Your vote matters

Wake-uppers:

Scene:  A women advocate asked President Rodrigo Duterte to apologize for publicly flirting with Garcia Hernandez town Mayor Tita Baja-Gallentes. “Mr. President, stop attacking women. After days of just resting in Davao, you’d have more time to think of respectful ways to address the mayor,” said Akbayan Party-list nominee Doris Dinorog-Obena, who hails from Bohol. “The President should apologize to the mayor and to all Filipino women after his attacks. He should say sorry for his vile words for Mayor Baja-Gallentes. Bol-anons don’t deserve to be humiliated,” she added.

Scene:  Mayor Tita Baja-Gallentes of Garcia Hernandez town did not take offense over remarks of President Rodrigo Duterte that he wanted to run away with her and would not let her go even if it meant pulling her panty until it snaps. “First of all it was just, clearly, a joke.  I have spent 15 years in public service, so I’m not easily affected,” she said.  “I don't see any bad interpretation with those remarks. Thank you,” she added. Gallentes was referring to the remarks made by Duterte during a campaign rally in Bohol last Wednesday night wherein he said of Gallentes: “If it were me, why would I ever break up with you? I will really grab and hold on to your panty if you try to leave, even until the garter snaps. You’re just too beautiful.”

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Every election, you have one vote. But that one vote can define the future of our country.

Vote wisely. Photo: Leo Udtohan

As we vote tomorrow, May 13, we will decide who will run our province for the next three years.  

Your vote is your dignity and respect.

While reading this little corner, read carefully the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV)’s 10 commandments for Responsible Voting:

1. Vote according to the dictates of your conscience.

2. Respect the decision of others in choosing their candidates.

3. Seek to know the moral integrity, capabilities, and other personal qualities of the candidates you will vote for.

4. Strive to understand the issues, platform, and programs of candidates and parties campaigning for your vote.

5. Do not sell your vote.

6. Do not vote for candidates using guns, goons, gold, and glitter.

7. Do not vote for candidates tainted with graft and corruption.

8. Do not vote for candidates simply because of “utang na loob” (debt of gratitude), popularity, good looks, or “pakikisama” (peer pressure).

9. Do not vote for candidates living an immoral life.

10. Always put the welfare of the country as top priority in choosing the candidate you will vote for.

VRS wants to hear from you. Tell me what you thought about the election! You can e-mail me at leoudtohan@yahoo.com.

Poor signal during mock elections in Bohol

The only problem the local Commission on Elections (Comelec) offices encountered during the mock elections held on Saturday, Jan. 9, was poor signal on the transmission of vote results.

In Bohol province, mock elections were held in two barangays each in Cortes and Alburquerque towns.

The provincial Comelec office said the vote-counting machines (VCMs) that the votes in the mock canvassing had been 100 percent transmitted shortly after 4:05 p.m. Saturday. 

The mock elections aimed to have all votes accounted for in the 2019 midterm elections.  It was also to test the automated voting machines, transmittal of votes and results to the canvassers in the head office, as well as its new Voter Registration Verification System.

Some election officers in Bohol during the mock elections
 held in  Alburquerque town, Bohol, on Saturday, Jan. 19,  

to test the integrity of the vote counting machines (VCM). 

On Saturday, votes from the clustered precints had to be transmitted to three servers: the Comelec Central Server, the Transparency Server, and the National Board of Canvassers (NBOC).

The Comelec Central Server and the Transparency Server receive the transmitted votes straight from VCMs.

 

The NBOC, which will declare the final results, gets the votes through a careful step-by-step process.

In this process, the votes from polling precincts have to be transmitted to the municipal board of canvassers (MBOC) then to the provincial board of canvassers (PBOC), before being beamed to the NBOC.

During the mock canvassing on Saturday, the transmission to the Comelec Central Server and the Transparency Server finished an hour earlier than the transmission to the NBOC.

Environmental lawyer and triathlete Ingemar Macarine,
 also known as the “Pinoy Aquaman”, with Ric Obedencio
 (of The Freeman/Philippine Star, extreme right) ,
Allen Doydora (of DYRD, extreme left, ) and your
VRS during the mock elections on Saturday, Jan. 19.
Macarine is the election officer of Tubigon.

There were two precints  each for Cortes and Alburquerque towns which catered 100 voters per precint.

In Barangay Dangay in Alburquerque town, there were four precints in cluster at Dangay Elem. School with 87 voters.

The transmissions from Dangay Elem. School did the Comelec Central Serve and the Transparency Server, but it failed to reach the municipal Municipal board of canvassers. But it was later solved by an IT from the Comelec.

Christopher Peralta, election officer 2 of Alburquerque Comelec office, said that there was no problem during the casting of votes.

 He said the only problem was poor signal.

 “Number 1 la siguro  sa problema nato karun is yung pag-receive ng  mga result galing ng cluster precints. Naka-pagtrasmit na sila pero sa MBOC is hindi natin matanggap,” he said.

But in 2016 elections, he said Barangay Dangay had 100% successful transmission of vote results.

Peralta said that the mock elections was an opportunity for the Comelec in Bohol to find ways to address this particular problem should this happen during this year’s elections.

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Thanks for your letters, all will be answered. Comments welcome at leoudtohan@yahoo.com, follow leoudtohanINQ at Twitter /Facebook.