MANILA, Philippines - As a hot day dawned in the Philippines, some voters rose to discover an elections fraught with problems.

The obstacles faced by voters were varied and numerous, ranging from malfunctioning voting machines, to long and winding queues at the precincts, to gunshots fired near voting centers to scare voters away.

Long lines in the tropical heat has led to fainting fits and people who chose to forego voting rather than face the long wait. The over-all atmosphere was such as led foreign news agencies such as CNN to describe the elections as "jittery" and "marred by violence".

But one of the most frustrating problems faced by Filipino voters was not the fact that it was difficult to cast their vote; it was the uncertainty of whether they would be able to vote at all.

Many voters arrived at their designated precincts to discover that their names were nowhere to be found on the list of registered voters. They were not allowed to fill out ballots and were forced to try and solve the clerical errors on their own.

Comelec's official precinct-finding webpage, as well as its other online services, went offline in the morning of election day due to huge amounts of traffic from voters seeking information.

Frustrated voters turned to social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook in order to vent their frustration about not being able to find their names, and to ask for help.

"@ABSCBN_Halalan #halalan another observation, 3 voters in front of me don't know which precinct they belong, causing delay. Naloka ang BEI (Board of Election Inspector)!" tweeted stanivan.

@crisleejoy asked, "@ANCALERTS my name is not on the voters' list but i was able to register last December. What should i do?"

Even people who persevered and were able to cast their ballots posted their frustration and confusion for their friends' sakes, such as @ang_mungo tweeting "My friend's name was on the [PPCRV] list but not
on the Comelec list. She wasn't allowed to vote. @MaikiOreta @ancalerts @juanvote", trying the popular hashtag used for the Philippine elections on Twitter, #juanvote as well as ANC, who have
been broadcasting comprehensive election coverage.

Similarly, @MARIEisRukia asked:"friend waited hours. her name wasnt on the list. she voted last time. what does she do? #eleksyon2010 #halalan"

Meanwhile, Facebook users raged about the missing names: "This is the worse election........ lon[g] lines....malfunction[ing] machine.....missing names.....sa hinaba haba ng pag hahanda.. hindi
parin handa???!", one posted. Another wryly quipped: "all is well dito sa [PPCRV] booth namin...except for missing names and disenfranchised voters..."

Some pleaded for understanding: "Nasisirang makina, missing names, at iba pang hassle na kaganapan...pero please be patient. Kaya yan! Basta sana peaceful at fair." "waaaaaaaah khit sa online ang hirap mghanap ng links kung saan mikita ang missing names and precinct finder oh my oh my...gs2 q bumoto ng yellow pa nman aq sayang ang effort q..."

One voter wrote to ABS-CBN to report that not only was her name missing from the computerized records and the precinct (Guitnang Bayan, San Mateo Rizal High School) she'd been told to report at, but
as early as 8:30 AM in the morning, volunteers had told her that "less than ten" others in her precinct shared her problem.

With Comelec's webpage down, voters can find their precincts via the alternate method of calling 101-49 via PLDT land line or 02-902-0400 via Globelines, Globe or Touch Mobile cell phones. -abs-cbnNEWS.com