The Tale of A Line And A Stupid Commission

I started the day, Oct 30, at around 7 am. I was late, I know. Pito was not, however, since he arrived there at around 4 am. JB and Mau arrived at around 5 am.

If you don't know, there are two steps to be registered as a voter in the upcoming elections. One, you have to verify your forms. Second, you have to get your biometrics and picture taken. We were able to by pass the first step since we already had verified forms so second step na lang.

The line for the second step for District 2 was like this. There was a waiting shed that is around 2 blocks long. The line loops here twice. Outside the shed, the line continues and loops around thrice. Then the line would continue to the adjacent parking lot (which is around one block long also) wherein it would again loop twice before it continues to the adjacent road (which is the same length as the waiting shed) and would loop SIX times. Guess what, nagsimula kami sa may road kung saan anim na beses nang umi-isaw yung linya. Thank you.

I think we started with 4000 people in front of us and another 2000 behind us. NO JOKE. Nagawa na namin lahat. Nakapagbonding na kami, naglaro kami ng cards, nagtsismisan na kami, nagtawanan, kumain, kumanta, umiyak, magkwentuhan, at kung anu-ano pa. Nakalaklak na ata kami ng tatlong litro ng pinaghalu-halong coke, tubig at juice. Mind you, sobrang init nun. Kulang na lang magreview na kami for an exam para lang once and for all maramdaman namin na may nagagawa kaming productive bukod sa paghintay na umusod ng kaunti yung pila.

But we waited. After all, para sa bansa di ba? At para rin sa karapatan mo.

Wag ka, nakarating kami sa may pila sa waiting shed. When we were there we felt so trimphant. Nasasayangan kami sa pagpipilang ginagawa namin dun pero who cares. At that point, we just want to be registered voters para naman may patunguhan ang mga ginawa namin. Walang reklamo. We just want to end it soon.

Around 530 pm (at this point I have lined up for almost 10 hours, sina JB at Mau 12 hours at si pito at 13 hours), the line stopped already. Hindi na sila ulit kumukuha ng forms para ibigay sa loob ng office at matawag. Then, suddenly, lumabas yung isang taga-Comelec, nagdala slash naglagay ng blue table sa tabi nung pila at ipinaliwanag na hindi na daw lahat ng tao ngayon ay ma-aaccomodate. Kukuhanin na lang daw nila yung forms namin at yung contact number namin tapos tatawagan na lang daw nila kami. What the fuck? Job interview ba to??

Pero kami ok lang, sige. Kaya to. Para at least may mapala tayo. Ang problema nagkaroon ng massive na singitan at imbis na malapit na kami, biglang humaba yung pila namin. Pero sige kebs lang. After such a long wait, WHO WANTS TO GO HOME EMPTY-HANDED?? So nagtiis pa rin kami. Siksikan na yung waiting shed nun pano ang dami sumingit kaya sobrang init at hindi ka pa masyadong makagalaw. Tapos nagkagulo pa yung pila so may isang batalyon ng mga tao ang biglang nagrereklamo at nagkeclaim na lo and behold sila raw ang tamang pila. Pero kebs pa rin. We still wanted to be optimistic and get something out of that REALLY LONG wait. I think at that point, ok na lang din samin ang umuwi ng kahit 11pm just so we can sign our names and contact numbers and give them our forms (mind you, hindi pa rin kami tapos nito ah. kasi tatawagan pa daw nila kami diumano para magpabiometrics so babalik pa rin kami.)

Tapos nagsimula nang umulan. The line was moving nung mga 7 pm pa (Pagpila hours: ako, 12 hours, sina JB at Mau, 13.5 hours, si pito, 15 hours). Malayo pa kami sa pila. Mga isang loop pa ng tao. Tapos ang dami pang nagpapasingit. Ang estimate mga dalawa hanggang tatlong oras pa. Tapos biglang hindi na gumagalaw yung pila. Naglalaro na lang kami ng cards nun. Tapos sabi nung katabi namin nawala na daw yung mga taga-Comelec kaya hindi na gumagalaw yung pila. (Take note, umuulan pa rin, lumalakas na, at may mga nakapila pa rin sa lbas ng waiting shed at naghihintay na gumalaw yung pila.) Sabi namin by 7:30 kapag wala pa rin yung pila, kakausap na kami ng tao at itatanong kung kelan ba nila balak simulan ulit yung pagkuha ng forms kasi ayaw naman naming mag24 hours sa pagpila noh.

7:30 came still no sign of anyone. Nagdecide na kaming gaguhan na iyon at pagod na talaga kami so pumunta kami sa loob ng office para lang itanong kung kelan ulit magsastart. Kung magsastart na ng mga 8, magdedecide kami kung itutuloy pa namin yung pila. Kung later pa, baka hindi na lang kasi dis oras na ng gabi for crying out loud at nandun kami sumisikat pa lang ang araw. Ayaw naman naming abutin ng bukas ang pathetic na nun.

We talked to the guard. Ang bastos niya. Pinapalayas niya kami ay sabi niya "Bumalik na kayo sa pila! Magreresume din kami! Bumalik na kayo" As if namang willing pa kaming bumalik sa pila! Tapos tinatanong namin siya kung mga anong oras nila ulit ibabalik yung pagkuha ng forms, sabi niya: "Basta bumalik na lang kayo do'n! Magreresume din kami pagtigil ng ulan!"

Mind you, hindi tumigil ang ulan ng gabing yun. Signal number 2 nga eh, ang kulit.

Gusto kong murahin ang ina niya nung mga panahon na iyon pero sabi ko wag na lang. He's not worth it. So umalis na kami dahil hindi na talaga namin kaya pang pumila ng sobrang tagal pa. We left at around 8, achieving nothing at all.

I lined up for almost 13 hours. Well, sina JB at Mau 15 hours at si Pito 16 hours.

Ngayon mo sabihin sakin na: "Ayan kasi hindi kayo nagparegister ng maaga" at mumurahin kita sa abot ng aking makakaya. Thank You.

Alam kong matagal na yung registration at na oo kasalanan namin na hindi kami maaga nagparegister kaya kami inabot ng ganun kahabang pila. PERO YUN NGA YUNG DAHILAN KUNG BAKIT KAHIT PARANG HINDI MATATAPOS YUNG PILA NA YUN EH PUMILA PA RIN KAMI, kasi alam namin na yun yung kapalit ng late registration.

The point is, there was injustice because we were still able to make it to the deadline pero na-cut off lang kami. Sa school, kapag nagpasa ka ng project ng maaga may bonus points. Analogy: Kapag nagparegister ka ng maaga wala kang mararanasan na ganun kahabang pila. Pag nagpasa ka beyond the deadline, hindi tatanggapin project mo. PERO PAG NAGPASA KA WITHIN THE DEADLINE, walang bonus, i.e. pipila ka ng mahaba dahil amraming tao, pero TATANGGAPIN PA RIN YUNG PROJECT MO.

Ang problema kasi, kung deadline ngayon and 7000 people lined up, it just means that 7000 people deserved to be registered dahil umabot naman sila sa deadline eh. To cut-off other people dahil lang ang gusto niyong ang iprocess lang for this day ay 2000 people would be violating their right to vote. Kung 7000 ang dumating, 7000 dapat ang maprocess mo.

And the whole thing was so unfair. Dahil walang sistema, ang daming sumingit sa harap kaya yung mga nakapila na dun ng 4am pa lang naunahan pa ng mga pumila dun ng 11pm. There was no numbering system and the whole thing assumed na wala ka nang gagawin for the day at na pwede mong ilaan ang 16 hours mo sa pagpila para lang maging registered voter. Bullshit.

Also, District 2 lang yung may sobrang habang pila na ganun. Yung iba atang district walang pila. Why not redirect some people to those machines? Para naman mabawasan kahit papano yung tao sa district 2??

Tapos pumila ka na ng sobrang tagal, sa dulo sasabihin sayo na kukunin na lang nila pangalan at contact number mo at tatawagan ka na lang nila para BUMALIK. At hindi lang yun, for no reason at all, DAHIL LANG UMUULAN, na as if namang yung mga taong nakapila sa labas ay hindi nauulanan, tinigil nila yung pagkuha ng forms.

AGAIN, ngayon mo sabihin sakin na: "Ayan kasi hindi kayo nagparegister ng maaga" at mumurahin kita sa abot ng aking makakaya at kahit hindi ko na kaya mumurahin pa rin kita. Thank You.

We went home feeling defeated. Nanakawan kami ng isang araw, literally. But we were not really ashamed OR guilty that we went home not registered at all. Nagexert kami ng effort. Sobrang. Daming. Effort. Hindi na naman namin siguro kasalanan kung naviolate ang mga karapatan namin dahil lang sa isang bulok na sistema, di ba? We went there to exercise our rights but we were stopped by a big wall called incompetence.

We also decided not to line up anymore today. We need to rest.

We tried to be good Filipinos. We really did. Pero mukhang allergic nga talaga ang bansang to sa mga mabubuting mamamayan. Kung sistema pa lang sa pagregister ng mga boboto gaguhan na, eh hindi mo na masisisi kung bakit come election time eh sobrang daming anomalyang nagaganap.

Kung ayaw mo akong pabotohin, fine. Ipagdadasal ko na lang ang bansang to.

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Tnx JB, Mau at Pito for the company. It would have been ten times more agonizing wihtout you guys. Kelangan na talaga magbonding ng 2014 QC people! :)

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At ngayon-ngayon lang, nabasa kong (CLICK ME for the news article!) isang petition sa supreme court ang ipinasa kaugnay sa diumano'y pagiging unconstitutional ng Oct. 31 deadline para sa registration of new voters lalu pa't ang sabi lang sa constitution ay dapat wala nang registration 120 days prior to an election. This means dapat wala nang registration ng January kung May ang elections at na 2 months earlier and deadline na iniimpose ng COMELEC. Oh great. Kung mapapasa to, pipila ba tayo ulit JB, Mau, at Pito? Sakin okay lang. hahaha. :P (ako na ang stubborn. :P)