Who will be the next Philippine president?

With almost 100 persons who filed to run as president, Filipino voters will find it difficult to filter the best. Even if the COMELEC declares 90% of them as nuisance candidates, the decision on who among the remaining few would still be difficult.

Filipino voters have changed. Our voting decision is now based on how much we know about a candidate and what are the candidate’s view on crucial political issues. With our easy access and with increase use of internet technology, we can easily find the candidate’s profile online. One good thing is that voters now can interact with candidates online.

For example, there is one site called Political Arena that does not only publish candidate’s profile but also allow us to get involved. With a simple click, we can ask question to the candidate. You must login to the site before you can do that. Signing up will not take long anyway.

There is a political forum where brilliant minds of voters converge. Wow, political ideas are there!

The first time I visited the site, I immediately signed up because I felt that the site would provide sufficient information about the views, principles, and ideals of different candidates. With the boulders of political issues, we have nowhere to go but to get involved.

Politicalarena.com allows me to create profile. I can disclose the candidate I support on my profile. I can post questions, and blog, too. The site also allows me to share pictures and even videos.

Politicalarena.com is the country’s first socio-political networking site that encourages active voter’s participation in the 2010 national elections.  Its partners include the COMELEC, PPCRV and Youth Vote Philippines. Politicalarena.com is under the network of 88DB.com, the Philippines’ first rich media service portal.

But what about election automation? Do we know more about it? I think the question should be, do we know enough about it?

Mass media, blogs, perhaps even social networks have crucial role in voter education especially that we will have the automation. Of course, voter’s education is not only about automation machines or automation process but it is also more on how the voter makes an intelligent decision.

By the way, i posted something in the PoliticalArena.com forum.

You can check it here: http://ph.politicalarena.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=407