This past week, I heard calls from citizens to extend voter registration. There were also complaints about a lack of system in the registration process and the time it takes for each voter to be registered.
Voter registration began in December 2008 and is set to end last 31 October 2009. In the week of October 26-31, old and new voters rushed to registration centers put up by the Commission on Elections (COMELEC). Long lines formed and impatience heightened.
This was not the case when I went to register sometime in September, during a holiday weekday. When me and my son (both first time voters) got to the registration center at the Pateros Municipal Hall, we are the only clients they have. We filled up forms, presented our IDs, had our photo, finger print, and signatures recorded, and received our claiming stub for our voter's ID. It took us almost 30 minutes and a leisurely pace at that.
As we are about to leave, another father and son tandem came in. It was a slow day. And I believe the days were even slower before that.
Television channels were peppered with advertisements from COMELEC urging everyone to register and yet we took our time and many of us waited for the last minute.
I heard one first time voter said: "this is disappointing. how can I be registered if the process is slow and that they do not have a proper system implemented?"
To be fair, she may have just turned of legal age on the week of the deadline. But if she was of legal age way before that, it is indeed disappointing. Disappointing that she took too long to decide when to register.
Another person in the line was asked why he only went to register now, he replied: "I had work to do." Is there no work to do on the day he decided to fall in line to register?
We Filipinos generally wait until the last minute before we act and just blame someone else for our failures. When will we ever learn that the "last minute" is always crowded?
We all know that 5:00pm is the start of the rush hours and that the streets and public transports are crowded so we either leave earlier or later. We wait in the office to allow the volume to lighten or go out somewhere to while away the time.
Why can't we apply that to other activities like registering to vote? Why can't we go to register earlier? COMELEC centers are open on Saturdays and Holidays. Is it because we have picnics planned during those times? Or is it because we do not value our right to vote?
It is easier to blame somebody else than to remind ourselves what we should do.
One's self is always our toughest opponent.
I used to say that the reason why I did not register to vote is so that I will not be part of the blame for voting someone into position.
Now my reason for registering is that my vote may be a "swing vote" that will have my candidate elected.
Since my candidate decided not to run anymore, what is left for me is to exercise my obligation to cast my choice for our next leaders.
