Rights, Room, Roam

While everyone is busy knowing the updates of our country's national election, I sit here today contemplating on my experience on yesterday's election. I recall waking up at 6:00am, fixed my self, and headed to the school where I'm to vote, excited to vote for the first time. They say that it's better to be there early to avoid crowding into a longer line. With my companions, we arrived at arround 6:45 in the morning, much to my surprise, people are strating to crowd in. I thought maybe they are also excited to participate in the country's very first automated election. And I guess I was right. I hurriedly looked for my name to find what precinct I should be, but it was hopeless as I found out that the precinct number in my registration slip given by COMELEC doesn't exist. They have change the system merging several precinct before, into one new precinct. There were many rooms and worst each room posted several list of names, it was imposible to find my name in a minute, I was in a race of time in order to get a priority number on whichever precinct I belong. Yes, one new feature of the system in the sequence number (priority number) which voters must get. Thanks to an action center outside the school, they entertain confuse voters such as I, so they gave me my precinct number.

My precinct number on the top and my priorty number, 25.

When the clock strikes 7, people are still wandering around the school confused, well most of them. Waiting outside the precinct, I asked one of the watchers there, "When will we start lining up?". He said that the people incharge are still setting up the PCOS machine (the machine which will automatically record our vote). To make the long story short we waited for about 15 minutes before the first voter entered the room, and I waited for more than an hour for my turn. I was done by 8:20 I guess. When I went outside the room, people are really starting to get impatient, some decided to just go home and not vote. The system is new to all of us, and after all the country has been through just to have this automated election, people are hurriedly given up their rights just because they are too tired to line up? COMELEC may be too focused on the PCOS machine and on the rules on handling the voter's ballot that they might have not taken tight consideration on the system on crowd control and process flow, but it's everybody's first time, we should have at least understand each other, instead of complaining. Well, we can't bring it back, it's done. I feel sorry for those who just went home and given up, they failed to experience the joy of seeing the word CONGRATULATIONS on the PCOS machine after casting a ballot and most of all they miss their chance that might change the condition of our country, it was a wasted opportunity to them, an oppurtunity wanted by those who badly want to vote but can't. And I feel very proud to those who really stood there, waiting patiently even for several hours to have their votes casted and most especially to the election officers incharge in their respective precincts, for keeping on despite all the complains they are receiving and for staying up late in order to protect and transmit the votes of the people. I feel very thankful to God we had a peaceful election atleast here in Cebu. 

Leaving the school after I have voted, I feel so fulfilled. I made a voice, even if it's small it represent my love for my country.

But roaming around the City after I and my companions have voted made me quite sad. I never thought that politics can be this dirty.

Dirty in this sense. Papers all over the streets, plastics, food wrappers and trash of any sorts are dominant sights on streets on voting areas. Here's some more:

Parking spaces carpeted by files of sample ballots.Yesterday's election really took it's blow not only on the voters, the election officers but as well as on our street cleaners.

God only knows what lies ahead, whatever the result of yesterday's national election I pray that the Filipinos will have an accepting heart, an understanding mind, and a cooperating hands for the progress and betterment of our country. And for those who will be elected I pray that they will value the trust of the people who elected them, run their office with dignity and honesty, hold their position with the common good of the Filipinos in mind and not of their own, and exercise their powers for a fair, transparent, just, and genuine public servicing government. I direct my prayer toward God and God alone, for I know with Him nothing is impossible.

It's better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in princes. Psalms 118:8-9