I have voted: Philippine 2010 Elections

: Done with electing my President, VP, Senators and city officials. It sure was hot and humid. When I got down from the jeep at Leodegario Victorino Elementary School, I was immedialtely approached by a couple sample ballot distributors. What can I do. They were shoved into my hands.. On to the school gate, PPCRV volunteers snatched them from my hands..okey that was clear enough.

I proceeded to the PPRCV Volunteer Desk. I gave the young man my Precint Number obtained from the Comelec website. The young volunteer asked me my first name and to note it down on small Precint Inquiry Sheet which I dutifully wrote. He gave the piece of paper noting 92 as my clustered precint #, together  precint #0377A and a third # which I presume is my number on the Voter's List.


It was orderly. But after staying on the line for 15 minutes, I was wondering, when our turn will be. On my left is a classroom with people seated.. oh I wondered, what were they doing just sitting there? And then I get this bit of info..it was a holding room prior to the actual voting process.. I too was expected to fill one seat in that room when it was my time.. And so after 30 long minutes of keeping my cool (literally with my buri fan), we the people on the line were ushered to the holding room.

Another 30 minutes passed. A sixty-ish man presented himself. He was the school principal and then he started apologizing, for the heat, for the seeming delay.. the PCOS machines, he said were jamming the ballots.. that's why it needed to be shushed - now and then.. getting tired because of this unbearable heat.. he makes an assurance of the honest way in which the system were registering votes and later the transmission via satellite.. He says, anyone of us, waiting voters can now start thinking of  becoming politicians..now everyone has a chance..he seemed pleased with himself in that candidate-like manner of speaking.. Maybe Heee was thinking od doing just that..

Another 15 minutes and it was finally my turn. proceeding to my polling place. I was asked to put that sticky black finger printing chemical.. I thought,  the fingerprinting happened after the voting.. I was wrong. Finger print I did on the Voter's List. I was not surprised to get a quick glimpse of my biometrics. Alas I get my official ballot.. seemed crispy clean and smooth and long. I went to my alloted chair and there it was the marking instrument, tied to the chair...very Filipino, indeed. I started filling it out. The "bilog na korteng itlog" was small for my comfort. I had to remove my sunglass  to ensure I don't over shade..

Finally, I am done.Time to get my vote registered with the PCOS machine. Without a hitch, thank God, my ballot slithered into the machine without a problem. And while the BEI was putting indelible ink into my forefinger, I was watching the PCOS message box which said YES!! my vote has been registered..Woohoo!