ILOILO City – More than 6,500 persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) in Western Visayas are set to vote in the May 12 national and local elections.
According to Atty. Juniven Rey Umadhay, chief of the Legal Office and spokesperson of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) Region 6, a total of 6,561 PDLs are registered to vote across the region.
Negros Occidental leads with 4,001 registered PDL voters, followed by Iloilo province with 1,991, Iloilo City with 1,336, and Bacolod City with 1,450.
To ensure that PDLs can exercise their right to vote without leaving the confines of their detention facilities, 78 special precincts will be set up inside jails throughout the region. This will eliminate the need to transport them to public schools.
“If a jail has more than 100 registered PDL voters, a separate precinct is established. Those with fewer than 100 voters are clustered,” said Umadhay.
Additionally, a recent Supreme Court ruling now permits PDLs to vote not only for national positions, such as President, Vice President, senators, and party-list representatives, but also for local positions.
This expanded right is in line with the Voter’s Registration Act of 1996, which ensures that PDLs not convicted by final judgment retain their voting rights.
BJMP personnel have received specialized training to facilitate the voting process and maintain security during the elections.
For those not listed for on-site voting but still eligible, a court order will allow them to vote at designated regular precincts with the assistance of BJMP staff./PN
