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Month: May 2022

New saint’s little miracle from Philippines meets pope

Angel Marie Vier Albaracin, 6, attends canonization of St Marie Rivier who allegedly cured girl of fatal condition

A photograph taken on May 15, 2022 shows a tapestry depicting French Catholic nun Marie Rivier (L) and Italian Roman Catholic nun Maria Francesca Di Gesu Rubatto during a canonization Mass in St. Peter’s Square. (Photo: AFP)

By Joseph Peter Calleja
May 16, 2022

A Filipina child “miraculously” cured by a French nun was presented to the pope on May 15 during the canonization of ten new saints at the Vatican in Rome.

Angel Marie Vier Albaracin was healed in a miracle attributed to Saint Marie Rivier, a French nun who founded the Congregation of the Sisters of the Presentation, according to the Congregation of Saints’ Causes.

Angel Marie, 6, from Bohol province in the central Philippines had been diagnosed with hydrops fetalis, a serious condition when an abnormal accumulation of fluid builds up around the lungs and the heart.

Angel Marie’s mother prayed to Saint Marie Rivier to heal her, according to Vatican reports.

“At first, the doctors did not believe that she would get well and were surprised when they became convinced that she was indeed free from the condition,” a cousin of the child, who wished to remain anonymous, told UCA News.

Bishop Abet Uy of Tagbilaran diocese in Bohol province witnessed the canonization at the Vatican.

“Who would expect that a little kid from Barangay Nahawan in Clarin, Bohol would walk in St. Peter’s Square and be near the Holy Father. This is called grace, a gift from God,” he said on Facebook.

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Child abuse spreads like the coronavirus

Filipino women and children take part in a dance exercise in Manila to draw attention to child sexual abuse. (Photo: AFP)

UCAN News

Fr. Shay Cullen
May 16, 2022 06:19 AM GMT

Child abuse continues to thrive because many in society, including the Church, turn a blind eye

There was a time in 2019 when people were getting the flu and thought little of it until it began to spread and hundreds and then thousands and hundreds of thousands were suffering and dying. No one was ready for what was to become a deadly pandemic that could hurt, wound and kill.

Hospitals and clinics were at full capacity and people were on ventilators and dying at the doors of hospitals. It can mutate, transform itself into another variant, more deadly, more vicious, and find new ways to transmit itself to new victims.

The coronavirus is a perfect simile for the crimes of child sexual abuse. Child abuse is a secret crime hardly ever seen or detected. Abusers change their methods of hiding and covering up crimes, especially in institutions. Schools, colleges and churches have almost perfected the art of covering up such criminal behavior. Most people do not recognize that it is everywhere and children are silent suffering victims. When it is suspected or detected, many people turn away. They do not reach out to the victim, no matter how many symptoms of abuse the child has.

Teachers, parents, duty bearers and child care workers must be taught to recognize the symptoms of child sexual abuse and be open to listening to every child that appears troubled, unruly, disturbed, rebellious and those that withdraw, stop studying, remain silent and stop playing.

Everybody must have the commitment and conviction to help a child get assistance and report the abuse to the authorities. 

Online abuse is mostly done by relatives of the children. The acts are videotaped, photographed or sent live over the internet to rich pedophiles getting sexual gratification from the child abuse.

It is allowed, permitted and enabled by the morally bankrupt, uncaring and allegedly a few depraved executives of telecommunication corporations. It is shameful for any Filipino to be employed by them these days. They refuse to obey a law that mandates they install filtering or blocking software to prevent abusive images from passing through their Internet Service Providers. We survive in a corrupt society and must help child victims survive.

The most recent horrific cases involved an 11-year-old girl horribly abused for foreign pedophiles, a Swiss and a UK national. They also paid for young boys seven and 10 to be sexually exploited online by their mother. I hope the legal officers at the Swiss and UK embassies will take an active role in helping get justice for victims. They can get the testimonies of the victims in the care of the Preda Foundation. An average of 16 children at Preda homes in the Philippines get their abusers convicted every year to life in prison.

How wonderful it would be if foreign embassies and their attached law enforcers could investigate their abusive nationals and get convictions, too, and stop their pedophiles raping Filipino children.

The question is how much do they really care? The greed for money and the insatiable demands by rich foreign pedophiles are behind the sexual abuse of thousands of Filipino children. German police found as many as 30,000 pedophiles accessing child sexual abuse material online and identified 70 of them, many connected to the Philippines.

With exceptions, most families, citizens, government officials and agency heads, including many bishops in the Philippines and other churches have an uncaring attitude, indifference and a culture of apathy surrounding the sexual abuse of children. That is because, besides the few eight great bishops, they have many clerical abusers whom they hide away from the law and accountability and are not active defenders of child or human rights. Shame on them. 

The clerical abusers are still being allowed to travel abroad, go to another parish or diocese or retire in the comfort of a church-supported rest house, all to avoid the shame, embarrassment and damage to the reputation of the diocesan institutional church.

Just a few brave courageous bishops and priests, from the 90 active and 40 honorary bishops and other clerics, are outspoken against child abuse and stand for human rights. The rest are allegedly silent. The abusers go free and the crimes continue. Only a few clerical child abusers have faced a prosecutor. Not a single cleric has been convicted of child abuse in the Philippines in the past 40 years or more, correct me if I am wrong. The abusers walk free and allegedly the child is thrown aside, their parents paid off.

Children suffer without help because of the apathy and because there are very few professionally accredited child care therapeutic homes for the protection, healing and empowerment of child victims/survivors with legal assistance like the Preda homes. There are thousands of hospitals, clinics, and health care centers for every kind of illness but there are practically no clinics, shelters, or therapy homes for the healing and recovery and legal assistance for child sexual abuse victims.

The reason is that society denies and ignores the pandemic of abuse and the medical profession is primarily a privatized, expensive, money-making business. The majority of child sexual abuse victims/survivors are very poor children — no money to be made there.

Most psychology graduates work for human resources departments in big corporations, no child help centers for them. The rich hide away their victims successfully. The scandal and shame on the family would be too much, the child is left to endure the abuse.

In the Philippines and elsewhere, thousands more are victims of sexual slavery through human trafficking and they, too, are allowed to be groomed, recruited, and lured over the internet and taken by pimps and traffickers into the sex business.

This human slavery is operated in brothels and sex bars and hotels that all have government permits and licenses to operate. Most operate with impunity protected by the local politicians and corrupt police.

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A Marcos government and the pink movement

PUBLIC LIVES
By: Randy David
@inquirerdotnet Philippine Daily Inquirer
May 15, 2022

Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. (Photo by Bullit Marquez)

Around noon on June 30, a new government headed by Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will be inaugurated. At about the same time, a new movement that took shape in the final leg of Vice President Leni Robredo’s 2022 presidential campaign will formally launch its manifold presence in the post-election landscape.

The intertwining of these two modern forms of social organization will determine the future of democracy in our country. How they will relate to one another will test the strength of the nation’s formal institutions and the maturity of civil society.

Marcos Jr. will have at his disposal the enormous powers of the presidency—not the least of which is the power to appoint key officials to the crucial national agencies, including the police and the military—plus the nation’s collective resources and the power to borrow more. He will also have the support of a friendly legislature and a Supreme Court packed by appointees of his de facto ally, outgoing President Duterte.

But he must satisfy the high public expectations that have accompanied his family’s bid to reclaim Malacañang. His first problem will be how to bring down the cost of rice and other basic food items—as he promised—in the face of a global fuel shortage and other supply disruptions resulting from the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He will find his efforts constrained by the gigantic public debt he inherits from the Duterte administration, even as he must find ways to speed up economic recovery amid a lingering pandemic.

He must raise the morale of a dispirited bureaucracy that has been mismanaged by incompetent political appointees. He has to rely on local government officials whose corrupt ways have just been reinforced by the pouring of unlimited money during the last elections. On top of these, his every move will be monitored by a vigilant middle class that has overcome its timidity.

In contrast, Leni Robredo’s political capital is much greater now than when she was the country’s vice president. She only needs to make a call to harness the energy that her campaign unleashed. The movement that has grown around her is described as organic because it is self-initiated rather than artificially induced. Volunteer-driven movements of this sort typically become stable constituencies for change. More significantly, Leni’s campaign has awakened the idealism of many young people, most of them first-time joiners in public assemblies.

Vice President Leni Robredo at the Thanksgiving rally in Ateneo (Photo by Michael Varcas/Philstar)

These strengths, however, also tend to be the sources of a movement’s weaknesses. Brimming with energy and drawing its force from a diversity of personal backgrounds and experiences, a movement usually does not have the kind of discipline that a political opposition needs in order to win elections.

Consistency in messaging, objectivity in processing information, diligence in observing priorities, and ability to make quick shifts in strategy were, for this reason, not the strongest features of the Leni campaign. Winning elections, by nature, is a messy game. It is not for the vain or self-righteous.

In his essay, “Politics as a vocation,” the German sociologist Max Weber famously said: “Only someone who is certain that it will not break him when, from where he stands, the world looks too stupid or mean for what he wants to offer it—that in spite of everything he will be able to say ‘but, still!’—only he has the ‘call’ for politics.” Leni Robredo has shown that she is capable of stirring the emotions of her supporters while keeping herself grounded in cold reason. It is a rare quality.

She definitely has the vocation for politics—the ability to strike a balance between what Weber calls the “Ethic of Moral Conviction” and the “Ethic of Responsibility.” Until new leaders emerge from this experience, Leni has the best credentials among all opposition figures at this point. But, for the moment, she does not have a ready political platform from which to air her views on government. Perhaps another woman, like Sen. Risa Hontiveros, the lone elected opposition in the Senate, might be in a better position to play an overtly political role.

Apart from the nationwide network of volunteers Leni plans to gather under the “Angat Buhay” (Uplift Lives) NGO, the Pink Movement may spin-off two other distinct organizational forms—a new opposition party, and a protest movement that is independent of any electoral or ideological project. I foresee the protest movement differentiating itself into specialized organizations, where activists and experts can work together on specific advocacies. The issues are endless: the environment, education, electoral reform, human rights and rule of law, history and children’s books, the defense of the Constitution, transparency in government, labor rights, the defense of women and children, etc.

A little note, from the work of Niklas Luhmann, on the nature of protest is worth quoting here. “Protests are communications addressed to others calling on their sense of responsibility. They criticize practices or states of affairs without offering to take the place of those whose job it is to ensure order.” Protest movements work best when they are autonomous from electoral party formations. The same applies to NGOs. To be effective, they must keep their independence from electoral parties, from the government in power, as well as from political movements aimed at overthrowing the entire sociopolitical order.

There’s much work to be done. Leni Robredo put it aptly in her Ateneo thanksgiving speech last Friday: “This day is not an ending, but the start of a new chapter.”

public.lives@gmail.com
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Let Not Truth be Hidden from Our Eyes:  A Call for Vigilance

13 May 2022

As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes.”  (Luke 19:41-42)

The May 9 polls have left much to be desired.

The Automated Election System (AES) proffered speedy results with uncanny consistency, but these have not generated confidence in a democratic process.  Quite the opposite—these have raised both suspicions and a gnawing in the stomach for what is ahead. The wide gap between national contenders is highly suspicious. Our constitution calls for the holding of free, orderly, honest and credible elections. This means secret balloting and transparent counting.  The AES system is anything but transparent, especially under weak checks-and-balances in governance.

Before, during and even after the election, the Philippines was and is being drowned by massive disinformation, troll farms, and social-media micromarketing. We were and are an unfortunate example of how those with funds are capable of manipulating the truth. Disinformation maneuvers added to long entrenched political patronage and dynasties, complete with vote-buying, create a formidable foe for genuine democracy.

This being said:  As Church leaders, we vow to continue to guard our votes.

The specters of worsening crony capitalism and corruption, rising tyranny and human rights violations, and shrinking democratic space, press freedom, and other civil liberties loom before us.  As ruling oligarchs coalesce and join forces, thus heightening prospects for the Philippines to be plunged into another era of darkness and oppression, we stake our claim for truth, justice, and peace.

We stand firmly on the side of democracy and fair play. Our unshakable concern for the rights and welfare of the farmers, workers, fisherfolk, migrants, youth and urban poor impels our advocacy. The future of our people challenges us to greater vigilance.

Applauding the many volunteers who joined in the electoral process, we implore their continued engagement as democracy is under threat. We must speak out. The path before us, though fraught with danger, summons us to continue our watch.

We pray that God’s light will shine upon us and open the eyes of this nation, so that we will choose what makes for peace.   We pray for truth to illuminate our hearts and minds, so that we may know and so that truth will us set free.

Signed by:

Bishop Reuel Norman O. Marigza
General Secretary
National Council of Churches in the Philippines

Most Revd. Rhee M. Timbang
Obispo Maximo
Iglesia Filipina Independiente

Most. Rev. Broderick S. Pabillo, D.
Apostolic Vicar of Taytay, Palawan

Bp. Emergencio D. Padillo
Bishop, Middle Luzon Jurisdictional Area
United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP)

Sr. Ma. Lisa Ruedas, DC
Daughters of Charity
Justice Peace and Integrity of Creation

One Faith. One Nation. One Voice.

Ecumenical Bishops’ Forum

Kalipunan ng Kristianong Kabataan sa Pilipinas (KKKP)

Rural Missionaries of the Philippines

Faith and Bayan

Medical Mission Sisters

Missionary Disciples of Jesus

Sisters’ Association in Mindanao (SAMIN)

Rise Up for Life and for Rights

Ecumenical Voice for Human Rights and Peace in the Philippines

Promotion of Church People’s Response Anawim Misyon para sa Mahihirap

Unfinished business of elections 2022: Ten challenges

Voters cast their ballot at a public elementary school in Eastern Samar province’s Can-avid town on May 9, 2022. CBCP NEWS

By Archbishop-Emeritus Antonio Ledesma, SJ
May 11, 2022
Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines

Election Day, May 9th, 2022, has come and gone. We are left with the election results. But who are the real losers and winners? Ten challenges confront us as individuals and as a nation.

1. The massive DISINFORMATION campaign over social media by a particular candidate and his party cannot just be brushed aside. Over the past five to ten years, we are told, this online campaign has been stealthily carried out, reaching the minds and fantasies of cell phone users even in the remotest areas of the country. The dissemination of fake news about the “golden era” of the Martial Law period, the rehabilitation of the Marcos name, the downgrading of the reputations of other candidates, the casting of heroes as villains and villains as heroes — all this was planned with deliberation and strategic targeting of socio-economic classes as well as age groups.

How can the country prevent this form of brainwashing and “vote buying” in future elections? There are cyber libel laws, but can they be easily implemented? Do we require senders of anonymous online messages to identify themselves? Frequent repetition of lies can eventually be accepted as the truth, a lesson from Goebbels of the Nazi regime.

2. The lack of HISTORICAL AWARENESS of the iniquities of Martial Law, particularly among the young voters who were born after the 70’s and 80’s, has been pointed out. Has our educational system failed to instill in the minds of the younger generation the horrors of this period, much in the same way that we have bitter memories of World War II in the Philippines? Have media people also failed to provide an accurate picture of those dire periods in our history? We need to correct these deficiencies for the sake of truth-telling, and also to honor the memory of those victimized by Martial Law. One of these victims was my classmate, Evelio Javier, former governor of Antique, who was killed on the eve of the EDSA People Power Revolution.

3. We hear reports of RAMPANT VOTE BUYING done openly on Election Day, or earlier at nights, or through various ways such as distributing ATM cards, installment payments given before and after voting, etc. Has vote buying become the accepted practice for winning elections? What about the honest politicians that do not allow this? One particular presidential candidate has carried out her campaign with meager means of support, much less by vote buying.

We have existing laws against vote buying. Do we need stricter implementation of these laws? Can COMELEC or PNP itself station special guards that do not simply stand by but keep an eye on lines of vote buyers and sellers in the vicinity of the polls? PPCRV volunteers have tried to take photos of some of these practices, but these are isolated cases.

4. In addition to buying of votes, we are witnessing the buying of mayors and other officials. Several millions of pesos are involved in these transactions. Likewise, POLITICAL DYNASTIES have refined the practice of “winning over” local public officials to their side. The question often raised is: where does the money come from? Is this from the personal wealth of the politician or from the plunder of the public treasury? Are there no longer restrictions to the amount of campaign funds a candidate can spend? And how should these be reported? Is our political culture hopelessly damaged in this regard?

5. Religious leaders on the whole remain non-partisan when they use the pulpit as official representatives of the Christian community. But do they exercise their PROPHETIC ROLE in forcefully denouncing moral issues — such as extra-judicial killings, disinformation, non-payment of taxes, etc.? Many have spoken on pro-life issues, but should the clergy also talk about Social Justice and Option for the Poor, as well as the need for Good Governance?

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Catholic priest urges Filipinos to respect ‘majority rule’

By Ferdinand Patinio
May 10, 2022, 4:57 pm

MANILA – A Catholic priest urged the people to respect the decision of the Filipinos in choosing the leaders of the country.

Fr. Anton CT Pascual, president of Radio Veritas, said it is important to recognize the result of the election because it is one of the characteristics of an independent society.

“Let’s respect the rule of the majority from a relatively peaceful, clean and credible election,” he said in a radio interview.

“That’s (an) appreciation of the democratic ideals of the foundation of sovereign popular will and rule of law,” he added.

The statement came after presidential frontrunner Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. leads in the partial unofficial count of the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), the citizen’s arm of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) for the May 2022 polls.

Based on the latest count, Marcos already has 31 million votes while his closest rival, Vice President Leni Robredo only has 14.7 million votes.

The former senator’s tandem, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, also leads the vice presidential race with 31.3 million votes. In second place is Senator Kiko Pangilinan with nine million votes.

Earlier, the pastors of the Catholic Church have called on the faithful to respect and accept the outcome of the election and urged them to reunite for restoration especially those who had a conflict due to differences in the candidates they supported.

At present, the PPCRV continues to canvass the fourth copy of the election returns (ERs) at the University of Santo Tomas (UST) in España, Manila.

The church is also hoping that truth and justice will prevail in the 2022 national and local elections despite the reported issues including defective vote-counting machines and faulty Secure Digital (SD) cards.

The Comelec estimated that over 80 percent of the registered voters have participated in the polls this year. (PNA)

Catholics rally round beaten Robredo after Philippine polls

Landslide presidential victory for dictator’s son Ferdinand Marcos Jr leaves many clergy disappointed

UCAN News
By Joseph Peter Calleja
Published: May 10, 2022 10:03 AM GMT

Catholic clergymen and groups have expressed disappointment at the result of the Philippine presidential election by offering messages of support to Leonor “Leni” Robredo, the defeated candidate and the champion of many in the Church.

As counting came to a close in the May 9 election, frontrunner Ferdinand Marcos Jr was heading for a landslide win.

Many church leaders had supported his main rival Robredo, a former human rights lawyer and the current vice president.

“Thank Vice President Leni. At least, just for a few months. I lived in hope. We truly do not deserve a leader like you. Unfortunately, this country is not ready for good governance,” one priest, Jesuit Father James Gascon, wrote on Facebook.

Manila Cathedral vice rector Father Kali Llamado also shared his sentiments by thanking Robredo for her decision to run in the election despite the lack of machinery and support from big political families.

“It is my honor to stand with you, Vice President Robredo, for integrity, truth and for the common good,” said Father Llamado on his Facebook account.

“Let us remain peaceful in this electoral process. Let us remain hopeful that while the election count is soon to be over, no violent incidents may happen”

The San Lorenzo Church group called on all Filipinos to keep watch and to pray for the vice president for strength.

“Let us pray for Vice President Leni Robredo. Let us extend our support to the vice president and for those who won in the elections. May they truly be motivated to serve the nation,” they said in a statement.

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GUIDELINES FOR VOTING ON MAY 9, 2022

Please circulate this to all your acquaintances and loved ones.

Before heading out to vote

Some quick reminders: Across the country, polls will open at 6 am, and election workers will accommodate voters up to 7 pm. The Comelec extended voting hours this year to accommodate lines that are expected to form due to social distancing measures in place due to the health crisis.

Double-check and familiarize yourself with the location of your polling precinct, or where you will cast your vote. You can check that here. (If you face any issue with the Comelec’s online precinct finder, here’s a quick guide on what do next.)

Preparing for the day: Prepare a list of who you will vote for to avoid making accidental markings on ballots, which may be read by vote-counting machines. Expect that lines can get long. If there are still voters outside the polling place at 7 pm, the Comelec said voting would continue.

“It will continue until such time all those inside or within 30 meters will be catered,” Commissioner Marlon Casquejo told lawmakers at the House of Representatives in November 2021.

Don’t forget to bring the following items with you:

  1. Pen (to sign the election day computerized voters list [EDCVL])
  2. Face mask
  3. Face shield (if voting in an area under Alert Level  4)
  4. You will not need to present a COVID-19 vaccination card or a negative COVID-19 test result to vote.
  5. Take note: You can bring your list of who to vote for, but remember you cannot bring campaign materials.

At the polling place

There will be a single entry point in polling places to ensure that health protocols are observed among voters. You can expect the following to take place:

STEP 1: Temperature check

The Comelec has asserted that minimum health standards must be followed, and that it will observe measures such as temperature checks and the submission of COVID-19 health declaration forms.

Upon taking one’s temperature:

  • If 37.4°C and below – Voter can go ahead and vote.
  • If 37.5°C and up – Voter will be asked to rest for a few minutes before checking again.
  • If 37.4°C after rechecking – Okay to go ahead

If still 37.5°C and up – Voting will be done in an isolated polling precinct to avoid potentially exposing other voters. In this situation, Marañon said the voter is presumed to have COVID-19 and so will need to be separated and assisted by election workers wearing the proper personal protective equipment.

It’s important to take note that if a voter may be suspected of having COVID-19 or is positive, he or she still has the right to vote. “The right to vote is a guaranteed right under the Constitution. So even if you are positive, you still have the right to vote,” Marañon said in a mix of English and Filipino during a recent episode of Rappler’s Ask Your Election Lawyer.

STEP 2: Identification

After you pass the temperature check, head to the voter’s assistance desk and give your name. You will then get directions to your specific polling precinct, or the room you’ll be voting in.

STEP 3: Get your ballot

Outside your precinct, look for your name in the posted computerized voters list. Approach any member of the electoral board or its support staff and state your name, precinct number, and other pertinent details asked.

At this point, your identity as a voter will be established. You do not need an identification card to vote, but Marañon advised to have one valid ID ready, in case the member of the electoral board will need it to establish your identity.

After this, the election worker on duty will say in a voice loud enough to be heard in the room that you will be voting. This is done to give any poll watcher the chance to object to your voting. After this, you’ll sign the EDCVL and receive your ballot.

Do not accept a ballot with tears, marks, or shades. Inspect the ballot carefully at the desk of electoral board because after you leave, any marks found will be presumed to be yours.

What if a crowd starts to form? The Comelec earlier decided it would be more feasible if there was no cap on the number of people allowed in a polling place at a specific time. But to prevent overcrowding, the electoral board has the authority to decrease the number of voters casting their ballots simultaneously inside the room if the headcount exceeds 50% of the place’s capacity.

In this case, a holding area can be set up next to the polling precinct, where voters will await their turn. Voters will be arranged on a first-come, first-served basis. The Comelec said giving numbers to voters to determine their sequence is “strictly prohibited.”

Voting

Step 4: Fill up your ballot

Ballots are divided by positions up for election: president, vice president, senator, House of Representatives member, governor, vice governor, provincial board members, mayor, vice mayor, councilors, and party list.

Vote only for the number of seats indicated per position:

President – Vote for a maximum of 1 candidate
Vice president – Vote for a maximum of 1 candidate
Senator – Vote for a maximum of 12 candidates
House of Representatives – Vote for a maximum of 1 candidate

Governor – Vote for a maximum of 1 candidate
Vice governor – Vote for a maximum of 1 candidate
Board member – The number of seats per district varies.
Mayor – Vote for a maximum of 1 candidate
Vice mayor – Vote for a maximum of 1 candidate
Councilor – The number of seats per municipality or city or district varies.

Party-list – Vote for a maximum of 1 group

Take note, you cannot vote for more candidates than the number indicated beside each position as this can invalidate your vote. For example, if you vote for 13 senators, when there are only 12 seats available, the rest of your votes in the senatorial contest will be considered invalid. You can undervote, or abstain from choosing the maximum number of candidates.

The Comelec will provide marking pens to shade ballots. Refrain from placing extra markings on your ballot. Fully shade the entire oval beside a candidate’s name to make sure it is counted by the vote counting machine (VCM). Don’t make an x-mark, check, or half-shade.

Do not take a picture of your ballot. This is an election offense.

Step 5: Cast your ballot

After filling out your ballot, keep it inside the ballot secrecy folder. Bring this to the VCM and insert it into the machine.

Do not leave right away. Wait for the machine to process your ballot. Once this is done, a poll clerk will mark your finger with indelible ink and will give you your voting receipt to review.

Check your voting receipt to see if it correctly reflects who you voted for, then put it in the designated box. If the receipt does not match who you voted for, bring it to the board of election inspectors to register your complaint. This will then be put on record.

Once done, you’ve officially voted!

– Rappler.com