Inmates may not be allowed to vote

CEBU, Philippines – Registered inmates in Central Visayas may not be allowed to participate in the first poll automation of the country in May 10 because of the difficulty in creating special polling centers to accommodate them.

Assistant regional director Veronico Petalcorin of the Commission on Elections in Central Visayas said it is difficult for the commission to create special polling centers especially for jails with less than 100 qualified detainees.

He said that the option to put up special precincts in detention centers is not viable because inmates are usually coming from different localities. Petalcorin explained that if qualified inmates are registered in 20 barangays, they will be needing 20 Precinct Count Optical Scanners or PCOS machines for one jail only.

 “Precinct specific man gud atong PCOS, we can not just put one machine there for all of them,” Petalcorin said.

He said this will also depend on the capability of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology to handle inmates who will be allowed by the court to leave the detention centers during the Election Day to vote in the respective precincts where they are registered.

 “If there is a court order allowing an inmate to be escorted, then they will be given priority by our Board of Election Inspectors. That’s if the BJMP can provide escorts to all of them,” he said.

He said that aside from senior citizens, persons with disabilities and pregnant women, inmates will be prioritized because they can not afford keeping inmates in polling centers for a long period because of security reasons.

 “Basin unya kung magdugay na sila unya naa sila’y kauban didto, kulatahon nya atong BJMP aron makaeskapo sila, lisod na. We will not let the election be jeopardized,” Petalcorin said.

 “We will not prevent them from voting but again it’s up to the court if it will issue a court order. We want them to exercise their right to vote pero naa man gud ta’y balaod and other factors we have to consider,” Petalcorin said. — Jessica Ann R. Pareja and Sheila Marie E. Catacutan, NORSU Intern/FPL (THE FREEMAN)