Thirty days before the first automated election takes place throughout the Philippines, votes are already being cast in Hong Kong, one of the few overseas locations where Filipinos can use the automated election procedures.
Up until late last night, I had no plans whatsoever of getting involved in the process. I missed the automated registration period and headed towards not participating in the election procedure for the second straight presidential election. But a request for volunteers from former ambassador Henrietta T. de Villa of Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) paved way for me to be involved in this historic Philippine elections.
The automated election took place at Bayanihan Kennedy Town Centre, on the western district of Hong Kong island. As I met ambassador De Villa for the first time, I can’t help notice the familiar faces around me: Consul General Claro Cristobal welcoming us, Vice Consul Val Roque, who sorted out access cards for us to enter polling stations, and a flock of other consulate officers and volunteers. Other personalities I saw were Congressman Teddy Boy Locsin (not sure if it was him), Comelec Commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal and ABS-CBN reporter Ina Reformina, along with reporters from TV5, GMA 7 and a member of the foreign press.
The election here and in Singapore somehow partially serves as a test for the automated elections in the Philippines. Any issue observed in the process can be fine tuned and applied to the election procedures back home.
By serving as poll watcher, I get to see the whole voting process, from verification of names and assigned polling places to feeding of ballots into the Smartmatic bin which looks similar to some garbage bins I find in Hong Kong. As for the case of ballot secrecy folders, I would say that it was wise for Comelec to cancel that mammoth deal worth close to 700 million pesos. The reason is that the folders used in today’s election were heavily recycled and I see no problem in doing so. Each ballot secrecy folder is composed of two taped folders with Comelec logo on each of them. If the Comelec wishes to save money in this elections, it should stand on its decision to dump the deal that is overly one sided.
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