voting ended at 7:00 pm last night. Since then, the wait has begun. Every Filipino is anxious to know if his candidates are winning or at least has the chance to snatch the top spot. Whatever the results are, may God give us the leaders who will guide us to the right path towards progress. But the biggest question is who will be the next President of the Philippines.
