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By RAYMUND B. VILLANUEVA
Nothing seems to have changed in the conduct of elections in Lanao.
MAGUINDANAO -- Residents push their way inside a polling precinct in Buldon town. Hundreds of voters are getting impatient -- shouting, shoving, banging the doors of the precinct, demanding that they be allowed in. An army soldier tries to break a scuffle while poll watchers and the BEIs insist that voting should be one at a time. This year's elections, will serve as a test to Philippines’ fragile democracy. Once an inspiration to emerging democracies for its “people power” overthrow of the American-backed autocrat Ferdinand E. Marcos, the Philippines has suffered from poor governance in the past decade.
MAGUINDANAO -- Despite the rain, voters in Tugaig, a village in Barira town, continue to line up. ‘See these people? They line up to vote. But will the politicians do to them after being elected? They will ignore them,’ says a woman beside me.
By CARLOS H. CONDE
Despite the promise of order that computerization brings, the conduct of the elections in Maguindanao province and other areas in Mindanao leaves much to be desired.
DAVAO CITY -- Voting in Barangay Centro Agdao is going at a snail's pace. Lines are long and at the rate the automated voting is progressing, observers fear many will not be able to cast their ballots by the time polling centers close. Voters who have agonized waiting in line grudgingly call the PCOS machines "tikas machines", with pun intended. Workers, who still have to report for work and those who find the long lines and the wait much too daunting, have already left the precincts without casting their votes.
By MARYA SALAMAT
The snail's pace in the voting process would create more problems than just the long lines voters have to endure.
By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO
The May 10 elections have officially began. As expected, the first five hours were far from smooth.
Bangued, ABRA -- In other precincts, people are complaining of the very slow process -- from checking the names of the voters to submitting the ballot to the PCOS machine. Some even went home because they cannot handle the extreme heat. At Precinct #7, BEIs manually collected the ballots. The PCOS machine cannot process the ballots due to defective CF card. The BEI said, they are still waiting for the replacement CF cards to arrive from Manila. A voter told Bulatlat in an interview that the glitches might disenfranchise the votes.
MAGUINDANAO -- Hundreds of people line up outside Buldon Elementary School since early morning to vote. While no untoward incident occurred, it’s a bit chaotic here as voters jostle to enter the voting precincts. "Magulo pero masaya," says Kabiba Tomawis, a voter.
By ANGEL S. AVERIA JR. / EU-CenPEG Project 3030/AESWatch
The cloud of doubt that hovers over the credibility and acceptability of the election results come May 10, 2010 has grown darker.
By SONNY AFRICA / IBON Features
Candidates can cultivate an image of reform but what exactly, beyond the predictable motherhood statements, can and will they do?
The final testing and sealing (FTS) in Marikina City was held on May 6, earlier than the announced May 7 testing. Board of Election inspectors and watchers are waiting as early as 10am but machine arrived after lunch. No ballot boxes were delivered.
In the final testing and sealing in Palatiw Elementary School in Pasig City on May 8, the common problem was the startup of the PCOS machine. The machine in Precinct 107 displayed the COMELEC logo for a long time. The machine had to be turned on and off. Many other machines unexpectedly shut down.
CAVITE -- Delegates of the People's International Observers’ Mission participated in the mock elections in San Labrador Town in Dasmariñas, Cavite today, May 9, 2010. In Dasmariñas North National High School, one precint experienced glitches when votes for some local candidates were not counted by the PCOS machine. The problem was solved when the CF card was replaced.
Datu Piang, MAGUINDANAO -- Workers unload election equipment at the Datu Piang town hall in Maguindanao. In some areas in the province, delivery of PCOS machines was a problem. Reports said this morning that Comelec people were prevented from delivering these machines to Buldon, a farflung town in Maguindanao.
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