THE VOTES are in and in all likelihood, it seems that “yellow” will be the new color of change.
As Filipinos await the proclamation of the next president and vice president, it’s time to reflect on lessons learned from the country’s first-ever nationwide automated balloting, an exercise that attracted some 50 million voters.
“Filipinos are always eager to try something new,” said Zenia Rodriguez, Political Science coordinator of the Faculty of Arts and Letters, explaining the overwhelming influx of voters. According to her, this was due to the Filipinos’ initial acceptance of the new voting procedure, despite it being relatively new and complicated.
But more than the novelty of the electoral process, the fast turnover of results made all the difference.
“The results are out faster. The longer it takes for the results to come out, the more you will doubt the results,” said Alvin Ang, director of the research cluster for culture, education, and social issues.
For Rodriguez, the speed of election results resulted in something deeper—a reinvigorated trust on the electoral system.
“As far as the candidates are concerned, it boils down to a certain point—trust the system,” Rodriguez said.
Stark contrast
Previous elections had votes counted manually, giving more room for election-related fraud. Add that to the “never say die” attitude of losing candidates appealing for a last-minute recount.
But as early as May 11, just one day after the elections, staunch presidential candidates Manny Villar and Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro already conceded, as Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III began to break away from his opponents with almost 14 million votes in the last unofficial tally of the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV).
“(On) face value, the election is credible,” Rodriguez said. “The formal tallies of the PPCRV and Comelec match that is why some candidates decided to concede early on because they trusted the results.”
Eula See, incoming vice president of the Central Student Council, saw this as a positive sign.
“The results are reflective of what people wanted and it also matched the survey,” she said.
Determination for change
The Philippines is still taking its baby step on the nitty-gritty of automated elections, compared to its Western counterparts. In fact, recent reports may have shown the many downside of it. From long lines at polling precincts and technological glitches to the recent controversy regarding a massive election fraud involving a person in a “koala bear” mask. This tough balancing act between the good and bad side of the elections has blurred the real outcome of the automation. But for Ang, what matters is that the majority of the Filipinos still remain hopeful that the elections is a successful and credible one.
“It is for the best interest of everybody to make the election successful. The mere fact that people waited means that they want to make this work,” Ang said.
See, a first-time voter, felt that the elections not only brought excitement but also a good disposition for the newly-elected officials in the upcoming administration.
The Advertising Arts student said through the May 10 election, the people were able to implement political changes.
Daryl Morales, an incoming fifth-year Architecture student, echoed See’s ideas saying that the sheer number of voters and volunteers said it all.
“Filipinos are united in this year’s elections,” Morales said. “Everyone is determined to have change in our government. You can see this with the number of people who voted and volunteered to make sure that the voters are educated.”
Whether or not the first automated elections was a boon or bane, what matters is that Filipinos have taken the first steps toward change. “It really doesn’t matter who wins, what matters is that we did it well,” said Ang.
