Some 1,234 persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) from the Quezon City Jail Male Dormitory (QCJMD) were able to register and cast their votes for Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections on Monday, Oct. 30.
The QCJMD said that among these voters, 645 were already released back to the community and were expected to vote in their respective polling precincts in their areas.
There are also 589 remaining PDL voters who were scheduled to cast their ballots at nine Special Polling Places in District 1 to 6 established by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) inside the jail facility.
QCJMD said that 33 out of the 589 PDL voters failed to cast their ballots as of 3 p.m. on Monday due to several reasons, including medical treatment, health, failure to be included in the Comission on Elections (Comelec) cut-off, or they are not included in the Comelec voter’s list.
QCJMD Warden Jail Supt. Michell Ng Bonto said that the jail facility have conducted preparations for the BSKE.
These included operation plans for election in jails; peace dialogues and information drive for the PDL as to their right of suffrage guaranteed under the 1987 Philippine Constitution; active participation on the 2nd District Joint Security Coordinating Council (DJSCC) spearheaded by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and the Quezon City Police District Office, which was regularly attended by the QCJMD together with other relevant agencies in order to ensure a peaceful and successful BSKE.
Bureau of Jail Management and Penology-National Capital Region (BJMP-NCR) Regional Director Clint Russel Tangares declared a red alert status from Oct. 29 to Nov. 1 to ensure a safe and orderly conduct of BSKE in jails.
He also called for the employment of strict measures related to the BSKE to pre-empt threats to public safety, with emphasis on strict security and control in the movements of PDLs before, during and after the conduct of election.
“The release from confinement of the 645 registered voters who were former PDL is made possible through the intensified paralegal efforts and decongestion programs of the QCJMD in collaborative partnership with the Quezon City Regional Trial Court and Metropolitan Judges, the Public Attorneys Office (PAO), the Parole and Probation Office, the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP), the Quezon City Local Government Unit through the Public Employment Service Office (PESO) and the Social Services Development Department (SSDD),” the QCJMD said.
QCJMD said it releases an average of 60 PDL per week or a total of 240 PDL in a month, through the application of various modes of releases to help decongest the jail.