Halalan 2010

Voting number. Sequence number.

Our government have poured resources to explain how to use the PCOS machines but seemed to have forgotten to explain the changes made in the queuing process. The result: BEDLAM!

The voters were used to the old procedure where you just look for your assigned precinct room and then getting in line to vote. Now, you need to go to a table where you fill up a while paper slip (surname first please) where they will identify your precinct’s voting room. Once in the room assignment, you’d already think of lining up to vote---no, no, no---you need to get a pink paper slip from somebody. Nope, this person is mobile and no table where you can easily go to and get what you need. Eventually you notice a group building up in a corner. It was like seeing a floating carcass being feasted on by a group of sharks. After getting through the throng of eager voters, you are again lost! Can you line up now? No, no, no---the pink slip contained your voting queue but the lady distributing the pink slip was too dazed to explain I still needed to go to the voter’s list and look for my sequence number. Apparently, the sequence number will help the watchers to easily find you on the list where you need to sign after voting. Not knowing what to do, I did the next logical thing---MAGTANONG-TANONG!

The voter’s list was posted somewhere. Lo and behold---there’s another “shark feast” building on the door of the other room. It was chaos just weaving your way in this melee! After much jousting I finally got my way to the list and found equal disarray! There were 4 lists posted and it was like playing find-the-key-that-opens-the-box! My oh my! Finding the precinct number was equally challenging since it was of the same font as the rest of the text---Times New Roman 10!

It was two hours wait time after this and if you have your list ready, around 5 minutes voting time. I was number 237 and my wife 239. In a way, ours was a more organized precinct since the other precinct beside our room was only at # 85!

Hay buhay! At least I and my wife are done exercising our voting rights! Now we wait who’s going to be our next president! God help us all!

We Have a Choice

My family was on our way to the office to rendezvous with the bus plying the company employees to its annual summer outing at Enchanted Kingdom. We took a taxi going there since we were running late. Well, you know cab drivers, they’re quite the chatty type---eager to strike a conversation. I guess their job is too monotonous that talking is a form of catharsis. Anyway, he was listening to Love Radio and the topic of the hour was the recent catastrophes happening around the world.

Question: “Is it still safe to live on Earth?”

“Ano ba yan? E saan pa ba tayo titira kung hindi sa Earth, wala naman tayong choice di ba?” was my answer to the radio. Sangayon naman si Manong Driver kasi nga naman, “Hindi naman tayong pwede tumira sa Pluto (masyado daw malayo) o di kaya’y sa Mars (kasi masyado daw mainit).”

“Kung meron mang safe na lugar sa Earth e sa alapaap yun,” ang dagdag kong sabi.

I began to think that a Sky Hotel would be nice; or, a space station like what they have in the Star Trek series!

“Naku, di uubra yun! Pano kung mabangga ka ng eroplano? E di patay ka! O di kaya ay anurin ka ng hangin at di ka na makalipad?” ang kontrang sagot ni Manong Driver. Wettaminit, parang mas imaginative pa sa akin itong si Manong Driver a! May kakayanan na ba tayong lumipad na parang ibon? Ano bang kinarga mo manong?

Since this discussion will only lead both of us to the inevitable conclusion we don’t want to ponder on, I decided to shift to another topic whose result is entirely on our hands---the 2010 presidential elections.

“Sino po ba ang iboboto nyong presidente manong?” ang tanong ko may Manong Driver.

“Si Noynoy po sir,” ang sagot ni Manong Driver.

“E bakit naman po si Noynoy? Ano po ba ang ginawa nya nung sya ay nagging kongresista at senador para makuha ang boto nyo?” ang follow up question ko.

“I kasi siya na ang pinakamalinis na kandidato na di mangungurakot…parang nanay at tatay nya.” ang sagot ni Manong Driver.

I’m voting for Richard Gordon. Why? Because being righteous is not enough to run a country. I do not believe that Noynoy can eradicate corruption. Those are empty promises. Why? Because he doesn’t possess the same BRASS BALLS as his father, Ninoy. I also do not believe that Noynoy has a clear cut plan of government since unlike the other presidential candidates, who announced their intent since last year, Noynoy announced his candidacy as if just to capitalize on the overwhelming support shown during the burial of his mother Cory early this year.
I’m inclined to believe that Noynoy will be relying heavily on the advice of those who convinced him to run for president. That, my friends, is a very frightening scenario!
This is the very same scenario when Cory was brought into power. However, those were desperate times that needed desperate measures. This is not true today. We have a choice. A choice to make a difference.
Manong Driver hinted that he is inclined to vote for Mr. Gordon but he is reluctant to sway this way since it might as well be a wasted vote given his survey standings. This is another problem in our voting population’s mind set. HINDI PO TAYO TUMATAYA NG PUSTAHAN KUNG SINO ANG MANANALO. TAYO PO AY BOBOTO KASI NANINIWALA TAYO SA KAKAYANAN NG ISANG KANDIDATO NA MATUPAD ANG MINIMITHI NATING PAGBABAGO.
Mr. Gordon may not look good in the surveys but I believe in what he can do to our country if he will become president. I will vote for Mr. Gordon on May 10 and if he loses on his bid then it’s our country’s loss. God help us!

Philippine National Election 2010

Since the presidentiables began to hit the airwaves with their vision of the future in relation to the Philippine’s socio-political destiny, I have been wondering in the borderline of a reverse peristaltic movement and getting a lobotomy! For me, all these talk of honesty, ascension from poverty, and economic turn around is just that…TALK!

Twenty-three years as a registered voter and the political playing field remains the same.

The problem with us Filipinos is that we vote based on popularity than merit. He who dominates the media war gets the votes. In other words, he whose political war chest is heaviest is usually awarded the Malacanyang residence!

Now, why is this?

Simply because we are a media dominated society where a household is never complete without a TV set or a radio. Want proof? Just look at the top of the houses of those squatter shanties and tell me what you see. TV antennas, right? See my point?

This would make the life of a political campaigner easy---just get yourself a catchy jingle and you’ll surely be the ring tone for many a cellphone!

Needless to say, you need a lot of money to win the presidency. Well, I’m talking in the sum of millions! Running a 30 second add on TV is already in the hundreds of thousands---and that’s just one media. Add in radio and print ads and you’ll be amazed as to the obscenity of the amount! So, its either a candidate is already filthy rich or he gets the support of others who’ve got the gazillions to spare! The problem with these supporters is that when you win---they’ve got your balls tied to a leash! Ouch!

This should not be the case. Bottomline is---we don’t need promises. We don’t need ALMS. Who we need is a leader who can move us into ACTION! Being the president does not mean putting the burden of the nation on one shoulder but more being able to influence every Filipino to share the burden with him.

We need to make the intelligent decision to choose our next president. We need to filter out the bullshit in their speech. Let us put a stop to the senseless media campaign! Challenge them to reallocate the media campaign of budget and give to our public school teachers who are grossly underpaid. Let us put our presidentiables in public forums where they can talk about their accomplishments as public servants and in the private sector, talk about their plan of governance and how they intend to accomplish them. Let them justify themselves to us, the voters. Do not let their money dictate our decision---get their money and then vote wisely.

Let us make our own destiny!