MANILA, Philippines--The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) has identified six of the "most consistently disenfranchised" sectors among the millions of Filipinos who are unable to cast their votes in Philippine elections.

CHR chairperson Leila de Lima, in her yearend report on the state of human rights in the country, has listed first time voters; internally displaced people; indigenous communities; detainees; the differently abled; and the elderly as among those usually disenfranchised during elections.

"There has yet to be a holistic approach on how to address the disenfranchisement of these vulnerable sectors, nor measures to make it easier for them to exercise their right of suffrage," De Lima, an election lawyer prior to her appointment to the CHR last May, said.

"It is, therefore, necessary to identify and carry out measures that will mitigate, if not eliminate, the disenfranchisement of these groups during elections," she stressed.

According to De Lima, the CHR has "sought to reach out to these vulnerable sectors in an effort to find solutions to their multifarious and, at times, divergent concerns in relation to the exercise of their right of suffrage."

The CHR conducted a one-day forum with the International Foundation for Electoral Systems – Philippines (IFES-Phil.) and Task Force 2010 with the goal of having "zero disenfranchisement" in the 2010 presidential elections.

De Lima said that the plight of the internally displaced because of armed conflicts in their areas "deserve special attention."

She noted that Records and Statistics Division of the Commission on Elections in Region XII showed that the provinces of North Cotabato, Sarangani, South Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat registered the second lowest voter turn-out during the May 2007 elections, with only 67.9% of the registered voters actually voting.

Statistics from the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) indicated that the number of individuals detained without a sentence comprise about 95% of the total jail population.

"This means, that, without the proper mechanism allowing these detainees to exercise their right to vote, they are being effectively disenfranchised without due process of law," De Lima said.

The CHR chair noted that in the May 2007 elections, disabled voters and the elderly reported the lack of facilities in the polling places.

De Lima said that some persons with disabilities found themselves assigned to precincts located on the third floor and the lack of handicapped-friendly facilities in the polling places discouraged some voters.

De Lima said that "admittedly, there is no specific provision providing for a convenient place for handicapped voters."