The unsung heroes of the elections

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines – As people rested on the eve of elections, a handful of individuals struggled to keep their eyes open until the following morning.

They were part of the Random Manual Audit Team (RMAT) of the lone district of Bacolod. They consist of 5 principals from different schools all over the province.

Accompanied by 3 PPCRV volunteers, the RMA team was preoccupied comparing the number of transmitted votes to the ballot count in a room filled with tally sheets.

First-timers

Lourdes de Paula, principal of Alangilan National High School, served as the chair of the RMA Team. A first-timer, de Paula described the task as tiring since it was “conducted very late in the evening.”

“But there is no choice because we have to do it according to the manual,” de Paula added.

Also a first-timer, Ellen dela Cruz considers being part of the RMAT as a “new experience.” Dela Cruz is the principal of Jovito Sayson National High School.  

Cherish Flor, who had already served as election inspector in the past elections compared the automated election system to the old manual counting of votes. “Ka lain kay ka dugay. Mas tiring sa previous na mano-mano kay gina isip ang undervotes kag overvotes,” Flor said. 

(It’s terrible because it’s so long. This is more tiring than the previous manual system as we have to count the undervotes and the overvotes.)

Corina C. Guanzon, the OIC principal of Angela Gonzaga National High School for 7 years, considers it somewhat lucky that she served as a BEI during the past elections, “at least daw mejo anad na bala haw. Kay sang una manual man mu.” (At least I’m a bit used to it. Because in the past, it was also manual counting.)

Evelyn B. Casiano, another principal, recalled her RMA experience during the 2010 elections where they audited all the candidates. She says that “mas hapos nalang subong kay senators, congressman kag mayor nalang.” (It’s easier this time because it’s only the senators, congressman, and mayor.)

Unsung heroes

The team started the count a little past midnight after the elections due to the delay of transmission to the KBP server. They finished 14 hours later, tallying 829 votes for Barangay 40, the chosen cluster for the RMA.  

Aiming to finish at the earliest possible time, the team only allowed themselves staggered breaks for drinking and eating.  

The members of the RMAT are the unsung heroes of the elections. There are no provisions given to them except by strangers moved by their plight. They are the ones who toil to make sure that elections are safe and fair. They see to it that the PCOS machine count tallies with the manual count.

While everyone is either intently waiting for results or asleep, they are continuously on guard to count, verify, and make sure the results are properly accounted for. – Rappler.com

Paula Azurin is a Rappler Ambassador. Follow her on Twitter for real-time update