I know, I know….I said I normally do not blog about politics. But exercising one’s right to elect the RIGHT people to try and RIGHT what is WRONG in this country was so important to me that I just had to blog about it (with photos to boot!).
It seems so easy to just shrug our shoulders and say “What’s the point?”….
It is even more discouraging to see hardly any new names in the choices — just the same old trapos (traditional politicians) — who make promises written on water…..
It is frustrating to see the blatant corruption that mark all past elections (this one included), where vote-buying in the guise of insurance cards, membership cards and the like are used (and COMELEC actually rules that these are NOT in violation of the Elections Code)
It angers one to see legitimate party-lists being harassed with threats of disqualification while obviously vested NEW party-lists are easily accredited with qualification rules being “bent” to accommodate them.
YES, any of the above were good reasons for me NOT to vote.
BUT I DID.
And you know why?
* Because I would not make it any easier for corrupt folks to just get away with it…
* Because as a people, we should have enough dignity NOT to allow anyone to run roughshod over our rights to vote into office the people we think should sit.
* Because I want to show my kids that we should continue to hold up the light of HOPE that our one and only country is not going to the dogs — that an active and vigilant citizenry can MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
* Because my ONE VOTE is my PERSONAL STATEMENT.
* Because the votes of all those who took time to pray and vote wisely CAN COUNT!
Now…..for my photo gallery of what it was like in San Juan….
Some of the peacekeepers stationed just outside our polling place. When I asked if I could take their pictures, they asked “Para saan ho ba yan?”. Did they think I was a reporter or some politico’s poll watcher? I was just in a plain cotton shirt, pants and step-ins!
The precincts were pretty orderly in this school. Not too many people were lined up at the help desk (that should be good news, right?). Hubby & I found our precinct right away. No queue, thank heavens!
Well, mukhang maayos and comfy for us voters. There were several huge industrial electric fans blowing our way to stave off the heat. Buti na lang!
The COMELEC official tears off the control number attached to my ballot and drops it into a tiny slot of the ballot box…
…and I dropped my ballot into the larger slot of the ballot box!
Another COMELEC guy prepares to “dirty” my finger. I prepared to catch the moment when he told me “Ma’am, hindi yung kaliwa…yung kanang daliri ninyo!” (hehehe, being right-handed, I was aiming my camera with my right hand! Which bodes the question….Do left-handed people get the indelible ink on their right finger too? Just asking!
And here’s the proof that I voted…my dirtied finger! Good thing I did not go to the salon this weekend for a manicure!
Media people were all around. Saw the vans of ABC5 and GMA7. Here’s a GMA7 newscaster waiting for her cue to broadcast. Did some celebrity watching and caught Mayor JV Ejercito and his mom casting their votes.
If it does not rain and if I do not get a bad case of”tamad-itis”, I may just walk back to the polling place to catch the canvassing later. More blogging, if I do. Stay tuned!
Wow! Ang saya-saya! May indelible ink pa…
Dito sa SG, by mail…
miss ko tuloy ang eleksyon dyan sa atin
wow your polling center is so orderly. Our place is like a public market. so disorganized. Grr too bad I couldn’t vote. I wonder why my husband was able to. They said that they purged the voter’s list.
Kudos to you for doing what your country expects you to do. We cannot let apathy and cynicism get the better of us. Democracy is a never ending process. We as parents should show our children the beauty(?) of elections. For a day, we all are equal. We all have but just one vote.
I voted early and has just returned after the counting started. I will be going to the city hall tonight to catch a glimpse of the canvassing. I admire the unnamed heroes who have volunteered to guard our votes.
I know our votes will matter. Our kids’ future is at stake.
i can’t forget the footage i saw of a male quariplegic, roger francisco voting with a pen in his mouth. that’s making a difference! i know of people with perfectly functioning hands and legs who didn’t even register.
**Noemi** – We’re just lucky to have a nice school as a polling place. At least you know now that you may need to register for 2010 (crucial, because of the Presidential elections). Can you imagine the news that Max Soliven is still on the voter’s list? Grabe!!!
**Schumey** – I agree with you — the PPCRV/NAMFREL and other similar volunteers are our unsung heroes!
**Aly** – I also know people who, sadly, seem to think our nation isn’t worth their trooping to the polls for. Let’s hope that attitude changes in time for them to participate in 2010.
**Culture Shiok** – hi! glad you found my blog. Oo nga, masaya nga ang eleksyon dito, parang fiesta. I’m glad you took the effort to vote over there in S’pore. Mabuhay kayong lahat diyan.
Wow! And you took photos too. I didn’t bring my cam to the polling place. Ours was orderly too, found our room without any hassles and there were no long lines. Since there was no contest among the QC mayoralty and vice-mayoralty offices, it was kind of boring daw. It is a different feeling seeing people (the neighbors) you know in a different setting, where you all want your voices to be heard.
I was the one who dropped my control number in the small slot and my ballot too, in the bigger slot.
And now the counting begins…
**Julie** – I agree. At least in NCR, voting seemed generally smooth. As to your last sentence, I hope it does not translate to “And now the CHEATING begins…”