Last Monday, most of us once again exercised our right to choose the best person to run the country. As a matter of fact, in just a span of a few hours, we already saw the trend of who the people have chosen best for the Presidency via the first-time automated voting system. Indeed, this was the first and hopefully, not the last since elections have always been plagued with controversies and unreliable counting when it was done manually. I for one, have been witness to such conflicts and there were times I wished things were a little different in the manner of voting then. But thanks to open-mindedness, COMELEC made history by pushing for the automated elections. Not only did it make counting easier and faster, but I also hope that it made the elections a lot credible and believable (but again, expect more protests from stubborn politicians who don’t want to concede yet).

Me against the crowd
As early as 6 in the morning, I prepared myself to come home to Manila, my former hometown, just to vote. The trip from Sta. Rosa Laguna was just a relatively short bus ride, since there was no traffic going home. I arrived at F. Guerrero School along Pedro Gil around 7:20am. Guerrero has been my voting precinct since the time I started voting for Barangay and Local elections way back 1992. Generally, the time I spent on voting was, hmmm well… short. The only thing I spent a little time on, was finding the precinct room I would vote. So to make things a lot easier, I celled (manner of calling someone thru cellfone; my own coining not Webster’s) Papa for the location. Good thing it was just in the first floor. What’s more relaxing about voting was that Papa already got a number for me and Mama. So there. I got my first shot at voting via Smartmatic PCOS machine hassle-free. Good for the numbers actually, since on my way to the room I got to pass by the other rooms with scary long lines. Imagine if I still lined up (Kaye and her family didn’t have the same luxury as I had since they waited for more than two hours to be able to vote. Kawawa talaga!).

Inside Guerrero during election day
Anyways, when I finished, I lined up a bit before placing my ballot through the PCOS machine. I was able to finish everything and get out of the hot voting room in 30 minutes. Just then, the people in-charge began letting in senior citizens. Hehehe lucky me indeed!
I went back to the area where the PPCRV (Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting) table was located. I stayed with Mama for a while before going home to my old Manila house to freshen up and have breakfast. When I got home, Papa was getting ready for bed since he hadn’t gotten any sleep as he was an assigned COMELEC officer at Guerrero. So I said “good night” to him as he went up the room to sleep. For me, I just had a few pandesals and spam for breakfast, with fresh hot kapeng barako from the coffeemaker, and then I freshened up a bit before going back to the precinct.

At the PPCRV Station where Mama stays
I stayed at the PPCRV station for a while. It was just weird being there since I used to be active in PPCRV when I was still in Manila. But those times were far different from today. Me, am just a mere voter. And no more concerns with what’s happening around, just a plain spectator to everything that’s going around the school. Kaya siguro am proud of my parents because they remain vigilant to situations during elections. Amidst the pricking heat and lack of wind in the area, their dedication to such taxing volunteer work is truly commendable. I really wish I could stay and be with Mama during that time, but I was already missing the kulets back home in Sta. Rosa and I promised Kaye to get home ASAP. So after saying my goodbyes to Mama and friends I knew back then, I left Guerrero with its huge crowd already overflowing at the gates.
At last, I boarded the jeep going to PRC Makati. But as I looked back from the moving jeep, I smiled and thought that maybe this would be the last time I’d vote in Manila. I don’t know much about the politicians in the Manila district, anyway. Probably next year, I’ll try to work on registering myself in Sta. Rosa so for the next elections (local and senatorial), it will be at a new place for a change. But I’ll truly miss voting in Manila, especially since my parents and I usually vote at the same time. Well that’s ok. At least my last election ended with something unique, that is, via automated voting. Now that’s something to remember as I close the chapter of election voting in Manila.
Thanks Guerrero… hello Central!
Ps. This is just my post-election observations that I just want to share here.
… that despite the good show of results, some politicians will still insist that they were cheated, the reason for them to lose the race.
… that despite the plunder cases and crimes against the country which proved him guilty (but was pardoned a few years later), Erap was still a crowd favorite.
… that the election has enticed rather more celebrities to run, and they surprisingly won in the campaign.
… that the election, for me, remains to be a popularity contest in general.
… that those good men who are much better off for the positions at stake, are the ones who usually found themselves close to the bottom of the list.
… that in all of these observations, I’d say the elections was a swift and orderly one compared to the past years.
I’d stop here. If you have your own observations, feel free to share here too!
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