Author’s Note: This article uses virtual reality technology to provide an immersive experience. Click the images to view the 360-degree VRs. Adobe Flash 10 or higher is required. Average VR size is 1.8Mb.
Some scenes of yesterday’s May 10 first automated election in the Philippines.
Around 7AM at Rajah Soliman Science and Technology High School in Binondo, Manila; voters in the act of voting in one of the clustered precincts with several poll watchers seated at the back of the room.
Outside, near the school gates, voters start to tinker-in. Joint Security Control Center (JSCC) made up of combined police and army soldiers manned the area for control and security.
8AM at Hen. Gregorio del Pilar Elementary School in Jose Abad Santos Street near the corner of Recto Avenue, Manila, voters looking for their names in the lists posted at the entrance.
While inside, teachers and poll watchers waited for voters in one of the precincts.
8:30AM at Palanan Elementary School in Makati City, the spacious quadrangle became the venue for finding voters’ assigned precincts.
Volunteers from PPCRV assist and verify voters, issuing their respected sequence numbers and guiding them to the right precinct.
9:15AM at the network operations center of PPCRV where parallel unofficial tally is being conducted. Data from PCOS machines will be transmitted at the end of voting directly to their servers.
10AM, Manila City Jail. Since the decision of the Comelec to allow non-convicted detainees to vote for the first time in history, a special polling precinct was set up inside the wardens’ office under heightened security.
There were no PCOS machine present; instead, 3 special BEIs were escorted by a mobile police unit to bring the ballots from 13 different schools around the area. Once all the inmates had voted, their collected ballots returned to the respected precincts and the BEIs personally fed them into the PCOS. Only the detainees from Manila’s District 3 were permitted to vote. A total of 508 inmates voted – 316 males and 192 females.
11:10AM, Antonio Regidor Elementary School in Sta. Cruz, Manila; voters sweat it out while patiently waited for their turn to vote.
Outside the school, enterprising vendors sell all kinds of beverages and assorted street foods. With so much colorful election banners hanging above, the scene almost felt festive.
All VRs taken on May 10, 2010. The author can be reached at: fung@firefly.ph
