MANILA – The Commission on Elections (Comelec), Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) and the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) on Thursday signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) for the conduct of voting of qualified persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) for next year’s elections.
The MOA was signed by Comelec chairperson George Garcia, BJMP DIrector for Operations Baby Montalvo, PAO Chief Persida Acosta and BuCor director general Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr. at the Palacio del Gobernador in Intramuros, Manila.
Under the agreement, the PAO “undertakes to protect the right of the PDL as a basic constitutional right to prevent their disenfranchisement in the political process.”
Meanwhile, BJMP is tasked to coordinate and facilitate PDL registration and voting, ensure the smooth and secure conduct of voter education by field officers within jail facilities or detention centers.
It will also establish systems for the safety and security of PDL voters during their escort from the jail facility or detention center to the polling place and back.
For its part, the BuCor will provide polling places for the qualified PDLs and ensure the smooth and secure conduct of voter education by field officers within jail facilities or detention centers.
The agreement shall be in force for the duration of the election days in connection with the 2025 National and Local Elections (NLE) and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Regions in Muslim Mindanao (BPE) and subsequent elections. (PNA)