Registering to Vote

I know it sounds so cliché but voting is not only a Filipino’s right but also his duty. I last voted during the 2004 presidential elections. In 2007, I was pregnant with Naima and May - 1st trimester was the worst time - not only morning but whole day sickness. So I wasn't able to vote then. Recently, I tried checking my voter's registration status online and found out that my registration has been deactivated.With this recent brouhaha about Con-Ass and Charter Change, I felt that it was imperative that I activate my status and get out there to vote. I organized my schedule and was able to ask permission from my boss to register during my lunch break.

As is normal in the Philippines, you need to prepare before attempting to transact at a government office. I was going to register with Naima's yaya so I checked both our status online. Yaya's registration was active and she just needed to transfer her registration. Since my status was deactivated, I needed to register again as a new voter.

I used my mother-in-law's address, which belonged to the 5th District of Manila. The Office of the Election Officer for Manila was in Arroceros - squeezed between the Manila Barangay Bureau and Bulwagan ng Katarungan. It was in a building called "Philippine Geriatrics Foundation Building - an old decrepit building.In front of the building, old broken wooden tables were piled up. I wasn't able to take photos of the Phil. Geriatrics Building. It was on Lions Road, which was very easy to miss. Luckily, I had a driver that day so parking wasn't a problem.

My district was in the 3rd floor and it was chaos!

You needed to show your documents to get an application form. Waiting was in a non-airconditioned crowded hallway. There was some form of a queue (better than nothing) to get your application forms. Even if I had already printed our registration status from the Comelec website, they still insisted on checking our registration status. They even made a mistake by saying that my yaya had no record and re-checked only when I showed them her voter's affidavit and insisted that they re-check. Apparently, the typist plugged in the wrong spelling of yaya's family name.. and his response? sorry po tao lang.. grrr! I am aware that people make mistakes but PLEASE recheck when asked to do so and don't wait until I show you some other document!

We filled up our respective forms, had our photos, fingerprints and thumbmarks taken. We were then given an acknowledgment slip and told to wait for the notice when our Voter's ID will be ready for pick up. The minimum waiting time for the ID? At least 3 months! Wow! I wonder if those who register just before the October deadline will still be able to get their voter's ID before the 2010 elections!

For those interested in registering (and you should!) here's a preparation guide to make it as painless as possible.

Step 1. Know your district.

Even before you know which field office to go to, you have to know your congressional district. If unsure, check out the Comelec offices here and call. Give them your address and they should be able to point you to the right district.

Step 2. Know your barangay number.

The only time I heard of barangay numbers being used was during the news - that report victims or suspects of crimes belonging to Barangay xxx. To find out what your barangay number is, call your city hall and ask for the number of your city's Barangay Bureau. Call your barangay bureau and ask for your number. Or you can try to check your utility bill (Meralco or PLDT or water) and see if they placed the barangay number in your address. Manila Barangay Bureau phone numbers are: 3026874 or 3026875. Call your mayor's office, check list below for NCR region and ask them for your city's Barangay Bureau phone number.

Step 3. Call your local election officer.

Get the contact details here. Make sure you call to confirm if they accept registrants on the day you plan to go. Also ask and confirm what are the requirements and the registration hours.

Step 4. Download the forms.

If you're a new registrant or if your registration was deactivated (like me), you need to fill up a new application form which is available for download. You need to fill in 3 forms. For those wishing to transfer their registration, you can only fill-up forms when you get to your election officer. There is a copy of the form available online but can't be downloaded. I wonder why?? Allowing registrants to fill-up forms before going to the election officer would certainly save time.

Step 5. Check your registration status

Don't forget to check and print your registration status (lest your typist mistypes your last or middle name and comes up with a "no record" answer, like what happened to Naima's yaya). You need to put in your name and birthday. Even if you're on deactivated status (like me), you can still see you record as of your last registration - precinct number and barangay number, included.

Step 6. Compile the necessary documents.

You can check the requirements for registering here. Make sure you have 1 valid ID (they don't accept barangay certifications in my district) showing your residence (in the district where you are registering). If your ID reflects your old address, present an ID without any address on it and just bring proof of billings or mailings in your current address (e.g. credit card statement, registry return card or anything mailed to you at your current address). Also, make sure you PHOTOCOPY your documents before going. Photocopying at the COMELEC office is like being a victim of highway robbery - they charge 2 pesos per page using liquid xerox - which just about 50c or less in UP! And they don't even issue you a receipt.

Step 7. Bring a ballpen and some wet tissue/alcohol/tissue paper.

If you weren't able to fill up your forms ahead of time, make sure you bring your own ballpen. Also, you will need to thumbmark your application form so make sure you bring some tissue or alcohol or wet ones to wipe the ink off your thumbs.

What to expect:

When you get to your local election office, ask for your district's office. Present your documents (and application form, if you've filled up already). After checking your application form, they will ask you to wait so they can get your biometrics. This includes your photo, signature and fingerprints. In my district, they only have 2 machines. So if there's a lot of people registering that day, you're in for a wait. Once they've recorded your info (which they don't let you check, so I hope the "typist" inputted everything correctly), they will give you an acknowledgment receipt and tell you to wait for a NOTICE telling you that your Voter's ID is now ready for pick-up. It will be at least 3 months before your ID is ready so I suggest you register as soon as possible.

That's it. I hope my voter's ID will come before the 2010 elections as some officemates got their voter's ID after 6 years! Now, time to study the candidates' platforms and fill up my list.

A Hearty Southern Vegetarian Dinner

In my attempt to start planning and eating healthy meals, I recently commissioned an organic produce delivery from Cavite.

Shino delivers to Pasay every week (Wednesdays). You can choose between a 4.5Kg or 6Kg basket. The 4.5 kg basket lasts us 1.5 weeks. Plus I usually get my organic eggs from him. He's currently on vacation in Japan so I don't have any fresh organic vegetable delivery for June! You can tweak the amount of vegetables included to suit your family's weekly menu. During my first few orders, I over-ordered the okra so I had to look for some recipes so the okras won't go to waste. Stan was not exactly a fan of okra so the dish had to be tempered with something palatable to him. Quick google search for okra led me to several recipes. But it was this Okra and Tomato Soup recipe by Diana Rattray that caught my eye:

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 4 green onions, with most of green, sliced
• 1 small clove garlic, minced
• 1 rib celery, sliced
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
• 8 to 10 ounces okra, about 3 to 4 cups sliced
• 1 cup corn kernels (canned or frozen thawed)
• 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
• dash freshly ground black pepper
• salt, to taste

PREPARATION:

In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil and butter over medium-low heat. Add onion, garlic, and celery; sauté, stirring, until celery is tender. Add chicken broth, tomatoes, sliced okra, corn kernels, Cajun seasoning, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, or until okra is tender. Add salt to taste.
Serves 4.

Now, where to get the Cajun seasoning.. more googling led me to this:

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup salt
• 3 tablespoons granulated garlic or garlic powder
• 3 tablespoons ground black pepper, freshly ground if possible
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 1 tablespoon paprika

Preparation:

Combine all seasonings and mix to blend thoroughly. Pour into a small jar with cover; seal tightly.

The soup was a hit!! I also found a package of cornbread mix and had Tata cook it for dinner. The cornbread was a bit dry but Stan (and Naima) really loved the okra soup. We had it on that day when it was raining really hard. No reason to cut down my okra order. I just love googling recipes --> and Southern food rocks :D