Comelec urges Filipinos displaced by calamity, conflict to still vote on May 9

The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) has called on voters displaced by calamities and conflict to make an effort to vote in the coming national elections.

The poll body has no data on the number of internally displaced people (IDPs) who were forced to leave their homes due to war, violence and disasters, but Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) data shows that as of May 2, some 20,000 families in Regions 5, 6, 7 and 8 are currently staying in evacuation centers or with relatives or friends  due to the effects of Tropical Storm Agaton.

The DSWD also said that as of April 29, there were more than 1,800 families still displaced in Regions 6, 7, 8, MIMAROPA and Caraga due to Typhoon Odette.

Even residents displaced by the war in Marawi City in 2017 are still living in temporary shelters.

"Ang ating Comelec ay magpupursige upang lahat kayo ay makaboto subalit sana naman po kayo, sa pagmamahal ninyo sa ating bayan, ay pilitin niyong makaboto sa darating pong halalan. Ito ay isang karapatan na pantay-pantay tayo," Comelec Commissioner George Garcia told GMA News.

(Comelec will try to ensure that everyone can vote, and hopefully you, out of love of country, can make the effort to vote in the coming election. It is a right we all have.)

Garcia also added that evacuees may be discouraged to vote if they have to travel far to get to their precincts.

Legal Network for Truthful Elections (LENTE), a non-partisan legal network engaged in election work, warned that voters currently staying in evacuation centers may be vulnerable to political camps offering free transportation.

The group has called on Comelec to provide transportation for IDPs to shield them from politicians who may attempt to influence them by offering favors.

"Isa sa problema ng bakwit natin yung malalayo sila sa kanilang original polling place. Ang pagpo-provide ng transportation ng isang kandidato o ng kanyang supporter yan ay nakakaapekto sa malayang pagboto ng botante so yan ay dapat nating iwasan," LENTE executive director Rona Caritos told GMA News.

(One problem evacuees face is they can be far from their original polling place. A candidate or supporter providing transportation can affect the voter's right to freely vote so that should be avoided.)

LENTE also said one of the challenges of people staying in temporary shelters is limited access to information about the elections and the candidates.

Comelec earlier said that temporary election centers will be built in areas badly hit by Agaton and Odette to allow affected residents to cast their votes. — BM, GMA News