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Comelec vows to assist PWDs during elections


MANILA, Philippines - As it marked Global Election Day Thursday, the Commission on Elections promised to make sure persons with disabilities (PWDs)and other marginalized sectors can full avail of their right to vote in 2010. Comelec chairman Jose Melo made the vow at the launching of a book on ensuring the right to electoral participation at the Comelec office in Manila. "We must also be very aware that there are those among us who do not have as much access to the electoral system as they are entitled to and deserve," he said in his speech. He said the book "Ensuring the Right to Electoral Participation: Giving Access to Vulnerable Sectors in 2010" is a timely reminder that their work is not limited to administering elections. Excerpts of Melo's speech were posted on the Comelec blog site. The book outlines the rights body's recommendations on how to best ensure the right to suffrage of the most vulnerable sectors in society during elections. These include indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, internally displaced persons, the detained, the elderly and first-time voters. Melo admitted very few people had ever even thought of elections in terms of human rights, adding those in the field of elections tend to be more preoccupied with statistics and trends. "By inextricably linking the right of suffrage with the concept of human rights – in other words by considering the right to participate in free and honest elections as an unalienable entitlement of every person – we elevate both to higher levels within the hierarchy of individual liberties that need protection," he said. He reassured voters, particularly Commission on Human Rights chairwoman Leila de Lima, who was at the book launching, that the book will contribute much to the shaping of Comelec policies. Melo said the poll body already took steps towards improving access to the electoral system, beginning with the creation of express lanes for the elderly, the pregnant, and for persons with disabilities. "But we also recognize that there is so much more to be done. And the Comelec will do its share in spreading the word," he said. On the other hand, Melo said disenfranchisement now cannot be considered a mere symptom of administrative failure, but an offense against the very freedom of a person. "We must now emphasize even more that coercion, intimidation, and vote buying are not just despicable acts, that they are violative of fundamental freedoms; and of course, we must declare in no uncertain terms that electoral fraud is no longer just a felony, but an outrage against human dignity," he said. Also present during the book presentation were representatives from the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), The Tahanang Walang Hagdanan, Balay (representing the internally displaced persons), Task Force 2010 and the First Time Voters Project.- GMANews.TV
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