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Voters’ patience was "tested amid long queues", humid precincts, and missing names on the list, as we held the first nationwide automated elections last Monday. I was drenched in sweat as I covered the Central Bicutan precinct where a PCOS machine malfunctioned three hours after the precinct opened. The voters waiting outside anxiously asked if the PCOS would be replaced. Some wailed "Too bad that I won't get to try the PCOS. That's why I came here early. I am excited to use PCOS." Noting their desperation, I tried to call the Comelec hotlines but to no avail. I checked my twitter for recent updates and I noticed a twitter username @PCOSmachine following me. I chuckled as I read the witty tweets.
When I interviewed the voters waiting in line for 7 hours, I felt that they just wanted to express their frustration over why the machine would fail them.
Photo of a PCOS that malfunctioned in Central Bicutan precint
Despite the challenges that day, Filipino netizens "injected humor into the situation" by communicating with the PCOSmachine Twitter account that "supposedly voiced the sentiments of a Precinct Count Optical Scan machine." It occurred to me that if these tired voters could vent their frustration, they would have been talking to the PCOS machine pretty much how the twitter followers did to @PCOSmachine. What would it be like for a PCOS to express its frustration as well? Reading the funny tweets just made my day and a lot of voters appreciated the humor of this stress buster.
The tweets diffused the tension of the problems that voters faced earlier in the day. It was just a matter of time before the person behind @PCOSmachine would reveal himself.
Today, the man behind @PCOSmachine surfaced and he is known as Atty. Yves Gonzalez, otherwise known as @doblezeta, when he appeared on ANC Morning. Not only is he funny, he is cute and smart, finishing 6th place in the 2009 bar exams.
Yves told the viewers that this was one way he could help out on election day since he wasn't a registered voter.
It was 2 hours before the polling precincts closed.
Yves Gonzalez was bored, and everyone was blaming the lifeless PCOS machine for breaking down and working slower than expected.
He felt sorry about the poor machine, who was taking all the blows without even having a chance to defend itself.
The next thing you know, @PCOSMachine was born.
PCOSmachine: Unmasked on ANC 5/12/2010
With over 11,385 followers in two days (as of 8:20 PM), it shows that netizens were eager to share their experiences. Like anyone else, Yves needed to go back to normal routine as tweeting took a lot of time and this is one reason for showing himself to the public. And yes, do keep the account. I hope your dream since age 12 of getting a job in ABS-CBN will be realized.
@PCOSmachine's cute little stint made the elections a little bit happier and lighter . Thank you for making us smile.
Screen cap of @PCOSmachine from ANC mornings. Photo of PCOS from author. Some Rights Reserved.
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