By Ben Rosario The House of Representatives on Thursday (May 28) passed on second reading a bill directing the Commission on Elections to make voting more accessible and easier for senior citizens and persons with disability (PWDs). Authored by Marikina City Rep. Stella Luz Quimbo, House Bill (HB) No. 6470 or the Senior Citizens and PWDs Absentee Voting Act of 2019 proposes to amend Section 9 of Republic Act (RA) No. 10366. HB 6470 also authorizes the Comelec to allow PWDs and the elderly to avail of the local absentee voting system but the endorsed bill did not contain this provision. RA 10366 already mandates the Comelec to establish accessible polling places for PWDs and the elderly but despite the provisions of the law, senior citizens continue to experience difficulties in voting. Quimbo said there are at least 318,013 PWDs and 6,695 senior citizens who were on the voting list in the 2016 elections. “After the 23 percent low voting turnout of PWDs and senior citizens during the 2013 midterm elections, there were clamors for disability inclusivity in elections,” she said in the explanatory note of her legislative proposal. The neophyte lawmaker also cited the comment of the Legal Network for Truthful Elections that RA 10366 proved to be a “band-aid solution” to the problem of making voting easier and accessible to the vulnerable sector. “This bill aims to improve the voting experience of the vulnerable sector by assigning an earlier voting day for our elderly and the PWDs, thus ensuring expedited, streamlined, and convenient voting process,” she said. However, in the bill endorsed by the House committee on suffrage and electoral reforms, provisions granting PWDs and senior citizens absentee voting privileges were not included. Committee chairperson and Cavite Rep. Juliet Marie Ferrer said the bill provides that the polling place where PWD’s and senior citizens will cast their ballots should be situated in an area that is readily accessible to public transportation. The polling place should be “free of any physical barriers” and will feature assistive devices such as ramps, railings, sidewalks, adequate lighting, ventilation, and other features for the benefit of physically disadvantaged voters.