ILOILO City – In jails across Western Visayas, 3,860 persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) are qualified to vote in the May 9 elections, according to the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP).
These PDLs are registered voters and not yet sentenced with “final judgment” to be imprisoned for not less than a year.
According to Jail Superintendent Jairus Anthony Dogelio, chief of BJMP Region 6’s Legal Services Division and Community Relations Service (CRS), there are two ways qualified PDLs can vote.
Those aged 50 years old and above can vote at any onsite (jail) polling area.
“Pwede sila kaboto sa facility naton. Ma-designate kita sang area para ma-maintain ang health protocols sa mga naga-edad 50 years old and above,” said Dogelio.
Those below 50 years old can vote at the polling precincts where they are registered, as long as they have a court order and are escorted by a BJMP personnel, he added.
Dogelio said BJMP-6 has enough personnel to escort PDL-voters.
PDL voters are allowed to cast their votes only for party-list and national positions (president, vice president and senator).
Here’s the breakdown of PDL-registered voters in Western Visayas:
* Aklan – 42
* Antique – 45
* Capiz – 217
* Guimaras – 19
* Iloilo – 936
* Negros Occidental – 2,600
“Madasig man lang magboto kay may special lane na sa ila,” said Gogelio.
For rights group Panay Alliance Karapatan secretary general Reylan Vergara, the votes of the PDLs matter.
“Madamo mga PDLs naton so daku ‘ni nga bagay nga kabahin sila sa pagpili sang ila naluyagan nga kandidato kag tugyanan sang ila poder bilang pumuluyo man,” said Vergara.
He said it has been their advocacy to support the right of the PDLs to vote.
“Pabor gid ang karapatan nga pabotohon ang mga PDLs bilang kabahin sag ila pag-exercise sang ila kinamatarung nga magboto. Dapat gani mas pasangkaron pa sang Comelec ang ila registration sa mga PDLs para madamo ang makaboto, tungod bisan PDL sila, wala man sang layi nga nagahambal nga kanselado na ang ila kinamatarung sa pagboto,” Vergara added.
Meantime, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) in Region 6 director, Atty. Jonnie Dabuco said it has been part of their advocacy that PDLs not yet convicted with finality should be allowed to vote.
He stressed that voting is the basic right of Filipinos.
The Omnibus Election Code bars from voting those sentenced with “final judgment” to be imprisoned for not less than a year, those who lost or renounced their citizenship, those found to be insane or incompetent as declared by competent authority./PN
