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Thursday, March 28, 2024

48k PDLs registered voters ready for May 9

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Some 47,785 persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) nationwide who are registered for Eleksyon 2022 are set to vote in the May 9 polls, the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology said Sunday.

In a Super Radyo dzBB interview, BJMP spokesperson Jail Supt. Xavier Solda said these PDLs could only vote for president, vice president, senators, and party-list, like in the absentee voting.

He also explained that if there were 50 and below PDLs in a facility, they would have to be transferred to a polling precinct to vote.

However, if there were 51 of them and above, their facility itself would be used as a special polling place and personnel of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) would personally go there to man the conduct of elections.

“There are special lanes for our PDLs in the polling precinct outside the facility and we have already coordinated this with our enforcers on the grounds including the PNP and AFP. There must also be an authority from the court or court order that would allow them to leave the jail facilities to vote,” he said.

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To help inform PDLs about the candidates’ platforms, Solda said they have provided them access to radios and televisions so they could watch their interviews and debates.

For PDLs with COVID-19 symptoms on Election Day, Solda said nurses would have to check them first and test them using antigen test kits if they could go out to vote.

“We want to enforce their right to vote but that does not mean that we could already cause health problems for other people. We really have to check our PDLs first,” he added.

Comelec Commissioner George Garcia on Thursday said voters with COVID-19 could vote as long as they were allowed to get out of isolation facilities.

He added the Comelec also had no policy that prohibits those who are just isolating at their home from casting their vote.

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