ILOILO City – All persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) across Western Visayas eligible to vote for the May 2022 polls have registered with the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
In an interview with Panay News, Jail Chief Inspector Jairus Anthony Dogelio, spokesperson of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) in Region 6, said around 8,000 PDLs will vote for the national polls.
These PDLs also applied for the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys), or national ID, said Dogelio.
“Convicted inmates with more than one year of imprisonment could not exercise their right to vote,” Dogelio said.
He noted most of the inmates transferred their voting place inside the jail. Those who did not transfer theirs would be escorted to the voting center if it is near the jail facility, Dogelio explained.
A PDL, as defined by Republic Act 10575 (Bureau of Corrections Act), “refers to a detainee, inmate, or prisoner, or other persons under confinement or custody in any other manner.”
VACCINATION
Meanwhile, around 91 percent of PDLs in Region 6 were fully vaccinated against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
The remaining inmates were waiting for their second dose, according to Dogelio.
“They were all willing to submit themselves for vaccination,” Dogelio added.
Meanwhile, Dogelio said all 1,439 BJMP personnel were vaccinated against COVID-19.
“Ang wala lang amo ang mga bag-o sumpa, but ang iban naka first dose na,” Dogelio said.
“We are expecting nga next month or by December matapos na sila kay damo na vaccines naga-abot,” he added.
Meanwhile, the visiting system for the inmates’ families and relatives remained suspended.
They can still send food and other things through the jail officer-in-charge, said Dogelio./PN
