MEMORIES

It was a great privilege being with people; sharing ideas, agreements and disagreements on issues, hanging out and having fun. The more you are being with other people, the more you know yourself. Sometimes they tell you what to do, advise you whenever you have problems, they are sweet to you but sometimes they talk behind your back. These are just a revelation that we are human; not perfect and can never be. We only have to make some adjustments in the place where we are in.

However, those people who were with you last few months or years are the part of your life. Sometimes they really mean to us, when we try to remember laughters and jokes with them especially with those serious conversations. Sometimes we try to go back that exact scenes and settings of the passed but we can only just recall all the memories and theres no chance to go back.

I didn't write this as a tribute or something but a simple revelation of love, courage and confidence that I gained during those years that I was with them.

Note: Kamong mga 1E, if maka-visit mo ani akong blog, 'yaw mo kalimot ug comment ha. Pwede man ko ka-comment sa ubos. Sige ha.

SOON TO BE PART OF HISTORY - AUTOMATED ELECTION

What am I reading today?

Source: Hubpages

The Malacañang's Department of Budget and Management produce the P11.9 billion supplemental budget for this coming election which will be automated. Christian Monsod has been explaining how the Open Election System method of automation works.

“Monsod stressed that the proposed OES-based automated election system, combined with an optical mark recognition (OMR) technology, could cost government about P8 billion for the equipment and operations. If Comelec prefers getting the OES automated election system alone, it will cost around P4 billion."

And he added that "The choice of automation technology and its successful implementation is key to the credibility of the elections."

What was really the "Automated Election"?

Based on the Senate Bill No. 2231: (13th Congress) which entitled:

AN ACT AMENDING REPUBLIC ACT NO. 8436, ENTITLED AN ACT AUTHORIZING THE COMMISSION ON ELECTIONS TO USE AN AUTOMATED ELECTION SYSTEM IN THE MAY 11, 1998 NATIONAL OR LOCAL ELECTIONS AND IN SUBSEQUENT NATIONAL AND LOCAL ELECTORAL EXERCISES, TO ENCOURAGE TRANSPARENCY, CREDIBILITY, FAIRNESS AND ACCURACY OF ELECTIONS, AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE BATAS PAMBANSA BLG. 881, AS AMENDED, REPUBLIC ACT NO. 7166 AND OTHER RELATED ELECTIONS LAWS, PROVIDING FUNDS THEREFOR AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.

On section 2 on the said article defines the automated election systemas:
A system using appropriate technology for voting, counting, consolidating, canvassing, transmission of election results and other processes in the conduct of electoral exercises.

Equipments or components that are being used for Automated Election:

1. Counting machine - a machine that uses an optical scanning mark-sense reading
2. Data storage device - a device used to electronically store counting and device of any similar advanced technology to count ballots; canvassing results, such as, memory pack or diskette;
3. Computer set - a set of equipment containing regular components, i.e., monitor, central processing unit or CPU, keyboard and printer;
4. National Ballot - refers to the ballot to be used in the automated election system for the purpose of the May 1998 elections. This shall contain the names of the candidates for president, vice-president, senators and parties, organizations or coalitions participating under the party-list system;
   
   This ballot shall be counted by the counting machine:
5. Local Ballot - refers to the ballot on which the voter will manually write the names of the candidates of his/her choice for member of the House of Representatives, governor,vice-governor, members of the provincial board, mayor, vice-mayor, and members of the city municipal council.
6. Board of Election inspector - there shall be a Board of Election Inspectors in every precinct composed of three (3) regular members who shall conduct the voting, counting and recording of votes in the polling place.

Many questions and complains arise from this issue such as:

• How reliable can be the automated election system be?Some people said that anything that is being done through computerized would be easier to falsify.
• In the side of indigenous people it would be hard for them to vote if the election will be done automatically because some of them are illiterate.

• There will be no ballot box snatching as the ERs are transmitted electronically for canvassing
• There is less work for the Board of Election Inspectors (BEI)
• If all precincts are connected, national results can be produced within one hour after the close of voting
• There is automated tally of votes at the city/municipal level
• The DRE can include an automated voter validation system
• Canvassing at the city/municipal and provincial levels is almost instantaneous
• There is an instantaneous tally of votes at the precinct level
• Ballots are pre-printed and voters simply mark choices

Actually, we will be soon part of the automated elections this May 10. I still can't understand why other people think negatives about what Philippine Government try to do regarding this automation. For me, this is something new; something fair. I agree that the country is suffering of a lot of corruption that many people do not even trust the government. But let us just wait until the election is over. Yes, there will be cheating but that will be another issue. The government  found a way - the automation.

I have been in a training last three weeks. The Smartmatic trained supervisors and technicians who will serve this coming May 10 election. I am one of them. As supervisors and technicians, we are neutral during the election. We can't even vote if we will be assigned far away from our permanent residents.

MARCH 21, 2010

It was Sunday and classes are over. I promised myself to get some sleep, so, I woke at 10:00 am. Last November 2009, during our semestral break, I started to go to gym, doing some exercises and I started loving it. But it didn't last for so long because I went back to school.

This afternoon I went back to gym. I am expecting pains in different parts of my body tomorrow but that's normal. It was fun. We have two months break from school therefore, I could come back there again for two months.

Just now, I am trying to make some tweaks of a photo.

Having fun with Adobe Photoshop to come up with this edited photo.

I started learning Photoshop last year and most of my knowledge came from self study or self experimentation. I wish I could be in a professional training about photography and editing.