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CHR asked to prove feasibility of polling precincts in jails


The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Monday asked the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) to prove the feasibility of setting up special polling precincts for detainees in jails all over the country. In a hearing on CHR’s petition for special polling areas within detention areas, Comelec Commissioner Rene Sarmiento asked the CHR to submit a certification from the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) to support its claim that off-site escorted voting would be a “logistical nightmare." In a resolution it issued last May, the Comelec approved off-site escorted voting for detainees, provided they obtain court orders allowing them to vote. But CHR Commissioner Leila de Lima said escorting the 23,000 detainees who would vote for the 2010 elections would be very difficult considering the limited number of BJMP personnel. “Nakikini-kinita na namin na ‘yung pag-e-escort nila into various precincts would be an operational nightmare. ‘Yang BJMP personnel... limited lang ‘yan," De Lima said in an interview with reporters. “In our opinion, operational difficulties should not be an impediment because the right to suffrage is a statutory right," she added. In a petition filed with the Comelec earlier this month, the CHR asked the poll body to establish voting places inside jails to enable prisoners to exercise their right to vote in 2010. “These detainees belong to the vulnerable sectors which are prone to disenfranchisement. We ask the Comelec to consider our petition so that people deprived of their liberties can vote in the coming elections," De Lima said. According to her, the Comelec would have to deploy more than 400 election officers all over the country if ever the petition for special polling precincts in detention centers gets approved. Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez, however, said that setting up polling precincts inside detention centers would be just as difficult. “Polling precincts are assigned geographically. It would be difficult to pull out their names from different places and place them in special polling places within detention centers," he said. “As of now, the policy is that detainees need to secure court orders so they could vote off-site with escorts from BJMP," he added. The Comelec gave the De Lima five days to submit the BJMP certification before it could decide on the CHR’s petition. - GMANews.TV

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