Beyond the elections: Thoughts On Automation & The Filipino Spirit

MANILA, Philippines - I had earlier written articles for STARweek about the Automated Election System (AES) as national communications director of the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV).

At that time, the jury was out on the AES. Many prophesied gloom and doom; a failure of elections; no proclamation! The weather has changed dramatically since then.  The new officials of the land were proclaimed in record time. And, while still imperfect, the AES has certainly made for more peaceful elections, even yielding surprising nobility from politicians who conceded (another first in Philippine history!). There is much more to be done moving forward but in the words of Cesar Flores, Smartmatic’s Asia Pacific president and the new resident heartthrob, “Don’t let anyone rain on your parade! This election was the best the Philippines has ever had!”

I was privileged to have had a ringside view of the birthing of AES and consider it the ultimate honor to have played a bit role in its launching. The experience soared with many blessings but was equally fraught with many pains; and each one was a lesson and a gift.

There is a hero in all of us

When the enormity of what we had to do as Comelec’s citizen’s arm would overwhelm me, I was always sustained by one thought – I was surrounded by heroes! 

PPCRV volunteers, some without the resources to pay for their cell phone load, would report for duty anyway, never asking for anything, grateful for what little snacks and drinks we could give them. Many took leaves from their call center or teaching jobs. 

On the field, I would hear stories of volunteers being slapped, shouted at; of an 84-year-old volunteer who refused to stop manning the Voters Assistance Table even in the extreme heat. They assisted voters, sometimes carrying the disabled up three flights of stairs to their precincts. 

We do not have a few good men and women in the Philippines; we have scores of them!  Give the Filipino a cause to fight for, a dream to strive for, and the heroism innate in us will rise to the challenge.

It’s true: god will provide

PPCRV is not a rich organization and funding is a perennial issue for our 3,000 member parishes, 448 vicariates and 86 dioceses. And yet we were able to mobilize hundreds of thousands of volunteers, train over 20 million voters, distribute millions of printed material and videos on the AES, put up a command center with 120 networked computers with 24-hour operations.  And each time to I would run to my mother, PPCRV chair Henrietta de Villa, with bills and more bills, she would smile beatifically and say, “God will provide.” 

When the coffers ran dry, a new donor stepped in. When we had no food left to give our command center volunteers, a quick call to the advertisers of the Philippines yielded steaming hot, yummy food. I looked in amazement and thought of the miracle of the multiplying loaves of bread and fish.

The Youth Are Truly The Promise Of A Bright Tomorrow 

The youth were a major force in this election.  They volunteered and came by the busloads. They took over our command center and media desk. They said yes to everything. Yes, they could track down our field coordinators nationwide. Yes, they could man the call center for 24 hours. Yes, they could upload hourly media reports. Yes, they could download transmissions every 20 minutes from the Comelec server and man the graveyard shift. 

They are open to every possibility and have not yet learned the cynicism of saying that something cannot be done. May they never learn this, may they always be the poster children for Adidas’ slogan:  “Impossible is Nothing!”

It is better to light just one little candle

It sometimes felt like we were the lone lighted candle. We were called Polyannas, naïve in our belief in the AES. Don’t get me wrong, we knew there were problems. But does one simply discuss and argue endlessly or does one roll up one’s sleeves and get to work? We opted for the latter and are very glad we did.  Words are cheap and actions speak louder than words. Walk the talk, and before I run out of platitudes, let me just say that a single flame can ignite a nation!

The rise of the koala

I watched in amazement as Koala Boy spoke with authority on topics he obviously had no authoritative knowledge on. I watched in greater amazement as congressmen and members of the press lapped up his words and even promoted them over broadcast media. 

We are animal lovers, yes, but this blind belief in a blind mask was the blind leading the blind. The automated system has errors which need looking into, but I have not yet seen any substantial proof of widespread, systematic fraud. 

Should we not be more discerning of what we believe and spread?  Koalas are cute cuddly things but as a zookeeper in Sydney once told me:  “Be careful!  They have a big and painful bite!”

Where can i get an iron chin?

Sadly, involvement in PPCRV caused the “Bulong Brigade” to cast aspersions on my name. Early this year, a very upset PPCRV coordinator called saying that some members of an organization had openly said in a provincial forum that I had garnered a P200-million (it has since gone up to P400-million) PR contract from Comelec and Smartmatic. This rumor was later printed by a columnist.  Of course it hurt! I am a stay-at-home mother with not a single business to my name. A light moment came when I was consulting with my brother-in-law, who said: “Yes, there was established malice, but you are now a public figure and that comes with the territory!”

Me? A public figure? I laughed so hard that I forgot to be angry. But seriously, is it so difficult to recognize true and simple good intentions? And if it is, then how many well-intentioned men and women will stand up for what is good if all they can look forward to is a blackened name? On top of good intentions, one needs an iron chin and the ability to turn the other cheek to take the hits in public service.

I didn’t lose, i was just cheated!

This is just sad, sad, sad. That a loss is not a loss, not the voters’ verdict, but a victory manipulated into a loss by dark and evil forces. Everyone has a right to protest but it would be good to substantiate it with credible and solid proof. I cannot help but admire Senator Villar who conceded with grace and dignity.

It’s not the machines!

When all is said and done, it’s not the machines that make an election.  So much time was devoted to the PCOS machines, the CF cards, but has anyone taken the time to reflect on voter behavior? 

Vote buying was highest in this election, allegedly as high as P5,000 for the votes of a family! That’s a paradigm shift from retail vote buying to wholesale shopping, and what does that tell us? It’s not the machines; it was always about us and how much or how little we value our vote.  Ultimately, it is our behavior and the reasons for it that must inspire the largest scrutiny.

“We are small in size but big in dreams, with enormous problems but with extravagant hope.”

My mom said that when talking about how a little country like ours could undertake the first nationwide automated election and make the world take notice. And as President Noynoy takes his oath this Wednesday and begins the herculean task of redirecting this nation, let us not be defined by the problems that beset us. Rather, let’s set our sights high on the wings of our possibilities. We are as big or as small as our dreams. So let’s dream big and allow the greatness latent in every Filipino to work towards making those big dreams come true.

Editor’s note: The inauguration on Wednesday of the 15th president of the Republic is the culmination of the historic political exercise that the country just went through. The controversial, convoluted automated system implemented for this year’s national and local election ended with a surprising degree of success, with the winners known in a matter of days if not hours. As we prepare to start a new chapter inour history with a new president and a new set of givernment officials, we asked a STARweek suki-writer to look back on the automated election system and share some of the insights and lessons that she learned.