Boto Mo, iPatrol Mo! Taka-taka-takatakatak!!!

ABS-CBN is asking each responsible citizen to go out and vote on May 14, bringing along video cams or cellphones to capture images in case any sort of cheating comes along the way. Great initiative, paving the way for viewer-driven contents for its news programs.

But what is this I heard that the government will be prohibiting the use of cellphones in polling precincts? They said that vote buying is now high-tech. Instead of using carbon papers, vote buyers will require potential sellers to capture images of their actual ballot, indicating the names of candidates who they should write, and the payout given only after presentation of the captured image. Hmm... sounds logical, but definitely not a solid reason to prohibit the use of cellphones on election day.

This prohibition may be government's answer to ABS-CBN's innovative Boto Mo, iPatrol Mo campaign, in order to stop all concerned citizens who may want to report irregularities during the elections. Tsk, tsk, tsk.... too bad, too desparate. Administration candidates are, of course, trailing behind because of rampant cheating associated with the president's win over the king of Philippine movies in 2004, and here they are again, exercising their right to stay in power.

I just hope that whether or not we are allowed to be equipped with gadgets for safeguarding our votes, we still write down the names of candidates who really deserve the positions and will take the challenge of managing the country with unconditional service and integrity. Cheating will still remain, but I guess, with our collaborative efforts to junk ruthless and undeserving candidates, their unfair practices may not be enough to garner the votes they need. Remember when Erap was voted president? Supporters of the runner-up actually padded a lot of votes for Big Ears, but because of the overwhelming votes that poured in from the masa, no amount of cheating was able to change the rankings of the 1998 presidential polls.