The Elections – 2 Days After

Our country just went through one historic election – we’re going digital! Instead of waiting for days before realizing the real front runner in the elections, names started to pop-out after 24 hours. What’s even impressive is that online results are available. Check out http://electionresults.comelec.gov.ph/ and you’ll be taken to a site where you can see the results of your precinct! I was really blown away by the technology.

Unfortunately, there are some missteps the COMELEC made in the election. I thought about it for two days and have made these conclusions:

• COMELEC relied too much on technology – 1,000 voters per precinct is not and will never be a good idea. The voting process is still relatively slow to deal with 1000 voters. Even if the precinct will start at exactly 7am, it will still have a hard time dealing with the rush of voters. Because they relied too much on technology these things happened:

o Too many lines
o Confusion on the voter’s side
o Less support from the BEI
o It’s just too damn hot!

• The ballot voting is flawed – I read in the instructions that the PCOS will only disregard your votes for that particular group if you vote for one candidate more than allowed. For example, you voted for 13 senators instead of 12 so the PCOS machine will disregard your vote for senators but will count the others. Unfortunately, this is not true.
• It’s still a vote buying process – no candidate is saying about this but everyone knows that vote buying is already a “black tradition” in our country. Many people use their voter’s ID to accept money from the candidate. It’s sickening to hear those who claim they “earned” during the elections but I have to respect their decision if their thinking process is based on what they can earn. After all, that’s also the thinking of most of our politicians.

It’s a great day to be a Filipino. I just wish COMELEC will allow more PCOS machine the next election.

It is Going to be a LOUD Summer

The jingles are coming friends and we have to be prepared for it. This is the first day candidates can practically do anything in order to solicit votes. That includes visiting your home, which is ok. They might also place some stickers or posters in your home if you approve it, which is relatively ok. Or they could have some caucuses so that they could offer their ideas for your town, which is actually fun.

But look out for jingles – the songs will be ripped off from popular tunes and will run continuously until Election Day. Here in Iloilo City, you’ll hear “Nobody, Nobody but (You)” blare with a twist. Take note that it’s not election season yet for the locals. But everyone is guilt of electioneering if the COMELEC is serious about it. Everyone will be disqualified.

Now that we’re starting the campaign period for local officials, we anticipate louder music. Take note that it’s very, very easy to create a minus-one or remove the vocals of a popular tune. Many computer geeks and audio-philes can remove the voice in a minute or two. What you just need is very corny lyrics in a local language.

I admit it, I don’t like it…but we have to acknowledge their effort. After all, this is part of the election. Although no one will learn anything from these jingles, this will increase awareness and people might find more information.

But still it’s going to be a very hot and LOUD summer.

Three OBVIOUS Reasons Why Party List Should be Abolished (Part 2)

Click HERE for Part 1

The second reason why I don’t like the current party list system is the sheer lack of knowledge of us regular folks. I think the only people who know about the party list procedures are those who are running or involved in a party list. Here’s the common knowledge about the party list – during elections a bunch of groups representing certain people are running for congress. With enough votes they will win. That’s what we know.

So what’s lacking from our basic knowledge?

• We are not sure who represents whom.
• We’re not sure what “enough votes” mean.
• We’re not sure how they will win and what they do in congress.

You can say that there are a lot of people involved in the party list system. But the fact still remains: 7-10 Filipinos are not aware of the party list system. Every party list is polluting the street asking the people for their vote. HOW CAN WE VOTE IF WE DO NOT KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT YOU? Instead of spending money on streamers, spend it on educating the people what is a party list and who are you.

We can blame the COMELEC. Or you can point your finger on the PPCRV (I won’t) but since you’re there willing to spend money to win, at least have it in your conscience to tell us what a party list is.

Three OBVIOUS Reasons Why Party List Should be Abolished (Part 1)

When the party list system was introduced back in 1998, it was a revolutionary idea that I believed it would help people. I was in high school then and many people explained to me that it’s a chance for the marginalized people to have a voice.

But after 12 years…none. So consider this as my official statement AGAINST the party list system. I did some research and I even have more to complain! Here is my first of the three part problem with the party list system:

First Reason: The Party List is Veiled in Secrecy

By law, party list groups are not required to reveal the names of their candidates. This statement alone makes me angry and highly doubtful about the party list system.

Why is this you ask? Any aspiring party that wants to be accredited are not required naming their candidates. Only AFTER accreditation they will be compelled to name names. Do you know what this means? This simply means anyone can “shop” for an accredited party list.

COMELEC actually tries to avoid this problem by only allowing candidates that came from the same category. For example, if you’re representing the fishermen – you have to be a fisherman. But here’s the kicker:

Sec. 9, RA 7941 the nominee is not necessary someone poor or the traditional idea of a fisherman. The nominee is not necessarily someone who “wallow in poverty, destitution and infirmity as there is no financial status required in the law. It is enough that the nominee of the sectoral party/organization/coalition belongs to the marginalized and underrepresented sectors, that is, if the nominee represents the fisherfolk, he or she must be a fisherfolk, or if the nominee represents the senior citizens, he or she must be a senior citizen.” This simply means any billionaire could be part of a party list as long as a he has a small business within the same industry.

“Shopping” for a party list is actually possible no one really knows the nominees.

Stay tuned for the second part.

Vetellano Acosta - Douche of the Year? Probably

A few months ago, the Filipinos and other those from countries who cared scratched their heads when COMELEC approved Vetellano Acosta out of nowhere. According to Mr. Acosta, he's the official standard bearer of KBL which used to be the party of the Marcoses. Yes, the public got accustomed to his name and gradually accepted his claim. But the clamor for information about this guy is never lacking. In fact, one of the top articles in my site is my little research about this guy which yielded nearly nothing.

But after a few months, COMELEC (like the supreme court) changed their mind regarding this guy. Apparently Acosta is no longer interested in spending for the campaign. He will just let God push him to presidency. Smart move Mr. Acosta but that's not enough. You see, no one knows you. Jay Sonza, which supposed to be your VP do not have an idea about you. Bong Bong Marcos will never recognize you even if he hits you in the face. In gist - no one knows you, except the COMELEC.

If the smart guys at the COMELEC disqualifies you last week of December, then I could have forgiven and even praised them. But they disqualified him just a few days ago - after 9 million ballots have been printed!!! That's a waste of money - a lot of money. I don't think LP are not the only guys who should be *issed on this situation. Everyone should be. What do we do with the ballot? The system? Even if we erase his name manually we will still end up spending more just to remedy the situation.

Unfortunately, the damage is already done. We're left with 9 million ballots worthless than toilet paper. But instead of cursing the wind, here's what we do:

* Let the LP Fund the Reprints - If the LP is so angry about the late disqualification and possible ramifications, let them churn out some funds. Or at least help the government reprint the ballots.

* Sue Mr. Vetellano Acosta - Please, saying he "may" face criminal charges means you're not sure. He SHOULD answer to the law because he just wasted tax payers money, COMELEC's time and even the name of KBL.

Finally Common Sense Wins in Supreme Court - But Damage is Already Done

A few months ago, the Supreme Court (SC) issued a decision that "favors" appointed officials. Instead of automatic resignation upon filing of CoCs, they still should resign, terminated by the President or win the election. If none of these happens, they stay in power - even if they are running for a government position. Upon hearing this news, I decided that it's a "WTF-moment" for the SC. They should have used their common sense instead of deliberately ignoring the consequences of their decisions.

Fortunately, they have reversed the said decision. This means the appointed employees by the government are now considered resigned. What's even better is that COMELEC would go after the candidates who will not remove themselves from their office.

I wish they have used their common sense before the historic 8-6 vote to allow government officials to abuse their power to gain the votes of the people. Yes, it can be argued that some candidates are still good at heart and may not abuse what they have. But giving them power and not using them to gain votes is like giving someone a gun, place their finger on a trigger, tickle them incessantly but reminding them not to use the gun because it's against the law. Like a gun toting ticklish maniac, government officials who stay in power after filing their CoCs will surely pull the trigger - and it's aimed at us.

But I think the damage is already done. Too much power were already given to these candidates. They will gladly step down now because they have already used their power to gain every vote they can. I just hope I'm wrong on this one or else our country will suffer more.

For the SC…please consult a common sense oracle before making decisions like this one.

For the candidates who don't want to step down after filing CoCs, please don't be drunk with power. People may kiss your as* but the world knows how you abuse your power.

Common Poster Area - Nearly Oxymoron Phrase

Here's an excerpt of the COMELEC ruling on Common Poster Area:

SEC. 21. Posting the Campaign Materials. – Political parties, party-list groups, organizations, and/or coalitions thereof, and candidates may post any lawful campaign material in:

1. Authorized common poster areas in public places subject to the requirements and/or limitations set forth in the next following SEC.; and

2. Private places provided it has the consent of the owner thereof.

The first guideline is good because it will limit the garbage in our country. People will be able to see the streamers only in designated areas. No longer will our trees becoming an eyesore.

However, the excemption of common poster ground (refer to no. 2) just made this country a potential dumping ground of campaign poster materials. Why? Here are my reasons:

* Some people will allow some posts in their private property for the candidates they support - This creates a big bias in election campaign. A good example is when a rich business owner opts to allow posters in his mall. What if some malls in our country decides to allow only one candidate?

* Small infractions will most likely be ignored - you may not like it but you'll one day have a campaign poster in your front yard without your permission. Why? Because someone will place the poster in your gate while you're sleeping. You could report that incident but it's too complicated before you could actually pin that incident to anyone.

I wish COMELEC will remove the ruling on private property. Removing this will look like restricting a person's freedom but a "fair election" should mean everyone should have equal grounds in letting people know what they can do for the country.

Source: COMELEC

Live Video Streaming for Security: Definitely Good but could Get Worst

COMELEC is going to ask the help of the public to secure the most complicated elections ever. Instead of letting people watch in person the printing process, they will provide live streaming. This simply means security will be given to those who have crazy enough to stay in front of the computer for hours. COMELEC is going to stream their 26 CCTV monitors (16 already installed and 10 more coming). Although no one knows when the live feed will be implemented, we'll be there when it happens.

This is definitely a plus for COMELEC and everyone else. We're going to get a good glimpse how the government is actually spending our hard earned taxes on something sophisticated. They could have chosen some security personnel but they might be paid off. If they stream this online, everyone can monitor how things are done.

Call me a pessimist but I feel some trouble brewing from these services. Unfortunately, the last thing I would rely when it comes to technology is the government. I'm sorry but they are not that advanced when it comes to technology. A good example is their websites. There are moments that these sites are down while others are just plain ridiculous.

Streaming videos for everyone to see requires money - a lot of money. There is a big possibility that the streaming will eventually crash and they might do something with the ballots while everyone is wondering what happened. This can easily become a scapegoat. COMELEC can just say, "no we didn't tamper the ballots. You were there watching in video streaming remember?"

It's a bold move for COMELEC but can be a sacrificial lamb to make the polls look clean. I just hope their live streaming is as efficient as the Big Brother shows online.

Drugs and Election: A Dangerous and Deadly Combination

Drugs and Election: A Dangerous and Deadly Combination

Before reading the article, here are my references:

QTV News Bit: http://www.gmanews.tv/largevideo/latest/55251/qtv-pdea-illegal-drug-trade-may-be-funding-election-campaigns

Sunstar News: http://67.225.139.201/network/pdea-told-intensify-drive-vs-illegal-drugs-219-pm

The fact that someone is trying to bring in massive amount of drugs during the election period scares me. The drugs that were tried to be sold or distributed in Eastern Samar is not just your walk in the park drugs - the content should be more than enough to fund a congressional campaign.

Friends, welcome to the dark side of the election. Aside from from killing your political opponent to win, this is probably the next worst thing a candidate can do. Selling drugs so that it can be used to print paraphernalia that only tarnish the parks, fool voters that they're godsend, spend millions on crazy tunes and pay people to vote for them is just plain dangerous to the country. The politicians selling drugs are not just eliminating one or two persons to win, the candidate is eliminating the community so that they can win. The term "narco-politics" is just a bad idea.

This incident should give the COMELEC and everyone else a wake-up call to do their job.

For the COMELEC: please, please do your job. The people are not asking you to grow wings and fly. We just want everything to be clear during the elections. It would also be nice to whip those candidates that allow their local campaign mangers to place posters anywhere. Your "OPLANS" and "Operations" to remove the eyesore is not really working well.

For the Political Candidates: if you're planning to sell drugs so that you'll have some campaign funds, I will not just wish for you to lose but also to go in jail. It doesn't even matter if you're one of the most powerful person in the country - you are no more than a crooked criminal with a slightly better clothing.

For the Voting Public: this gives me another reason why you should take the money and don't vote for the candidate that gave you that money. The money is already there so take it and note that the candidate is a scumbag who might have sold some drugs for vote buying. If you don't vote for the candidate but got their money, they will lose not only the election but lose big because the money they have spent didn't have any results.

For the Law Enforcement Officers: Kudos for the embargo but we want more - catch the guys behind the shipment and let them rot in jail.

Now What? NAMFREL Out - PPCRV Ouch

A few days ago Comelec has officially denied the petition of NAMFREL to be part of the election. The reason? There seems to be a vested interested based on the background of the election watch dog. Jose Cuisia Jr. and Jose Concepcion have been doubted because of their "political leanings". Fortunately, PPCRV is still on the loop in the upcoming elections.

Based on the latest news (resources in the end of the article), NAMFREL is trying to get acreddited through tie-up with CBCP-Nassa which naturally creates PPCRV (Parish Pastroral Council for Responsible Voting). But the Comelec questioned the authority of Cuisia to make such bold decisions such as establishing a tie-up with PPCRV. Hence their application for accreditation is not approved.

This is a sad and bad news for election watch dogs. Back in the days, NAMFREL is regarded is often the basis on who will win in the upcoming election. Think of them as the spoilers - since they don't have to go through strict regulations of the COMELEC, they can conduct a quick count and reveal the results weeks before the proclamation.

So now that the NAMFREL is gone the burden is on PPCRV to ensure an honest and clean elections. But this is a tall order for the church based-group. I have been a volunteer of PPCRV once and it's a grueling task to ensure that the election doesn't stall. You're practically the right arm of the poor teachers who are having trouble controlling the elections. And it's set to get worst because poll automation requires a lot of mumbo-jumbo in technology.

The pressure is now on PPCRV. We just hope they would provide concrete actions and inform the public in advance on what they will do on the upcoming elections. The void left by NAMFREL is not an easy to fill.

Source 1: It's final: No Namfrel role in polls

Source 2: No more Namfrel quick count in 2010

Software Developers, Please Help Our Country!

One of the best things about technology is that it can be our staunchest ally…if we play the cards right. Applications, websites and online games are always part of our lives. The mere fact you are reading this right now is a testimony that technology works. The OS, the code behind this blog, and the systems administrators that keeps the servers running are only some of the technologies involved so that you can read this small blog. Even the unique and sometimes weird official websites of our candidates happen because of technology.

But come Election Day, technology will be at the center stage. In fact, technology will dictate our nation's future. Forget about who you will vote first. What we should be thinking is this: will the technology work in our favor? Maybe there's a way to do that.

Last year, the COMELEC released a statement on opening the source code of the application that will run the automated poll. The exact date of the press release was August 26, 2009 which means there are no software yet as they are still on a bidding war. But the press release promises that before the end of February 2010, the customized code for the 2010 Philippine Election will be ready for scrutiny.

Everyone is invited to review the source code. Of course, you have to be qualified to do that. For that reason - AMA, STI, UP, La Salle, ADMU and all those software developers working for some obscure company, please come out and ask to read the source code.

Why you should do it? Here's a small snippet I found online: Renato Garcia who works for Ateneo and also a consultant for 2010 Election is asking some international certification agencies about the application. So far so good but here's what he said. (Quote taken from Inquirer.net)

"One of the five international software certification bodies, have already expressed interest to do the formal review of the customized automation software. This body, we found out, has been conducting a software review for Canadian-based Dominion, the software provider for Smartmatic's poll machines,”

The only one interested so far is the company who works for Smartmatic. This simply means they will review their peer's source code.

So step up to the plate guys. I know the ILOVEYOU virus is not just some random act of a genius. My flash drive is often destroyed because of the local KULOT virus so please use your skills for something even better :)

Sources:
COMELEC: http://www.comelec.gov.ph/modernization/2010_natl_local/press_releases/request_for_copy_source_code.html

Inquirer.net:
http://technology.inquirer.net/infotech/infotech/view/20090824-221835/Comelec-to-open-up-automation-source-code

Who is Vetellano Acosta? Answer: I Don't Know

The better answer is: no one knows.

I am proud of what I do - I stay in front of the computer no less than 12 hours a day scouring for information online. I devour every information I can get so that I can use it for personal amusement and sometimes for profit. I was able to help my family because of this self-imposed skill.

But when the name Vetellano Acosta popped up in the Comelec reconsideration list, I started to look for information and I felt belittled. Who is he? Where did he came from? Is he real?

Apparently he's real but little information is known to him. Even a trusted website for political information doesn't have a lot about him.

Here's the only information I can find online:

Job: Financial Cosultant
Party Affiliation: KBL
Residence: Cityland 10 Building, H.V. De la Costa Street, Makati
Voter on: Precinct 6 of Tejeron, Sta. Ana, Manila

The weird thing about this is that Jay Sonza is actually a lot more popular than this guy. If you're near 30 years old, you will recognize the name from the talk show "Mel and Jay" every Sunday evening in ABS-CBN. He is currently working for UNTV.

I can't even find a decent photo of the candidate. Google for image about this guy and you can't find anything.

My conclusion, it's a small blunder with a hint of conspiracy from Comelec. Mr. Acosta should come out often and explain to everyone who he is where he came from and he's not another Eddie Gil.

If you got sources, please help me. Comelec's site is down (again)

5 Alternatives to Private Armies

The government and COMELEC are paranoid nowadays because of the private armies. Although they are doing this because of the recent cases especially the Maguindanao Massacre, it's still good that they are holding the politicians in the neck. This prevents every politician to go out and bring someone with a gun who looks like a villain in Jeric Raval’s movies (where’s he anyway?).

For those who are not approved by the Comelec, don't fret. I stayed up really, really late and missed my deadline in posting an article to give you some recommendations. Here are 5 things you can have instead of a private army.

1. Buy a lot of Samurai Swords and give it to your "companions". Because "guards" are not allowed, you can always have someone walking around with a sword in their side. This is even more dangerous compared to a guy with a gun because of the brutal possibilities your "companion" could do.

2. Hire Ninjas and Samurais as your "companions". No one said that you can't bring any Ninjas to your rally. Imagine if Ninoy Aquino actually walked around with 3 Ninjas in complete costume. That would be fun if he meets Manny Villar with five samurais in full battle regalia. This is also great for crowd control because people don't just approach guys with long blade in their side or the back. Plus, shuriken shows are awesome.

3. Get four VERY VERY big guys - I don't think the presidential candidates are the biggest guys in the country. With that said, there are a lot of really tall muscled men who can stand in the candidate's way to protect them from any harm. Just remember to differentiate obese guys from the muscled ones. I'm sorry to discriminate the fat-intensive dudes (I'm one of you), but we can't run with Ninoy in case he shows up with Kris Aquino, James Yap and Baby James for the rally.

4. Twitter and have Live Feed Videos - there two online tools will not protect you from any hail of bullets but it will not protect the culprit or the mastermind. Get an assistant to "tweet" where you’re going and who you met. The live streaming can also become a great tool to show what you do even in the most boring time of the day. Show me that you actually eat dirty ice cream every 4pm and you will have my vote.

5. Don't run. Live a simple life and avoid politics. If you don't want to get mobbed let the braver ones run. Having a bodyguard just tells people that you have a lot of enemies and you're a bit paranoid.

P.S. Please comment on this. If you have more input, maybe we can extend the tips to 3 million J