The Road Of Selfishness

The last time our small and simple town was featured in the national television as far as I can remember, it was 3 or 4 years ago in ABS-CBN TV Patrol World. The news program featured the bamboo festival of our town during that time, which is the Tultugan Festival. Again, the name of our municipality appeared on the television screen in the same news program but this time it is not to feature the beauty of our culture and tradition but because of the animosity and hostility displayed by some of the political candidates aspiring for positions in our town's local government.

The incident I am referring to was the blocking of the road leading to a certain barangay of our town in which it was known for its loyalty to the incumbent mayor, his family and party. The culprit for this move was the opponent candidate in which he is currently competing with the incumbent mayor's father for the mayoralty position of our town. The way was blocked days before the election with fences of cyclone wires surrounding a certain part of the road and to make it sure that it will not be passable, sharp debris of glasses and metals were planted on its surface. When the opponent candidate was interviewed by reporters why he did it, he answered Why not? The road according to him passes a certain portion of his land so he has therefore the right to do whatever he wants to do with it and that includes blocking it. The barangay, according to him, is the territory of his opponent so the people there doesn't deserve his generosity.

I am not a supporter of both candidates. So I will not be biased at least to say that what the other candidate had done, which was blocking the road, was totally an act of utter selfishness, desperation, and total disregard of the welfare of his fellowmen. It's a good thing that this candidate's true color flaunted just in time or else we will be having a chameleon for a mayor. A mayor whose main intention is not to serve his people but only to gratify his own self. I am disgusted with such an act and I am more ashamed that it was shown on national television.

The Election Souveiner

The moment I arrived at the voting precinct I was listed this morning, I was surprised of the long line of voters queuing for their turn to cast their ballots (or have it scanned). I thought automation was supposed to speed up the voting process but how come this scenario suddenly existed? The reason given by COMELEC was that they clustered several voting precincts into one because of the limited number of PCOS machines. No wonder, a lot of eager voters were crammed in a single precinct. But despite of that, I still joined the queue of excited and anxious voters and patiently waited for my turn.

After almost half an hour of waiting, one of the facilitators (or watchers I think) beckoned me to enter the voting booth. The BEI scanned for my name in her list of voters and when she found my name (together with the black and white picture of mine), she had me signed it, gave me the ballot together with the secrecy folder and the marker pen. I went to a corner, fished for the list of candidates that I'll be voting inside my jean's pocket, had a quick look at the ballot, and started to shade. When I'm excited, my hands get too sweaty that I can wet a paper I'm holding in a matter of few minutes. That's why I really tried to carefully not blot the ballot with my sweat. This is a national matter of utmost importance, I said to myself smiling.

While shading, the song by Sexbomb Dancers kept on playing inside my head. May bilog... May bilog... na hugis itlog... It took me I think 5 minutes or more shading the oblongs beside the names whom I think will help salvage what is left of this country. And then after that, the moment had finally come, the scanning of my ballot. I went straight to the PCOS machine and I inserted my ballot. While the machine was scanning it, my heart was pounding like wild horses running to and fro. Then suddenly the machine's screen flashed that my ballot was rejected. I think all the blood in my face during that time suddenly went down to my legs. I couldn't believe it. I wasted my precious vote. There must be something wrong with the way I shade, I thought.

I stood there transfixed and shocked in front of the machine for several seconds but it was almost like an eternity. Then the BEI, sensing my foolishness, went to my direction and asked me to insert my ballot again in the machine but this time bottom first. I did what she asked and after waiting again, this time with canyons exploding in my chest, the machine's screen finally congratulated me because my ballot was accepted. I wanted to shout out of sheer gladness but of course, I held back my emotion. I didn't want to create a scene. He he he...

While riding a tricycle going home, still thinking of the wonders of poll automation and pondering what will going to happen tonight when all the votes are in, my attention was suddenly drawn to the thing I kept on twirling between my fingers. And then I realized that I had brought with me the marker with prints on its side that says: SMARTMATIC Technology To Serve All.

Making A List..... And Checking It Twice

Tomorrow, the fate of this country will be decided by every Filipino eligible to vote. And tomorrow, history too will be made since it will be the nation's first automation poll. I can't deny the fact that I am excited since I will be a part of this great event and likewise a bit anxious since automation is a new thing for us. We certainly have no past experience about it and our authorities have no expertise to brag when it comes to this process. I know that as of this moment, a lot of Filipinos have questions too hovering in their heads like me. What if this election will be sabotaged by groups whose main agenda is to spread havoc and terror? Is it really possible for the system used in this automation to be hacked and thus cheating too? Are the people running the technical side of this forthcoming election, such as the PCOS technicians, members of the board of election, watchers and others, equipped enough with the knowledge on poll automation? Does the COMELEC has any back up or contingency plan when problems arise? Was the time spent to educate voters particularly those who are computer illiterate enough for them to understand the process of this brand new way of voting? So on and so forth. Here I am again, ranting like a paranoid. As I've said, poll automation is a new thing for us and fear is the dread for the unknown. We don't know what will be the outcome for tomorrow but then again, automation is the risk worth taking. A gamble we need to undertake if we wantto move forward to progress.

Poll automation, if become successful, can revolutionize the election process and create a drastic change in the way we elect our future leaders. First world countries such as the US are reaping the benefits of poll automation since it speeds up the election process and minimized or eradicate the possibility of cheating. Although I am praying that my chosen candidates will lead the race tomorrow, I am more fervent in praying that tomorrow's election will be a success. I am crossing my fingers to that but not after I make a list (and checking it twice) for the names I'll be shading the day after today.

Vote wisely!

To Carmen

To the rose that blooms in the cold winter

To the wind that caresses my heart so tender

To the star whose light guides my way in the darkness

To the song that chases away my sadness

To the loving hand the touches my soul

To the woman who's been my all...

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY TO YOU NANAY!

YOU'LL BE IN MY HEART FOR ALWAYS 'TIL THE DAY I DIE.

Point And Click: Forseeing The Matrix Possibility

Kids now a days are way too far different from the kids of the past. And when I say "kids of the past" I am referring to my generation --- the punk kids of the 80s! The specie of unique children who's fond of pop, punk, disco and rock music is unquenchable and whose adoration of Madonna, Boy George and Michael Jackson is undying not to mention of course the insatiable craving for totsie rolls and bazooka bubble gums! Ha ha ha...

Man, I miss the 80s, the decade where kids' recreational activities were simply playing with their Barbie dolls or GI Joes or soar their kites while basking in the hot afternoon sun. Of course tumbang preso, piko, patentero, rubber bands, marbles, and spider fights were also "in" during those days. Games in the 80s were not just physical but at the same time a mixture of wit and strategy. But those were the days. Now, children are playing in a playground build in an intangible world called the cyberspace. A world so interactive yet so unreal. A world where all you have to do is sit all day, focus your eyes on the screen until they hurt, and click click click the mechanical thing they called mouse. A routine of point and click!

My three preschooler cousins, all of them girls, are so addicted with online games in the internet that everyday it's their only form of exercise, that is, if you can call it one. Each girl has her own email and her own social site account on both Friendster and Facebook. With these social sites, they can access on games such as Farmville, Fishville, Mafia Wars, Pet Society, Social City, Tiki Island, Hospital Mayhem and many others. If internet connection is not available, they will resort to playing Zuma, Bookworm, or Plant Versus Zombies. Sometimes, they will access Youtube and watch whatever videos they find interesting (they love to watch and giggle on Justin Bieber's videos which makes me wonder how come these girls grow so fast!?). As I observed these kids facing the screen most of the day almost everyday, with the tendency to forget to blink while their hands maneuver the mouse as if hypnotized, I then concluded that marijuana is so outdated because this thing, the cyberspace, is very addicting to today's generation.

With the advent of the digital/cyber era, the lifestyle of most people around the globe has also changed dramatically. Information can now be easily accessed with just a snap of the fingers and of course communication is way too easy even when people are thousand miles apart. Entertainment, whether wholesome or age restricted, is now enjoyed by many at anytime and anywhere. The world has become small and connected in every way. But children, young as they maybe, are also greatly affected with the modern technology we have now. Instead of reading books or researching in the library, they'll just open Wikipedia on the internet, copy and then paste, and presto! Assignments are finished in just a few ticks of the clock. Instead of playing cats and dogs in the open space, chasing one another until they run out of breath, now they would rather sit in the front of the monitor, munch some chips, and play Counterstrike. Instead of planting flowers, now they opted more on playing Farmville. Digital trees, flowers, and vegetables seem more convenient to them and more fun since they grow fast without cultivating and watering. No sweat at all.

But what really is my point here? My point is, kids addiction with cyber technology particularly the internet has turned today's generation into a lazy, addicted, brand new version of couch potatoes. Getting their daily dose of radiation, slowly destroying their eyes, developing carpal tunnel syndrome, and turning themselves into an addle-brained creatures.

The internet actually is not a bad thing. Just like money it is neutral and it can be used for good or for bad purposes. It can either enslave you or you could be the master of it. I myself is very thankful for the internet. It makes my life easy and comfortable. It connects me with important people and those close to my heart without boundaries. Yet I make sure that it doesn't control me like a puppet. I make sure that the world depicted in The Matrix trilogy will not come into reality (but if it will do happen, can I play Neo's part? lol!). Lately, my Aunt is regulating the use of internet in the house with the kids and I am happy that my cousins are now occupied with other worthwhile things such as taking voice and piano lessons, likewise a crash course in swimming. For me, these are the things that children should spent their time and energy during summer and not on feeding virtual pets and watering digital plants that doesn't really exist in reality. Parents I guess should be responsible with their children's use of the internet. They must see to it that what their kids are browsing on the net doesn't turn them into cyber zombies. Parental guidance is the key.

While the punk kids of the 80s are still so preoccupied with what is happening in the real world, focusing their concerns on issues such as the recession of global economy, climate crisis, political events, and how to survive this cruel planet, the kids of Silicon Valley on the other hand are too busy wandering in the virtual world --- harvesting computer generated strawberries, fighting virtual dragons and zombies, poking other people's profiles, and watching endless videos and listening to endless sounds that could satisfy the senses. Addiction to cyber technology by today's generation must be controlled or else this world will end up one day where the color and the scent of a rose is just programmed to our brain by a super megacomputer for us to "sense" it. A future possible world where illusion is confused with reality. Sounds impossible but is there anything not possible nowadays? Tsk tsk tsk... I'm so into The Matrix. Ha ha ha...