ILOILO City – With over 1,000 inmates expected to cast their votes in the May 12 national and local elections, the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) in Iloilo City has launched a rigorous voter education campaign to promote informed, responsible, and non-partisan electoral participation among Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDLs).
Held this week at the Iloilo City District Jail-Male Dormitory in Barangay Ungka, Jaro district, the forum reached 1,045 registered PDL voters and was organized as part of BJMP’s initiative to uphold the civic rights of incarcerated individuals.
The session was led by Jail Officer 1 Jerous Labrador, the facility’s Community Relations and Services Officer.
“Voting is a democratic right — and even behind bars, that right must be respected and exercised wisely,” said Labrador, stressing that the activity aimed to deepen the inmates’ understanding of the electoral process and their role as voters.
The session went beyond the basics of how to vote, engaging PDLs in evaluating all 66 senatorial candidates and relevant local bets based on background, advocacy, and track record. It also sought to correct common misconceptions, particularly the tendency to vote based on popularity or name recall rather than competence and public service history.
Key observations raised during the activity included:
* a widespread lack of voter awareness among PDLs and the general public alike;
* the need for stronger, more accessible voter education efforts
* limited public understanding of the responsibilities of elected positions such as senator, mayor, and congressman
* the importance of critical thinking when assessing candidate platforms and qualifications
Labrador was quick to clarify that the event strictly adhered to the principles of non-partisanship.
“This was not a campaign activity,” he said. “We do not endorse any candidate or political group. Our duty is to equip our PDLs with factual, unbiased information so they can make intelligent decisions on election day.”
The initiative forms part of BJMP’s national mandate to ensure that eligible PDLs are not excluded from democratic processes, reaffirming that suffrage is a right that transcends physical confinement./PN
