Credits

Monday, May 10, 2010

5 Hrs, And It's Worth It

I did not vote that early. I went to the polls at around 9:38 am only to see a throng of eager voters lined up waiting for their turn to vote. I was told that those who voted at 7 am took 30 mins. to finish up their democratic right. What followed is 5 hrs. of standing in line. At around 2pm, those whose number is 550 and below were herded to a classroom adjacent to the polling precinct. The lady in front of me who came a few minutes earlier asked a volunteer why the pace was so slow? She was informed that they were processing 5 voters at a time. This got the goat of the lady.

She called someone on her phone. She called the person on the other line, Tito Rene. That Tito Rene was none othe rthan Rene Sarmiento of the Comelec. She told him about the slow pace and passed the phone to the one in charge. Like a snap of a finger, the pace was hastened. From the snail-like 5 at a time, it became 20 at a time. By 3:08 pm, I was done. It took me 7 minutes to vote. The 5 hrs. of waiting was all worth it. Despite my aching feet and tingling knee, I was happy to vote.

I must apologize to my friend Leah because I kept bugging her about reports of irregularities in Las Piñas. At least I had someone to suffer with. I did not bother to have merienda. The long wait made me lose my appetite. I did drink about 2 liters of water when I got home. It was a draining experience but it was worth it. The true test of the automated polls is the counting and transmission. We really have to be vigilant and patient.

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