SAN JOSE, Occidental Mindoro — With just 115 days before the 2025 National and Local Elections, the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) and the Commission on Elections (Comelec) conducted a voter education session for 235 registered persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) at the San Jose District Jail on Friday, January 17.

The initiative, led by local election officer Chona Magpantay, is part of Comelec’s Info-Campaign Caravan, designed to inform and prepare detainees for their participation in the upcoming polls. The campaign also introduced PDL voters to new electoral features aimed at enhancing transparency and voter confidence.

Among the key upgrades discussed were:
✅ Ballot Image Display – A new system that shows voters a digital image of their completed ballot, allowing them to verify selections and make corrections if needed.
✅ Enhanced Automated Counting Machines (ACM) – These machines now generate a QR-coded receipt, enabling voters to verify their choices while ensuring election integrity.

BJMP Mimaropa Information Officer Jail Officer 3 Joefrie Anglo emphasized the importance of suffrage for PDLs, highlighting that voter education is a crucial step in rehabilitation and reintegration.

“The right to vote is an inherent constitutional right. By assisting the Comelec in this effort, we affirm that even PDLs remain part of society,” Anglo stated.

Meanwhile, Acting District Jail Warden Jail Senior Inspector Efren Olivar assured that security measures are in place to safeguard PDL voters inside the facility’s special polling precincts (SPPs). He noted that coordination with the Philippine National Police (PNP) and Comelec is ongoing to prevent any untoward incidents on election day.

However, he clarified that PDLs seeking to vote outside the jail premises must secure court approval before being escorted to polling centers.

SC Upholds PDL Voting Rights

In 2022, the Supreme Court lifted a restraining order that previously blocked Comelec from implementing Resolution 9371. Under this ruling, qualified PDLs—including those awaiting trial or serving prison terms of less than a year—are legally entitled to vote.

This initiative underscores the government’s commitment to ensuring that every eligible Filipino, regardless of circumstances, can exercise their right to suffrage in the upcoming elections.