33,000 BJMP inmates to vote on May 9
Jail officers watch the jail vicinity during an anti-drug and contraband inspection codenamed Oplan Greyhound at the Manila City Jail on Sept. 29, 2018. (File photo by NOEL CELIS / AFP)
MANILA, Philippines — More than 30,000 persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) will also cast their votes on Monday to elect the country’s new leaders, according to the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP).
During a Laging Handa public briefing on Saturday, Jail Supt. Xavier Solda, the spokesperson for the BJMP, said 33,409 PDLs — or about a quarter of the more than 131,000 BJMP inmates in the country — were registered voters for the 2022 national and local elections.
Of these, 30,726 will vote in special polling precincts inside jail facilities, while 2,683 will vote in polling centers outside of BJMP facilities.
Solda assured tight security for PDLs who will vote in regular polling precincts.
“There are special lanes for our PDLs in the polling precincts outside BJMP facilities. We have already coordinated this with our enforcers on the grounds, including the police and military to escort them,” he said.
PDLs who will vote off-site were covered with appropriate court orders allowing them to go out of the jail facility, Solda added.
According to Solda, PDLs will vote based on the information they gathered as the BJMP provided them access to radio and television to watch the candidates’ interviews and debates.
Campaigning is also allowed inside BJMP facilities during the campaign period with guidelines prescribed under BJMP Memorandum Circular No. 129, series of 2021.
Similar to absentee voters, PDLs can only cast their votes for candidates in the national positions, namely president, vice president, senators, and party list.
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