Bayan Mo, I-Patrol Mo (BMPM) Election Forum

     Last Monday, February 11, 2013, we attended a seminar regarding the elections (Philippines) that is about to happen in the coming months. For that, we were requested to attend this seminar by ABS-CBN in order for us to have a brief overview about what the voting process, and the politics is all about. The program was hosted by ABS-CBN news reporter, Ms. Nina Corpuz.

    

 There were different topics that were discussed in the whole forum. A lot of different speakers with their credentials and knowledge that will suffice our needs in terms of the political climate in our country. The topics that were discussed really had the students think of what our responsibility is in terms of voting. A single vote can change what we seat in the senatorial, or even presidential board. 

     As a voter, we have different responsibilities. These include: in order to know which leader to sit in, we must know the situation of our community. VOTE! Vote wisely! These are just some of the responsibilities that were stated in the seminar. 

Why vote?

It is my human right.

This right is a privilege.

It is a social equalizer.

It is my responsibility.

My vote is my contribution to nation building.

     The next topic is about the PCOS machine. The audience were amazed at how this machine works! To tell the truth, I just saw this machine for the first time since I'm not a registered voter yet.

Photo from The Lasallian

     This is the part where Mr. Leo Lim is having a tutorial on how to use the PCOS machine. Also, a sample report based from the votes that were counted from the PCOS machine was shown to the students. I am in awe at how consistent the report is and wondered how they did such machine with extra-ordinary skills. Some features of the machine were stated such as positioning and timing marks, the iButton key, scanning of the ballots, audit trail, encryption and the timely information of the machine. It is simply amazing how technology is enhancing our processes and making lives better.

     After a break, the seminar is back and invited more speakers to talk about the voting, the elections, and about the candidates.

     The next speaker was Atty. Jocelyn Cruz, who is the vice dean of the College of Law in DLSU. Her topic was about the rights of voters. This topic made the audience wonder and think more of the rights that have been given to us when it comes to voting and we should not waste this opportunity. Why should we vote? So we can get to participate in the functioning of the government, it creates a sense of responsibility in the leaders, and it leads to a fast progress of the country.

     Next was Chief Superintendent Generoso Cerbo, Jr. HIs topic was about SAFE 2013 (Secure and Fair Elections). There are factors that affect the conduct of elections: private armed groups, proliferation of loose firearms, intense political rivalry, presence of threat groups, and crime groups/gangs.

     After Chief Superintendent, the speaker was Dr. Francisco Magno and his topic was about candidate assessment. He spoke about the i4Juan. It has 4 pillars which are: integrity, intelligence, inclusiveness, and innovation. These are the most essential traits that a candidate must have in order for that person to lead the country in a more innovative and effective way.

     Lastly, it is about the election finance, which was talked about by Mr. Vincent Lazatin. He mentioned about the costs of a candidate incurs when he or she is about to make his or her promotions or candidacy. This topic is about explaining why the use of finance is important in the candidacy of the candidates. The reasons are: it provides equal access to the elective office (the expenditures that are covered), to minimize the influence of political/business interests (the sources to be used), and the ideas that would win over money. As also stated, the money making opportunities and the influence of money have to be reduced. The balance of power has to be shifted away from the politicians and back to the citizens. Lastly, the elected position is considered a business.

     For the last part of the forum, the topics to be discussed were about the role of the youth in the upcoming elections. DLSU Student Government President, Ms. Jana Cabuhat, and Mr. Atom Araullo discussed the different things that the youth must do in order to take part in the improvement of the election cycle in our country. The innovation and the new technologies that has emerged in the country is considered a part in the said improvements. TECHNOLOGY IS NEUTRAL, as stated by Mr. Araullo.

     Through this seminar, I'm thankful to DLSU and ABS-CBN for giving the students an opportunity to have a brief background of the Halalan 2013. Even though most of us are still not registered voters, this seminar serves as the starting point for our minds to be fed with political aspects. Also, the elections will not only change the country, it will also change the way of life for the Filipino citizens.