Several readers have emailed me to ask who I would be voting for next Monday. Have you seen the sample ballots? OMG, they are unwieldy to say the least. And you can’t mark them in any significant way, fold them, crumple them, etc. or it may not be accepted by the counting machines. I certainly hope it goes smoothly, but I am realistically skeptical, to say the least. It’s hard enough to keep the automatic parking ticket dispensers at major malls operating properly more than 95% of the time, what more a one-off massive technology dependent exercise used by 40 million different individuals! So here is my list so far. I hope you all develop your own lists and get out and vote next Monday!
President – AQUINO, Noynoy (LP)
Vice-President – ROXAS, Mar (LP)
Senators (in alphabetical order)
1. ACOSTA, Nereus (LP)
2. BAUTISTA, Martin (LP)
3. BIAZON, Rozzano (LP)
4. DE VENECIA, Jose (PMP)
5. GUINGONA, Teofisto (LP)
6. HONTIVEROS-BARAQUEL, Ana (LP)
7. LACSON, Alex (LP)
8. OSMENA, Sergio (LP)
9. ROCO, Sonia (LP)
10. TAMANO, Adel (NP)
11. Undecided
12. Undecided
I only have 10 senators selected at this point. I also support CAYETANO, Pia (NP), DRILON, Franklin (LP) but since they are so solidly up there in the polls, I figure I might give those votes to others who may not be in the clear top 12 at this point. I am still trying to figure out my last two slots, but will probably be choosing between LAO, Yasmin (LP), OSMENA, Lito (PROMDI), RECTO, Ralph (LP), and even thinking about LIM, Danilo (IND/LP?)…
I haven’t gotten to local officials or party list yet. Yipes. Whoever you have on your list, remember to get out and vote. And let’s all hope it is a relatively clean and peaceful elections.
Here is more information from the local COMELEC office:
1. Know your precinct number, polling place (classroom or area) at the polling center. Or look it up online at www.comelec.gov.ph
2. Bring a valid I.D. or two to be sure.
3. Bring your list of candidates that you intend to vote for to make things simpler.
Things you need to do at the polling center (this is my translation from Pilipino, it may not be completely accurate, but you get the gist):
1. Proceed to your polling place.
2. Look for your name on the posted voter’s list outside your polling place.
3. Take note or remember the number in front of your name or sequence number
4. Approach the table with your election official, who has the lists, and give your sequence number
5. Get your ballot and vote in the designated areas. Take care not to fold, blemish, otherwise mark your ballot other than the ovals in front of the candidates names…
6. After filling in your votes, head to the PCOS machine (guarding your ballot from others who want to crush it… sorry, that bit I added for levity)
7. Once the ballot has been entered, head back to the election officials who will put indelible ink on your finger
Things to remember:
Fill the ovals in completely directly in front of the candidate’s name
You can vote for less than the number of officials (e.g., vote only for 10 senators) but you CANNOT vote for more than the maximum number, and your ballot will be null and void.
Don’t fold or crumple the ballot in any way.
Don’t add any other marks, stains, etc. to the ballot.
And if I may add, closely inspect the ballot given to you in the first place for unusual marks, specks, blotches, etc. which might void your effort before you even select your candidates! Good luck!
58 Responses
First :)
We practically have the same line-up of senators, except for Jose DeVenecia. I voted for Tito Sotto and Lito Osmena because they have roots or are from Cebu. Oh well! Too lame for justification but I feel much better than giving my votes to the other trapos. Just filled up my overseas absentee ballot and will send it to the embassy today. Yoohooo! Feels good to be able to vote!
If i made a mistake in Shading or stained them can i ask again for a new Voting Sheet?
kitchen, no, I don’t think you can ask for another ballot. So don’t mess it up the first time around… :) Correction: You are LEGALLY allowed to change your ballot once or request its change, right up front before you vote, if you think the ballot is not a good one.
From what I gather from the news, they say 1 ballot one voter, if you mess up your ballot, it’s gone. That’s what happened to one voter in the UNTV mock election, there was a marker smudge far from the circles, but the machine still did not read it.
I go for Martin Bautista & Pia Cayetano as well but I do see your point regarding Pia. And hubby likes Adel Tamano too. Have you decided on the Party List? I’m interested in knowing who you will be voting for.
tipat, the party list is mind-bogglingly long, and I don’t know much about them, so I will have think about this some more…
I will not vote for Ralph Recto & Tito Sotto
I am having second thoughts on Adel Tamano. I hate his dimpled face on huge billboards endorsing Belo. I know I am being petty but then…
Ley, hahaha, I have to admit, he was last to make it onto my list when I wrote it.
we’ll go for straight LP line-ups :D
I’d go for Toots Ople, to enable her to continue to champion the rights of OFW’s and the labor sector
Elections? That may be wishfull thinking at this point since the Comelec can’t even get it’s act straight with less than a week to go. Just today the flash memory cards of the PCOS machines in the NCR were recalled since the tally during the test didn’t come out right.
As for me, in support of those who produce, transport and sell the food and ingredients that unite us all, I have Satur Ocampo at the head of my Senate list. Poverty is a serious issue here that we can’t simply sing and dance away (as the so many campaign commercials might seem to suggest). Otherwise our lists look fairly similar. But whomever we vote for, lets all do our part to have a peaceful, fair, and PARTICIPATORY election/government/society. May peace and justice prevail for us all.
I’m an OAV and I voted last week. I wore yellow shirt so you know who I voted for in the top 2 positions of the land. For the senators, I only voted for 10. I already had a list two days before and I could only come up with 10. Sabi ko I’ll decide on the last 2 on voting day, pero I still couldn’t get myself to vote for any of those artistas, the long-entrenched, and the rookies who I really didn’t know. Anyway, 6 of those on your list I voted for, and yes, Tamano was also the last on my list.
“I also support CAYETANO, Pia (NP), DRILON, Franklin (LP) but since they are so solidly up there in the polls, I figure I might give those votes to others who may not be in the clear top 12 at this point.”
MM, if a LOT of their supporters end up thinking this way, then they might end up not being elected at all. My VP is already MAR. But for Pres, I’m still wavering between green and yellow.
Last week, I was able to download sample ballots from comelec website. I’m trying to download again today but – surprise, surprise – the website is down. Hopefully, I can download again before this weekend.
other tips come Monday:
1. make sure you have clean hands as smudges or marks (other than the shadings) on any part of the huge ballot (2 feet long!) will nullify your vote
2. download and print the sample ballot and practice shading with a broad tipped pen. shade the oval fully.
3.inspect the ballot given to you: the bar codes at the sides should be crisp and not faded or fuzzy (these may be rejected by the PCOS machine)
4. before placing your ballot into the counting machine,take into account the number on the screen. it should be increased by one after you place in your vote.
5. come early and vote as quickly as possible to minimize delay for others to vote
and may the best man/woman win!
Jenny, yes, you are right. But I am counting on the fact that they are so statistically high, and that not many will follow the logic I am applying… I guess its a risk, but given their numbers, they have millions of votes more before falling below the line of 12 senators elected… With 60+ candidates for Senate, playing the odds is something I am more likely to do. As for the Presidential and Vice-Presidential race, and the spectre of foul play, I personally would like to see a landslide of sorts to dampen any shenanigans… but that’s just my personal opinion. Siopao, thanks for those tips! Gerry, let’s hope they manage to get their acts together…
i want to share the notes from a seminar on the Election Ballot by Kenneth Yu.
On the May 10, 2010 Ballot
I attended my barangay’s seminar on the 2010 elections today, arranged by the captain, Ralph Diaz. I learned a few things from Mr. Diaz about the election ballot that could be informative for all of us:
1. Mr. Diaz said that the ballot is very, very sensitive to marks, ink, H20, stains, scratches, folds, sweat, etc. If, say, you have grime on your hands, or your hands are wet, or your sweat drops onto the ballot, the PCOS (Precinct Count Optical Scan) Unit will not read it. So, keep your hands very clean before voting. That is why the indelible ink will be put on your finger after you’re done voting, and not before, and why you will be given your ballot in a folder, a “Ballot Secrecy Folder”, so that you can lessen the actual handling of the ballot with your hands.
2. Shade the egg-shaped hole beside your chosen candidate fully (you will be provided with a marker). Don’t check, line, X, dot, or half-shade it, because the PCOS Unit will not read it. Try not to go beyond the lines also (well, not too much).
3. Mr. Diaz said that there will be a barcode going around the ballot. If this is marked, even scratched, in any way, the ballot will be spoiled. He said that if anyone else handles the ballot, watch them well, in case they intentionally scratch the barcode with a fingernail to prevent your ballot from being counted. He used as an example that if you’re obviously for a candidate that, say, an unscrupulous precinct official is against (hopefully, there’s no such thing as an unscrupulous precinct official ;-P), that official may scratch your barcode to prevent your vote from being counted.
4. You will have four tries to put your ballot through the PCOS Unit. You can put it in forward, backward, front side up, back side up, whichever, but only four tries. If after the 4th try it doesn’t read properly, goodbye ballot.
5. You will get one chance to have your ballot changed if you don’t like it. That’s when they first hand it to you. Inspect it right away. If you see any folds, scratches, or marks, you can ask for a change (which may lengthen your voting process, Mr. Diaz added).
6. Bring a list of your chosen candidates on a piece of paper so that you won’t spend too much time filling out the ballot. If you make your decisions on the day itself without a list, you could spend a long time filling it up.
7. Watch the readout on the PCOS Unit when you insert your ballot into it. Mr. Diaz said that if successful, it’ll read, “Congratulations! Your ballot has been scanned.” If not, it’ll say why (improper shading, etc.) Get that “Congratulations” message before leaving to make sure your vote is counted.
8. Bring an ID (Voter’s ID is best, but if you don’t have one, driver’s license, passport, etc. any valid ID with your address and preferably a photo is all right) to present to the BEI (Board of Elections Inspector). If you can find out beforehand through your barangay, also get your Voter’s ID number, precinct number, and your sequence number (the number beside your name in the voter’s list). This’ll speed up your voting process.
9. The ballot you are given will only be readable by one specific PCOS Unit. In other words, only one machine will be able to read your ballot, because it’s pre-registered there, so when you’re ready, line up at the proper machine. Don’t line up at the wrong machine; your ballot won’t be read, and it may spoil your vote.
10. Polls open on May 10, 2010, at 7 a.m. and end at 6 p.m.
11. Mr. Diaz said that the Comelec told him that with the PCOS Units, we will know the winner of the elections in 5 days. Otherwise, the PCOS Units will allow for a manual count since all votes will be recorded inside the machines (let’s hope it doesn’t come to that, because it’s going to take the usual weeks and weeks to finish the count).
12. The PCOS Units have internal batteries that can last 16 hours in case of power outages. Since the voting period only lasts 10 hours, there’s a 6 hour buffer. But still, let’s hope for no brownouts on May 10, 2010.
13. The PCOS Unit will print out the vote count in what looks like a very long cash register receipt (whose print will last for 5 years, he said), which will be put into a sealed box that’ll be sent to the Comelec for proper counting. Also, the PCOS Unit will count the number of voters who are voting based on the ballots inserted into it, so again, watch the screen on the machine to make sure of voter count, as well as other important messages.
14. Mr. Diaz said that you should vote only the exact number you should vote for. So, vote for only 1 president, 1 vice president, 12 senators, 1 party list, 1 mayor, 1 vice mayor, 1 member of the House of Representatives, etc. (the limit will be there on your ballot as a “Vote for not more than ____”). If you vote for more than the stipulated number, that particular portion of the ballot is spoiled. You may, however, vote for less (as in, if you can’t find 12 worthy senatoriables to vote for, it’s all right to vote for less than 12).
15. Mr. Diaz stressed repeatedly that in voting this time, one should not make mistakes. It’s asking a lot from us, but he said that over and over again. His words: “Don’t make mistakes, otherwise, you’ll spoil your ballot”.
16. Of course you’ll also be asked to do the usual signing of forms and marking of thumbprints.
Feel free to share this note. I wish I could take questions, but I only took notes as Mr. Diaz was speaking, so I doubt if I will know the answers. Any questions you have can be sent to your Barangay Captains, or to the Comelec.
I hope this information helps
bubut, may I share this of FB? tnx!
HI MM, please do vote for Gen. Danny Lim!
I’m voting for Noy-Mar :-) My favorites for Senator so far are Neric Acosta and Risa Hontiveros. I’m really nervous about this election. I am hoping everything would go well.
@Bubut, pwede pa share nung write up mo?
@quillene, @hd. you may share it. i didnt write it but i receive it from a reliable source. I will have it printed and we will distribute them to our different parishes/ Catholic churches this coming Sunday. Let’s give our share of helping our country to avoid fraud and human errors. We need all to pray for this coming election.
Philippine politics…what a big JOKE! But why am I not laughing?
Thanks Bubut.
For VP, I’ll vote for Binay. Senators, I’ll vote for Risa, Satur and Enrile, most LP lineup, probably the 2 soldiers, Lim and Querubin. Some might say Enrile should rest now (he’s 165 years old) but maybe he can do something to our Meralco bills, hehe. I haven’t forgiven Sotto and Recto.
For Prez? After GMA’s term, everyone else look good to me, even Erap or Villar. I’m torn between Noy and Gibo. But since Gibo is the admin’s bet (only on paper, perhaps), maybe I’ll go for Noy.
The public can check their precinct numbers online; it will save the voters time on May 10 . The Comelec website is http://www.comelec.gov.ph. On the right hand part, there’s the Online Precinct Finder, click it and enter your personal data. Let’s hope for a clean and orderly elections on Monday.
My List:
President – AQUINO, Noynoy (LP)
Vice-President – ROXAS, Mar (LP)
Senators – almost similar to yours
1. ACOSTA, Nereus (LP)
2. BAUTISTA, Martin (LP)
3. BIAZON, Rozzano (LP)
4. GUINGONA, Teofisto (LP)
5. HONTIVEROS-BARAQUEL, Ana (LP)
6. LIM, Danilo (IND/LP)
7. MITRA, Ramon (NP)
8. OSMENA, Emilio “Lito” (PROMDI)
9. OSMENA, Sergio (LP)
10. RECTO, Ralph (LP)
11. TATAD, Francisco
12. TAMANO, Adel (NP)
I am also for Drilon, but will defer voting for him since he’s sure to get in. I will vote for:
Lim – for being principled
Mitra – I know him to be a good person
Osmena, Lito – He is responsible for Cebu’s “Ceboom” and a fellow cebuano
Tatad – For being pro-life
Tamano – For being the most qualified Muslim candidate
Hi MM, if I may suggest for partylist take a look at Alliance for Barangay Concerns Partylist or “ABC”, you can check their website “https://abcpartylist.com”.
#31 ABC Partylist on the ballot.
make it yasmin lao, MM!
pls do vote for Lito Osmena. he is a good leader with vision.
For Partylist, please vote for ARAL & shade #102. ARAL advocates for Education:)
Gabriela for party list
So glad to see NERIC ACOSTA on your list! Excellent choice! He is a brilliant policy maker and has been a dedicated environmentalist long before it became fashionable to be one. NERIC ACOSTA would make a great senator.
As for party-list, may I suggest to you and your readers the LGBT rights group LADLAD? (I’m not sure if they go by the name ANG LADLAD or simply LADLAD.) Now the Philippines has a very long way to go in terms of empowering our LGBT citizens and guaranteeing their rights in society.
I hate it, they did not have a Proxy Vote Registration here in Texas this year. And I really wanted to vote especially I am in Manila 2 days before the election; and also I had just gotten my Dual Citizenship certificate. My vote is for Noy & Mar. Senators – I am not sure.
some weblinks worth visiting for voters needing more info on the Kaakbay partylist:
11 Ways how to help and support in the campaign – https://mim.io/0b103
Nominees to Congress – https://mim.io/8f103
Platform of Government – https://mim.io/f0203
Party Profile – https://mim.io/24203
not dual yet so i can only hope for a peaceful election — and that the next leaders will make a better Philippines …
Ana Hontiveros-Baraquel FOR SURE, for her integrity, competence and commitment to the rights of all women everywhere.
It is almost as important, WHO NOT TO VOTE FOR–including but not limited to Gloria Arroyo, son Diosdado Arroyo, sister in law Ma. Lourdes Arroyo, brother in law Ignacio Arroyo, son Mikey Arroyo via party list ANG GALING PINOY, Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
For voters in Pasig, Ricardo B. Reyes for 40 years of unswerving allegiance and service to the Filipino people, for his determination to stamp out drug trafficking and institute participatory democracy in the city.
oh, my god, i am not registered to vote and
i would be arriving in manila on may 10th.
i could have voted for noynoy and mar as
well. let’s all hope and pray that it
will be a peaceful election. it’s
so exciting for me since i will be there
when the new president will be
declared….
just wanted to share this about the ownership of smartmatic-tim
https://worldwidefilipinoalliance.ning.com/profiles/blogs/who-owns-smartmatictim?xg_source=activity
also, here’s a link where you can download the candidates’ profiles
https://code-ngo.org/home/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=191:national-candidates-profiles-may2010&catid=43:front
Subject: NEGATIVE LIST – Party Lists of GMA Allies
FOR THE SAKE OF OUR POOR NATION, OUR CHILDREN AND OUR CHILDREN’S CHILDREN, PLEASE READ
By: Capt. Victor Y. Alviola
We all know that GMA is going to build her allies in congress to guarantee her position as Prime Minister and avoid prosecution (that is – if she wins a congressional seat in Pampanga which they said is already in the bag) after the transformation of our government to parliamentary system by the same congressmen and congresswoman who will take their seats after the May, 2010 election.
We also know that If the known GMA political allies will run individually as congressmen and congresswoman in their own district, they will definitely be beaten by the opposition, even if the opposition’s candidate is a trained “German shepherd†who is intelligent enough to stump its paw on the certificate of candidacy. Therefore, the only way to enter the house of representative is through the back door – the party list system.
I am not campaigning for any party list group but here is the gang, in alphabetical order, that we should never make the mistake of voting and should be marked “X†or deleted from our sample ballots. These people has no right to be in congress:
PARTY LIST NOMINEE/S
1-UTAK Angelo Reyes (Former energy secretary who is also the spokesman of oil companies)
AANGAT TAYO Daryl Grace Abayon (GMA Ally)
A TEACHER (ABAKADA) Jesli Lapuz (Former trade Secretary. A corrupt official)
ABONO Robert Raymond Estrella/Francis Ortega III (Political clans allied with GMA)
ADAM Not available. But some writer said it has the same nominees as “ANAKâ€
AHON Nicon Fameronag (Director of Labor and information services of GMA)
ALE Catalina Bagasina (Pampanga board member, GMA Ally) Erlinda De Leon (Special Asst. Office of the President)
ALIF Acmad Tumawis (Director of Muslim affairs, GMA Ally)
ANAK Zamsamin Ampatuan (A loyal GMA ally who may have been involved in Maguindanao massacre. May GOD have mercy on your clan)
ANG GALING PINOY (AGP) Mikey Arroyo, son of President GMA (AGP is supposedly the marginalized sector of security guards. I will vote for AGAP if Mikey agrees to wear in public a security guard uniform, complete with name plate, cap, whistle, baton and a 38 cal. revolver).
Dennis Pineda (Lubao Mayor, gambling lord and GMA ally), Romeo Dungca (Bacolor Mayor)
ANG KASANGGA Teodorico Haresco (implemented GMA’s bridge program) and LuLu Arroyo (FGMA’s daughter from another woman )
APO Salanib Baterina (GMA Ally)
APO1 Melchor Rosales (DILG undersectary)
BANTAY Evangelina Palparan (Wife Jovito Palparan, the executioner)
BIDA (BATANG IWAS) Ephraim Genuino (PAGCOR chair, GMA’s major source of funding )
BUHAY Mike Vellarde (Spiritual adviser of GMA, partner in crime of Villar, who is conning people with his El Shaddai billions of peso business)
KABAYAN Ron Salo (Palace executive)
PACYAW Janet Lazatin (Former Tourism Asst. Secretary)
Reynaldo Pineda (GMA ally)
PUWERSA NG BAYANING ATLETA (PBA) Alberto Pacquiao (Brother of Manny Pacquiao, GMA ally)
SAGIP Romeo Maganto (former general and possibly hitman of GMA)
VENDORS PARTY LIST (VPL) Marilou Arroyo (Daughter-in- law of GMA. VPL represent the marginalized sector of balut vendors. I will vote for VPL if Marilou sells “balut†on the side walk)
Militant and civic groups and the eagle-eyed public opined that it only proves beyond doubt that the party-list system is being abused by the politically and economically influential in the country.
“From the initial list of nominees, we can certainly say that the party-list system is being routinely abused by politicians, big business interests, high-ranking military officials and Palace allies. It is lamentable that it has come to this. Comelec is partly to blame because it has allowed the party-list system to be taken advantage of over the years,†claimed Bayan secretary general Renato M. Reyes Jr.
Adding insult to injury, the “MARITIME PARTYâ€, (later renamed 1AMO) a legitimate marginalized and underrepresented sector of hundreds of thousands of Filipino seafarers, not counting their wives, families and those involved in the maritime academe, manning and shipping industry, was disqualified. But “LADLADâ€, the group of gays, lesbians and homosexuals were allowed to participate by COMELEC.
This is not about politics. This about our country being fed to the dogs by our corrupt government officials. Let’s strike them out with the power of our votes.
Hi Marketman, funny enough, I saw this shout out from facebook by a friend last week…It says, ” with a little over 2 weeks 2 go b4 d May elections, remember what the famous psychic Jean Dixon predicted in November of 1983 just after the assassination of Ninoy Aquino. She said, “the widow of Sen. aquino will become president. And even one of his children will someday become president but WILL BE CHEATED by a WOMAN and a VERY RICH MAN… will usher the most corrupt era in Philippine history”. I hope that this is not real…
My vote is split… Gibo/Mar. And I know many people who are voting the same way :) And on a sidenote, my partylist is AHON because it supports overseas workers and I know and trust the people behind it.
MM, Bubut of US, permission to repost the useful tidbits in my blogs please. Thank you!
I think am gonna consider Ladlad as my party list.
I’m voting for Gibo for President. I’m still thinking for Vce-President. For senators, I can only think of less than 12, which made me wonder if I can undervote or abstain during the elections. Hmmmm…
As for the party list, I will vote for Ang Ladlad. Besides, party lists are for marginalized sectors of the society, and LGBT people are very much so. It’s fair that the Supreme Court condemned the Comelec for being unconstitutional when it didn’t allow the group to
I can’t believe Marcos is even in the surveys. Marcos, enrile, estrada? GOD SAVE THE PHILIPPINES.
Im definitely sure my president is Gibo, undecided about the rest
Logic and records (listen to his words, google Dick Gordon). I purposely came home from the states to vote for Gordon. I Think therefore I choose Dick and he’s got balls to say what needed to be said and can do what’s needed to be done. He’s my kind of Dick!
No to Oligarchs
Gordon
Binay
hi marketman,
i’m just curious as to why you’re voting for recto. is it because he’s lp?
pinayinny, haven’t made up my mind on Recto, he is nearly last on my maybe list. But if yes, because he is LP, and yes, because he has been there before and is potentially capable in my opinion, BUT, there are some issues… teny, my sentiments as well. Rianne, I hope that is not true… wanderingfoodie, yes, Lito should be on the list…
@bubut, thank you.
I’m definitely going for Gilbert Teodoro. He deserves to be the next President of the Philippines. His tandem with Mar Roxas as VP will be stellar for the country. (Since when was “death of a family member” a qualification” for the presidency?… Ok MM, I’m just teasing. But really, Noy doesn’t fit the bill to be leader of this country. Well, in my opinion that is.)
I hope you will seriously consider giving your vote to Yasmin Lao. I think that she will champion the causes of our Muslim brothers and sisters and will also represent the women well.
We have a similar list except for Recto and de Venecia. I am also not including Tamano or Danny Lim in my list. Come to think of it, I think I will vote for only 10 senators this time.
@tend, I select senatorial candidate based on their track record and not the surnames that they carry. And that include BongBong Marcos, because he has a proven track record and accomplishment, he is much better than the other candidate such as Recto who passed the E-VAT if you still remember, and nevertheless he is not the Ferdinand Marcos Sr. So why do you pass the sin of the father to the son. Is that your basis in choosing your candidate? Anyway, NoyNoy is not a hero like Ninoy and Cory.
@chad: the e-vat, while extremely unpopular, is what has helped this country weather much of the global crisis.