TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE ) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES ) 
First Regular Session 
)
r:n'
25 AUG-7 P4 :17
sena:
S.B. NO. 'il2G
RKtrJrl
Introduced by SENATOR IMEE R. MARCOS
AN ACT
PROVIDING ALTERNATIVE MODES OF VOTING FOR PERSONS IN 
VULNERABLE SITUATIONS TO EXERCISE THEIR RIGHT OF SUFFRAGE, 
AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE REPUBLIC ACT NO. 10366, PROVIDING 
FUNDS THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
EXPLANATORY NOTE
Article V, Section 2 of the Constitution states that the "Congress shall provide 
a system for securing the secrecy and sanctity of the ballot as well as a system for 
absentee voting by qualified Filipinos abroad." Furthermore, the Constitution provides 
that "No literacy, property, or other substantive requirement shall be imposed on the 
exercise of suffrage." Corollary to the said mandate is the duty to design a system and 
a set of procedures that shall encourage and ensure a wide participation in electoral 
exercises, plebiscites, or referenda by those belonging to the vulnerable sectors, 
particularly senior citizens, pregnant women, persons with disabilities (PWDs) and 
indigenous peoples.
The importance of the aforementioned systems and procedures has become 
even more evident in the wake of the recent pandemic. Beyond this, it is important to 
acknowledge that senior citizens, PWDs, and pregnant women often experience 
limited mobility, which may necessitate special assistance merely to reach and return 
from voting centers. This challenge is further exacerbated by the conditions typically 
present on election day, when thousands converge at polling places to cast their votes. 
For many in these vulnerable groups, navigating crowded and congested voting 
centers poses physical and health risks that may ultimately discourage them from 
exercising their right to vote. While the Commission has made efforts to improve 
access to polling places for these individuals, there remains significant room for 
enhancement.
Moreover, even prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Senate 
Committee on Electoral Reforms and People's Participation had already conducted 
numerous public hearings and technical working group meetings that highlighted and 
acknowledged the difficulties faced by PWDs and indigenous peoples (IPs) in remote 
areas due to the inaccessibility of polling centers on election day.


Therefore, it is imperative to offer alternative modes of voting for members of 
vulnerable sectors to guarantee their adequate access and opportunity to participate 
safely and meaningfully in the nation's democratic process.
In view of the foregoing, the passage of this measure is earnestly sought.
IMCrCTlARCOs/"


TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE ) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES )
-.Jirp
First Regular Session
)
SENATE
S.B. nq._1426
25 AUG -7
P4 :17
1
----- ——H
Introduced by SENATOR IMEE R. MARCOS
AN ACT
PROVIDING ALTERNATIVE MODES OF VOTING FOR PERSONS IN 
VULNERABLE SITUATIONS TO EXERCISE THEIR RIGHT OF SUFFRAGE, 
AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE REPUBLIC ACT NO. 10366, PROVIDING 
FUNDS THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled1
.
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SECTION 1. Declaration of Policy. -The State shall ensure that senior citizens,
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persons with disabilities (PWDs), pregnant women, indigenous peoples (IPs),
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internally displaced persons (IDPs), persons deprived of liberty (PDLs), and in special
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circumstances, health workers, quarantined and hospitalized persons, repatriated
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overseas voters, migrant workers, and Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in distress,
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are able to exercise their right to political participation without restrictions. The State
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shall devise systems and procedures that will enhance accessibility in their voting
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process.
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SEC. 2. Definition of Terms. - As used in this Act, the term:
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(a) 
"Commission" refers to the Commission on Elections;
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(b) 
"Senior citizens" refer to qualified voters who are sixty (60) years or
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older;
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(c) "Persons with disabilities" refer to qualified voters who have long term
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physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory impairments, which, in interacting with
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various barriers, may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal
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basis with others;
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(d) "Pregnant women" refer to qualified voters who are pregnant during
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election day regardless of the trimester of pregnancy. For purposes of local absentee
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voting, the term shall refer to qualified voters who are pregnant at the time of
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registration for absentee voting and are expected to remain pregnant during the
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period of absentee voting;
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(e) "Indigenous peoples" refer to qualified voters who belong to a group of
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people or a homogenous society identified by self-ascription and ascription by others,
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who have continuously lived as an organized community on communally bounded and
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defined territory, and who have, under claims of ownership since time immemorial.


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occupied, possessed, and utilized such territories, sharing common bonds of language, 
customs, traditions, and other distinctive cultural traits, or who have, through 
resistance to political, social, and cultural inroads of colonization, non-indigenous 
religions and cultures, became historically differentiated from the majority of Filipinos. 
IPs shall likewise include people who are regarded as indigenous on account of their 
descent from the populations which inhabited the country, at the time of conquest or 
colonization, or at the time of inroads of non-indigenous religions and cultures, or the 
establishment of present state boundaries, who retain some or all of their own social, 
economic, cultural, and political institutions, but who may have been displaced from 
their traditional domains or who may have been resettled outside their ancestral 
domains;
(f) 
"Internally displaced person" refers to a qualified voter who has been 
forced or obliged to flee or leave one's home or place of habitual residence within the 
national borders as a result of, or in order to avoid or minimize, the effects of armed 
conflict, situations of generalized and/or organized violence, violations of human 
rights, implementation of development projects, or natural and human-induced or 
human-made hazards or disasters;
(g) 
"Person deprived of liberty" refers to a qualified voter, who is a detainee, 
inmate, prisoner, or person under confinement or custody in any other manner;
(h) 
"Health workers" shall mean qualified voters who are engaged in health- 
related work, and all persons employed in all hospitals, sanitaria, health infirmaries, 
health centers, rural health units, barangay health stations, clinics, and other health- 
related establishments owned and operated by the government or its political 
subdivisions with original charters and shall include medical, allied health professional, 
administrative and support personnel, regardless of their employment status;
(i) 
"Quarantined and hospitalized persons" shall refer to qualified voters 
who are quarantined or are receiving medical treatment in quarantine facilities and 
hospitals accredited by the Commission due to an existing public health emergency; 
and
(j) 
"Repatriated overseas voter" refers to a citizen of the Philippines 
registered and allowed to vote under Republic Act No. 9189, as amended, but was 
repatriated due to special circumstances such as armed conflict, issues in international 
relations, state of emergency or calamity, or any other analogous circumstance 
beyond the control or fault of the voter.
SEC. 3. Local Absentee Voting. - The Commission shall extend the right to 
vote under the Local Absentee Voting System to senior citizens, PWDs, pregnant 
women, and IDPs qualified to vote, as provided in existing laws and executive orders. 
They may cast their ballot at accessible establishments designated by the Commission, 
for a period of not less than two (2) days within seven (7) calendar days before the 
election.
In the event of a public health emergency, health workers on official duty and 
quarantined and hospitalized persons qualified to vote may avail of the right to Local 
Absentee Voting.
A repatriated overseas voter may avail of the right to Local Absentee Voting 
only if such voter's repatriation was due to special circumstances such as armed


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conflict, issues in international relations, state of emergency or calamity, or any other 
analogous circumstances beyond the control or fault of the voter.
The Commission shall designate accessible polling places, defined under 
Section 2(j) of Republic Act No. 10366, as amended, for senior citizens, PWDs, and 
pregnant women.
There shall be nationwide registration of senior citizens, PWDs, pregnant 
women, IDPs, and in special circumstances, health workers, quarantined and 
hospitalized persons, and repatriated overseas voters, who wish to avail of the Local 
Absentee Voting. Those who are not registered under the Local Absentee Voting 
system shall be allowed to vote on election day.
SEC. 4. Emergency Accessible Polling Places (EAPP). - During election day, the 
Commission shall designate rooms or makeshift or temporary polling places at 
residences for senior citizens; jails, prison facilities or detention centers; quarantine 
and hospital facilities; areas with a substantial number of IDPs; remote areas; and in 
such other places as may be necessary to ensure an efficient and expeditious voting 
process for senior citizens, PWDs, pregnant women, IDPs, PDLs, IPs, and in special 
circumstances, health care workers on duty and qualified repatriated overseas voters.
The Commission shall ensure that, as far as practicable and necessary, and the 
EAPPs shall have the same features and offer the same assistive services found in 
Accessible Polling Places, defined under Section 2(j) of Republic Act No. 10366, as 
amended, and that the voting procedure in the EAPPs, including the facilities and 
materials, is adequate, appropriate, accessible, easy to understand and use, and that 
reasonable accommodation shall be granted to the persons named in the preceding 
paragraph to ensure the full exercise of their right of suffrage.
SEC. 5. Section 2(j) of Republic Act No. 10366 is hereby amended to read as
follows:
"SEC. 2. Definition of Terms. - xxx
(a) xxx.
xxx.
(j) Accessible polling place refers to the venue where the 
[Board of Election Inspectors (BEIs)] ELECTORAL BOARD conducts 
election-related proceedings and where the voters cast their votes. 
The accessible polling place shall be located at the ground floor, 
preferably near the entrance of the building, [and is] READILY 
ACCESSIBLE TO PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION, free of any physical 
barriers and provided with [necessary 5crvices> including assistive 
devices] NECESSARY INFRASTRUCTURE INCLUDING 
ASSISTIVE DEVICES, TRANSPORT WHEELCHAIRS, RAMPS, 
RAILINGS, SIDEWALKS, ADEQUATE LIGHTING,


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VENTILATION, SUFFICIENT SIGNAGE AND DIRECTIONAL 
SIGNS, LISTS OF CANDIDATES TRANSCRIBED IN BRAILLE, 
AND OTHER FEATURES FOR PWDS, PREGNANT WOMEN, AND 
SENIOR CITIZENS, AS WELL AS SUPPORT SERVICES OF 
EXPERTS IN ASSISTING PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES SUCH 
AS SIGN LANGUAGE INTERPRETERS. ACCESSIBLE POLLING 
PLACES SHALL BE LOCATED IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS, TOWN 
HALLS OR PLAZAS, CIVIC CENTERS, COMMUNITY CENTERS, 
OR OTHER SIMILARLY DESIGNATED VENUES. IN 
DESIGNATING THE ACCESSIBLE POLLING PLACES, THE 
COMMISSION SHALL GIVE PREFERENCE TO VENUES 
DESIGNED WITH SPECIAL FEATURES TO ENSURE THE SAFETY 
AND COMFORT OF SENIOR CITIZENS, PREGNANT WOMEN, 
AND PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES."
SEC. 6. Section 9 of Republic Act No. 
Section 9 shall be inserted to read as follows:
10366 is hereby deleted and a new
"SEC. 9. DESIGNATION OF ACCESSIBLE POLLING 
PLACES FOR SENIOR CITIZENS, PWDS, AND PREGNANT 
WOMEN. -THE COMMISSION SHALL DESIGNATE AND 
ESTABLISH ACCESSIBLE POLLING PLACES IN EVERY VOTING 
CENTERFOR THE EXCLUSIVE USE OF PWDS, SENIOR 
CITIZENS, AND PREGNANT WOMEN IN SUCH NUMBER AS 
MAY BE SUFFICIENT TO ENSURE AN EXPEDIENT, SAFE, AND 
COMFORTABLE VOTING PROCESS. NO PRIOR 
MANIFESTATION SHALL BE REQUIRED FOR THE PERSONS 
MENTIONED HEREIN TO AVAIL OF THE RIGHT TO VOTE IN 
ACCESSIBLE POLLING PLACES."
SEC. 7. Provision for Transportation/Shuttie Service. - The Commission shall 
provide a system of transportation/shuttle services for the senior citizens, PWDs, 
pregnant women, IPs, and IDPs during the period of Local Absentee Voting under this 
Act and during election day to ensure that these sectors have means of transportation 
to and from the polling places.
SEC. 8. Establishment of a Vulnerable Sectors Office (VSO) Under the 
Commission. - The Commission is hereby authorized to establish a VSO tasked 
specifically to oversee and supervise the effective implementation of this Act: 
Provided, That its Secretariat shall come from the existing Secretariat personnel of 
the Commission.
SEC. 9. Impiementing Rules and Regulations. - Within ninety (90) days from 
the effectivity of this Act, the Commission shall, in consultation with other relevant 
government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and civil society 
organizations, promulgate the rules and regulations necessary to implement this Act.


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SEC. 10. Appropriation. -The initial amount for the implementation of this Act 
shall be charged against the available appropriations of the Commission. Thereafter, 
the amount necessary for its continuous implementation shall be included in the 
annual General Appropriations Act.
SEC. 11. Separability Clause. - If any provision of this Act is declared invalid 
or unconstitutional, the remaining parts or provisions hereof not affected thereby shall 
remain in full force and effect.
SEC. 12. Repealing Clause. - All other laws, acts, presidential decrees, 
executive orders, issuances, presidential proclamations, rules and regulations or parts 
thereof, which are contrary to and inconsistent with any provision of this Act, are 
hereby repealed, amended, or modified accordingly.
SEC. 13. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect immediately following the 
completion of its publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general 
circulation.
Approved,