10 May 2010

Oneal and I woke up at 6:30 so we could go to Antipolo, where I am still registered with my family. We left the Pajero at Mom's house, and Oneal, Victor and I went to Mambugan Elementary School. It was 8:00. Mom had left an hour earlier.

Mom had told us our precinct and cluster number, and told us where to go. Alas there were so many people that it was so confusing, and we ended up circling the entire school for half an hour before finding our room. When we go there, Mom was still in line. It was 8:30.

So Victor and I got in line, and we spent 2 and a half hours there. There were so many people, and it was hot and crowded, and we were sweating buckets and buckets. Every twenty minutes (I think), the line would move and we'd cheer, then wait again. Finally it was our turn, and we spent 10 minutes each to vote.

The problem in our precinct, I found, was not the process, or the BEI, or the election watchers. The problem, I felt, was the voters, who all kept complaining about the heat and the line and the BEI and the watchers. They were so irate and short-tempered. You'd think that after all the time they spent on registering, and the duration of the campaign period, they'd be willing to spend a few hours just to exercise their right to vote.

Once we were done, Oneal took pictures of me and Victor and the indelible ink on our index fingers. Mom had gone on home to prepare lunch. We trudged out of the school, and took a trike back to the house. We had lunch and watched the news and compared notes.

We heard about the Subway promo, and we decided to go to the branch in Eastwood. Mom and Victor hitched a ride with us so they could get their sandwiches too. Mom went to work, and we dropped off Victor in Cubao. We just stopped at home for a quick shower, then we went to Tahanan Village so Oneal could vote with his family.

And you will notice in the pictures the stark, stark difference between voting in Antipolo and voting in Parañaque. :P