PDL Voting, New Bilibid Prison. (Photo: Comelec)
MANILA, Philippines — Ninety percent of persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) eligible to vote in the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections successfully cast their vote on Monday, the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) reported on Tuesday.
In a joint press conference with the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), BJMP Director Ruel Rivera said 26,268 out of 29,288 inmates voted on Monday.
“Ang resulta ng BSKE sa ating piitan, 90 percent overall turnout of votes napakataas. No untoward incidents happened,” Rivera said.
(We had a very high voter turnout of 90 percent in our jails. No untoward incidents were reported on election day.)
He added that a total of 279 out of 479 jails nationwide were converted into special polling precincts for inmates aged 50 and above who voted within the BJMP facilities while officials escorted the younger detainees to their respective precincts located in various barangays.
Citing rules of the Commission on Elections, Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. earlier explained that PDLs who are qualified to exercise their right to vote include those who are formally charged, inmates with pending trial, and those who are imprisoned for sentences of less than a year.
He also emphasized that PDLs’ right to vote aligns with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Rights, and the 1987 Constitution.
Rivera said in line with this, some eight PDLs were likewise able to run, adding that three of them were able to garner the most votes in their respective barangays located in Tanay, Rizal; Dasmariñas, Cavite; and Iponan, Cagayan de Oro.
He did not specify which barangay these candidates ran but clarified that data came from the partial and unofficial results of the polls.
When asked how these PDLs would serve their respective barangays in case they indeed garner the most votes, Rivera said the Commission on Elections would still check their records and determine whether a disqualification case would be filed against them before the proclamation.