Inked and proud

Celebrities trooped to their precincts last Monday to participate in the electoral process.

After voting, several stars posted photos of their inked fingers to their various social media accounts.

This cyber-practice is not exactly against the law because they only flashed pictures of their indelibly marked digits and not their actual shaded ballots.

Spouses Ogie Alcasid and Regine Velasquez brought along their 4-year-old son Nate to the polling place.

Ogie recounted that voting was “quick and took only 10 minutes.”

It was a family affair, too, for TV host Amy Perez, who went with her 19-year-old son Adi, a first-time voter.

“It was also my first time to vote,” Amy told the Inquirer. “I wanted to set a good example to my son, so we registered at the same time. I just didn’t have the time to vote in past elections.”

Amy reported that “everything was in order” in her precinct.

Another first-time voter was teen star Bea Binene. “I was first in line, too,” she volunteered. “I arrived  before 6 a.m. But since there was a slight delay, I finished at 7.”

She expressed the hope that her vote “would make a difference.” “I just voted for our country’s future. I hope the Filipinos will win in this election,” Bea quipped.

Actress Iza Calzado likewise didn’t encounter any difficulty even though it was her first time to vote in Makati. “It was fast, easy and breezy,” she recalled. “It was very organized there.”

Singer Moy Ortiz of the vocal group The CompanY commended the poll watchers in Barangay Merville in Parañaque for “anticipating the needs” of his parents, who are senior citizens.

The team in his community “was like a well-oiled machine,” Moy remarked. “The volunteers were active and vigilant. It felt good to fulfill one’s civic duty in an orderly and peaceful atmosphere. I felt proud that many Filipinos are no longer apathetic when it comes to politics.”

Actress Jan Marini Alano and husband, actor Gerard Pizarras, treated their helper Linen Sambilad to snacks after voting. (“Buy one-take one at Starbucks!”)

“It was Linen’s first time to vote,” Jan Marini related. “My greatest fear was that the PCOS machine would malfunction! I was very fortunate that my voting experience was pleasant.”

Singer Dingdong Avanzado pointed out that this election process “was unlike any that we’ve had in the past—largely due to the power and influence of social media.”

He sees a seismic “shift” in how campaigns would be “waged” in the future. “I hope that we can learn to unite as a nation regardless of who wins,” Dingdong mused. “I hope that this ‘intense’ process will be a step toward the maturation of our voters.”