378 detainees at City jail qualified to vote in May polls
TACLOBAN CITY – Some 378 detainees at the City district jail were officially declared as qualified voters inside or near their places of detention in the May 2010 synchronized local and national polls.
Onorata Almaden, BJMP administrative officer, said that the qualified inmates voters were both male and female and certified residents of the City.
Almaden said that those who are not City residents cannot vote in the City unless they are detained in the locality where they are detained.
She said there are other detainee who are from Tacloban but were not qualified for Comelec registration because of their hidden identities or are using nicknames.
Meanwhile, Rosemarie Ann Polistico, COMELEC officer, said that the inmates will be voting the same procedure but the only difference is that they are escorted by BJMP personnel.
“It depends on where the precincts are assigned to the inmates. Pareho din yung pag vote, but the security measure of the detainees is the discretion of BJMP,” Polistico said.
According to Comelec rules, “suffrage may be exercised by all citizens of the Philippines not otherwise disqualified by law, who are at least eighteen (18) years of age.”
Under the 1987 Constitution, the qualifications does not strip suspected murderers or freedom fighters of their right to suffrage. Under Article V of the Constitution, all citizens “not otherwise disqualified by law,” are entitled to register and vote.
Filipinos could only be disqualified from voting if they have been sentenced with “final judgment” by a court to imprisonment of not less than one year, or found to be insane or incompetent, or have lost or renounced their citizenship.
Example of detainees or former detainee who were allowed to vote despite the cases filed against them were Sen. Trillanes, Nur Misuari, and former President Joseph Estrada.
The above examples, however, serve more as the exception. What prevents detainees from exercising their constitutional guarantee to suffrage is the law itself.
In order for inmates to register and vote, they should seek a court order which would allow them to step out of jails and go to designated registration sites and polling places. (SYLVIA ALVERO ABADINGO)
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