My six centavos

It is a good thing that I saved two centavos from last week as that allows me to give out six centavos this week. There is truly a lot to be thankful for. May 10, 2010 was a historic day for the Philippines as it not only ushered the country into the automated electoral age but it also demonstrated an overwhelming desire of the majority to strengthen our democratic processes by exercising their right of suffrage.

In this regard, I wish to give one centavo to the Comelec led by Chairman Jose Melo for conducting a relatively honest, orderly and peaceful elections. The days leading to May 10 were doubt ridden and tension filled particularly given the flash cards snafu which many thought should have been addressed earlier. On election day, the clustered polling precinct approach not only caused confusion among the voters but was also the main culprit for the long queues. Indeed, if we are to continue this system in the future, then the membership of the Board of Election Inspectors must be increased. And some of the PCOS machines which had not previously agreed with the cool, damp weather of Hong Kong, did not appreciate either the stifling hot and humid conditions in the Philippines. All of this led some exasperated voters to go home and the Comelec to extend the voting time by one hour. But by and large, and given that this was our first foray into automation, the glitches were to be expected. And because of the speed in the counting and relative accuracy of the results (particularly if you compare them with the last surveys), the birth pains were well worth it. Indeed, the critics were silenced and the skeptics convinced by a Comelec that had underpromised and yet clearly over performed. While we can start opening the beer, we cannot uncork the champagne yet as we will still need to verify thru the random manual audit whether or not the numbers that have been provided by the PCOS machine coincide with manual count of the votes.

In fact the speed by which the Comelec unofficially tallied the results necessitates a review of the way we proclaim our national candidates. Under the 1987 Constitution, the Comelec is tasked to proclaim the winners in the Senatorial elections while both houses of Congress are mandated to declare the President-elect and Vice-President-elect. Yet both the Comelec and Congress rely on the same documents – the election returns and certificates of canvass (the numbers we see on television are based on the latter) – as basis for a proclamation. And while Congress still has to get its act together (it is given not more than 30 days to convene from election day), the Comelec has been busily tallying the figures even for the top two national positions. Hence, the work of Congress has not only become anticlimactic but potentially superfluous. In this regard, automation has again become a game changer.

One centavo as well goes to Smartmatic for ably assisting the Comelec in the election process. The company had its fair share of detractors as well given that its claim to fame was its experience in Venezuela which is not particularly known for its democratic traditions. Smartmatic Asia president Cesar Flores will no longer be remembered just for his telenovela looks but for helping Comelec regain some of its lost credibility.

One centavo goes to candidates who, realizing that the majority have voted against them, concede early to avoid further political tension. Indeed, “losers” such as Senators Villar, Gordon and Legarda and Secretary Teodoro became “winners” in the eyes of many by their sportsperson-like gesture. It is hoped that they have started a tradition which will be emulated in elections yet to come.

One centavo goes to the good Samaritans of the 2010 elections, the volunteers from the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting led by Ambassador Tita de Villa. Not only was the PPCRV the only non-governmental organization that kept the faith amidst the barrage of criticism hurled at the Comelec and Smartmatic, but when voters were at a loss on which clustered precinct they belonged to or confused on which line they should join, it was those clad in plain white t-shirts with immaculate blue print who showed the way. The practice of volunteerism and good samaritanism should continue to flourish as well.

One centavo as well is given to the teachers who comprised the BEI and (wo)manned the polling precincts. They skillfully and patiently guided election day activities including the efficient transmission of the results. While the bringing of “kodigo” was not only allowed but encouraged, the occasional copying of answers, talking with seatmates while voting or “kodakan” inside the polling places were prohibited yet tolerated. Again, forgivable lapses given the long lines and long hours that our teachers had to contend with.

Another centavo goes to the survey firms particularly the Social Weather Station (SWS) and Pulse Asia. Their work was not only maligned and criticized for being unscientific, they were even hailed to court. But as the saying goes, the proof of the pudding is in the eating and so far, their numbers approximate those that the Comelec have been releasing. In a way, this is an added check to ensure a fair election. And from the survey results they released, it proves that they were not setting trends but just capturing the pulse of voters at a given point in time.

Last yet certainly the most, one centavo is given to the Filipino voter who braved the long lines and suffered the sweltering heat to exercise the important obligation of voting. And it proved once again that when push came to shove (literally and figuratively), the Filipino is willing to stand up for his or her convictions and be counted.

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“To be what we are and to become what we are capable of becoming is the only creed of life..” — R.L. Stevenson

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