After reading the article ?People heroes in poll success, say observers.? I have to say that Justine Kiwaniku?s statement??We?re missing the point if we concentrate on the machines. It?s the people who matter, whether they were able to vote in free, fair and democratic elections??is absolutely true. People made this election a success and not the machines. When weeks before May 10, people told the Comelec ?We are watching you? and ?We are aware,? we can say that we made the machines work. When people lined up to vote withstanding the long line, heat, harassment, individual disabilities, hunger and the feelings of distrust and uncertainty toward the use of the machines, we can say that we made the machines work. When teachers and volunteers crammed into voting precincts and did their designated assignments amid complaints and slight persecutions, we can say that we made the machines work. When voters corresponded with friends and relatives from all over expressing support for standing in line and enduring the long wait and sharing best practices on how to facilitate the voting, we can say that we made the machines work. We should commend one another that despite the deepest fear of failure of election and failure of machines, we still exercised our solemn right to vote.

This has been the most interesting yet challenging election ever. Not only because there was a transition from manual to automated but because people got involved. We were able to put a whole new meaning to the word ?volunteerism.? We made use of our fears to seek and expect the best outcome from this automated election. I cannot forget an elderly woman?s statement to me while we are waiting for our turn. She was asked to sit down while waiting for her time to go inside the precinct. She said (translated in English), ?My daughter told me not to vote anymore because there may be trouble in the precinct and I can be harmed. Anyway, one vote would not matter. I told her that if all of us think that one vote won?t matter then nothing at all will matter because everything starts from one. I?d rather vote because my single vote can make all the difference.?

So I say that it is the Filipino people who made this election a success?success in the sense that there was no massive bloodshed, no failures, no threats to national security. The issues involving cheating and isolated failures have yet to be dealt with. But I believe that when we say ?We are watching? then we can be assured that those who are involved will do their jobs.



This election is only the beginning of the fight, because we fear the worst in Congress where the one who sold our country to the devil is beginning to build up her legion. We have started it together and let us continue to see the future through.

?KATRINA ISABEL SUZARA,

katsuzara@yahoo.com