Aklan detainee-voters ready for automated elections

by Venus G. Villanueva

Kalibo, Aklan (6 April) — Detainees at the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) here are ready for the country’s first-ever automated elections.

“The COMELEC has demonstrated here at the BJMP the functions and proper use of the Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machine, so our detainees are now ready to take part in the May 10, 2010 automated elections,” said Chief Inspector Roger L. Berte, Jail Warden of BJMP.

Chief Inspector Berte said the BJMP will be escorting at least 20 detainees-voters who are residents of the municipality of Kalibo to the voting precincts on May 10, 2010.

According to the BJMP, they can only escort detainees from Kalibo due to the proximity of the polling places.

Also, BJMP-Aklan has only 19 personnel including the jail warden so it would be hard for them to escort detainees from other Aklan municipalities.

Presently, BJMP – Aklan has a total of 128 detainees. Of the twenty voters from Kalibo, 19 are males and one a female.

Berte said they will be securing court orders so the twenty voters could go to polling places on May 10, properly escorted by BJMP personnel.

Meanwhile, the Aklan Rehabilitation Center (ARC) here under the provincial government is awaiting moves from the COMELEC if a special polling place will be be installed in the rehabilitation center on May 10 to enable their detainees to vote.

Dizon Tropa, Provincial Guard I, said the ARC has 234 inmates, coming from various parts of the province. Like the BJMP, the ARC is awaiting for court orders so they could escort those intending to vote on May 10, if there will be no installed polling place in the area.

“If there are motions from their lawyers, it is our duty to escort them so they can vote on Election Day in their respective polling areas,” Tropa said.

Just very recently, the COMELEC promulgated Resolution No. 8811 on the rules and regulations on Detainee Voting in connection with the May 10, 2010 National and Local Elections.

Section 1 of the resolution states that detainee voting (either through the special polling place inside jails or escorted voting) may be availed of by any registered detainee whose registration record is not deactivated/cancelled.

A detainee, as described in the resolution, is understood to be any person 1) confined in jail, formally charged for any crime/s and awaiting/undergoing trial or 2) serving a sentence of imprisonment for less than one (1) year, or 3) whose conviction of a crime involving disloyalty to the duly constituted government such as rebellion, sedition, violation of the firearms laws or any crime against national security or for any other crime is on appeal.

BJMP-Aklan and the ARC are both located in Barangay Nalook, Kalibo, Aklan. (PIA)