Though he says he has “accepted” the decision of the electorate, even as he has already conceded defeat to outgoing 1st district Congressman Edgar Chatto, Cesar Montano is far from satisfied with the automated election process especially in his hometown, Bohol.

According to the award-winning actor, the system still needs a “lot of improvement.”

“We have spent billions of pesos for this process. It could’ve been done better,” he says in a phone interview with Bulletin Entertainment.

Montano thinks the current system made the voting process more strenuous for the people, and as such has disenfranchised many.

“Though I think [the automated system] is better in that the results are now counted faster [than before], the difficulty lies in the actual voting process… it became much more complicated to many.”

Montano says he has heard of people foregoing their right to vote due to the convoluted voting procedure.

“Many got tired of waiting and just went home; understandably so as the lines were just too long and slow. And it was very hot especially as some of them had to contend with the [heat of the] mid-day sun,” he explains.

Montano deems it “too stupid” that the automation process wasn’t as well prepared as hoped.

“It was short of chaotic. To think that we spent billions on [the automation process]… I just hope we don’t prolong the stupidity [of this process]. It's not bad but...as I said, it could've been better. Those responsible should have been more prepared. I hope they make it better…and very soon; three years from now we’ll have another election. I hope it gets better then.”

That said, Montano is thankful for the more than 100,000 warm bodies that came out to vote for him, which he insists he didn’t have to pay for.

“Sadly, I must admit, there was massive vote-buying [in Bohol]; I have people who can attest to it.

“[But] I’m proud to say that I didn’t resort to that. I didn’t choose to make a mockery of the Boholano’s dignity by showering them with money.

“The support given me was all about real faith, love and trust; [and] I am quite thankful to those who extended wholehearted support on my candidacy.”

Despite the defeat, Montano says he will continue to help Boholanos in any way he can.

“I love them [Boholanos]. I still believe in them.

"My love for my fellow Boholanos is etched deep in my heart. I will continue to be of support [to them]. I am even willing to work with the winning party just to be able to continue helping them. I will continue to humbly push my agenda on the environment; on tourism; and on education. No problem with that; in fact, come June I have an incoming shipment of computers, a donation from a group based in the US that I will be handing over to the province.”

That said, Montano will also be busy making a comeback as actor.

“There are various offers from the three stations, two, seven and five. I’ve yet to decide on any of them. We’re still negotiating. [But] I’m eager to sit down and talk [with network representatives] as I already miss acting.”