Express lane for PWDs, senior citizens, pregnant women on election day

THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) will provide express lanes during voting registration of people with disabilities (PWDs) and another special lane for PWDs, senior citizens and pregnant women in a pooling center on election day in May 2013.

Comelec city officer Reinier Layson announced this during a forum for PWD advocacy on election participation and their rights to participate in any electoral and democratic processes.

A nationwide forum roadshow was held September 27 in Iloilo City to discuss the rights of PWDs in the next midterm elections. The forum is spearheaded by the Asia Foundation with support from the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAid) and Foundation for Communication Initiatives (FOCI).

The National Council on Disability Affairs and Blesilda Mabilog of the Person with Disability Affairs Office said that Iloilo City has registered 2,461 PWDs and only some 500 are voters in the 2010 Presidential elections.

In the province of Iloilo, there are more than 17,000 PWDS and only 47 voted in the last elections due to distance and inaccessibility of the PWDS to the polling centers.

The forum was attended by Asia Foundation assistant program officer Emil Tapnio, AusAid program officer Bernadette Cariaga, FOCI president Emily Abrera, National Council on Disability Affairs IEC chief Rizalio Sanchez, Mayor Liecel Mondejar-Seville of New Lucena, Iloilo, councilor Christian Sorongon of New Lucena and Iloilo City PDAO team leader Blesilda Mabilog.

A three-year program is being implemented in six areas of the country for PWDs in Legaspi City in Albay, Cotabato City and Armm, Davao City, La Union, Iloilo City and Dumaguete City in Negros Oriental. (Lydia C. Pendon)