The excitement or enthusiasm felt by some first-time voters in the city of Pasig is being overshadowed by fear and doubt whether or not Monday’s first automated local and national elections will be successful.

In an interview, Christian Santos, a 19-year-old student from the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Pasig (PLP), does not trust the first automated elections, fearing that cheating might take place to ruin the historic event.

Santos, who is just one of the thousands of youngsters who encountered some difficulty registering as a first time voter in the city a few months ago, explained that the success of the election will also highly depend on the success of Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines which will be used to count the actual votes cast.

“Cheating will most likely might occur because the operators can be bribed,” Santos said during an interview.

Meanwhile, 18-year-old Arriane Villanueva, who is also a student from PLP, shares with Santos the same sentiment.

According to her, she is doubtful that the elections would be a success since recent news reports indicated that a number of PCOS machines tested in some cities and town in Metro Manila malfunctioned in one way or another.

Villanueva, who decided to register this year, however feels excited at the prospect of being able to vote for the very first time and to choose the best leader for our country.

“I am looking for change because past happenings aren’t that good,” she said, adding that the qualities she is looking for in a candidate – such as honesty, integrity, and fear of God – are those which are not present in most of our leaders today.

Meanwhile, 19-year-old PLP student Jennifer Esfulgar also expresses fear of a failure of election but still hopes that this won’t happen.

She also shared her thoughts on what our country needs from a leader, such as one who has conviction in his words and someone who truly get things done.

She added that that the challenges left to other first time voters in the country “is to remain wise in their choice of candidates and firm in their belief that the upcoming elections would end up being a clean, peaceful and honest one,” she said.

The city’s 1st District has a total of 22 polling centers, 186 clustered precincts, and a total of 142,221 registered voters; while District 2 has a total of 21 polling centers, 236 clustered precincts, and a total of 201,346 registered voters.