Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
Second Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. _______ 
____________________________________________________________________ 
Introduced by HON. GUS S. TAMBUNTING 
AN ACT 
ENHANCING ACCESSIBILITY IN THE VOTING OF SENIOR CITIZENS, PERSONS 
WITH DISABILITIES, PREGNANT WOMEN, AND INDIGENOUS PEOPLES, 
AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE REPUBLIC ACT NO. 10366, PROVIDING 
FUNDS THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES  
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
Section 1, Article V of the 1987 Constitution provides that, “[s]uffrage may be exercised 
by all citizens of the Philippines not otherwise disqualified by law, who are at least 
eighteen years of age, and who shall have resided in the Philippines for at least one 
year and in the place wherein they propose to vote for at least six months immediately 
preceding the election.” However, there are persons who do not vote during elections 
although qualified and willing to exercise their right, not by reason of disqualification 
but due to incapacity brought by their physical condition such as PWDs and pregnant 
women. There are also people who are unable to exercise their right to vote because 
of the distance of polling precincts from their respective home particularly experienced 
by the members of the indigenous community.  
Out of the 61.8 million Filipinos who registered to vote in the 2019 National and Local 
Elections as recorded by the Commission on Elections (COMELEC), 9.1 million or 14 
percent are senior citizens based on COMELEC while at least 342,300 are persons 
with disabilities (PWDs) as estimated by The Asia Foundation. Data showed elderly 
voters continue to be disenfranchised as only three percent or 200,000 of nine million 
registered senior citizens were able to cast their ballots in the 2019 midterm polls. On 
the other hand, Comelec data as of May 14, 2022 showed that only 50,068 senior 
citizens voted during the 2022 election out of the 10,085,956 registered voters under 
this sector. Meanwhile, Comelec's Vulnerable Sectors Office's (VSO) data provides 
that there are almost 512,000 registered voters who are persons with disabilities in 
2022, up from just 348,000 in 2019. Of this number, 109,299 has physical disabilities 
while 75,941 has visual disabilities.4 However, according to the Comelec data as of 
May 14, 2022, only 2,293 out of the 511,612 persons with disabilities had cast their 
votes. In addition, as per the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples, there are 
approximately 11.3 million Indigenous people In the Philippines, amounting to 11- 12 
per cent of the population.6 Based on Comelec data as of May 14, 2022, a total of 
40,319 indigenous people participated in the 2022 general elections. The figure 
August 23, 2023
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represents only 6.05 percent of the total number of registered voters among the said 
sector which was at 666,308. 
The proposed measure seeks to amend Republic Act No. 10366, otherwise known as 
An Act Authorizing The Commission On Elections To Establish Precincts Assigned To 
Accessible Polling Places Exclusively For Persons With Disabilities And Senior 
Citizens, to authorize the COMELEC to designate precincts in accessible polling places 
for the exclusive use of PWDs and senior citizens, such as in public schools, town halls 
or plazas, civic centers, community centers or other similarly designated special 
venues.  
On behalf of the people of Parañaque City’s Second District, and for the common good 
of the Filipino people, the approval of the said measure is earnestly sought. 
REP. GUS S. TAMBUNTING 
2nd District, Parañaque City 


1 
Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
Second Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. _______ 
______________________________________________________________________ 
Introduced by HON. GUS S. TAMBUNTING 
______________________________________________________________________ 
AN ACT ENHANCING ACCESSIBILITY IN THE VOTING OF SENIOR CITIZENS, 
PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES, PREGNANT WOMEN, AND INDIGENOUS PEOPLES, 
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 
assembled: 
SECTION 1. Short Title. – This Act shall be known as the "Better Voting Accessibility 
for Seniors, PWDs, Pregnant Women, and IPs Act"  
SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. – The State shall ensure that senior citizens, persons 
with disabilities (PWDs), pregnant women, and indigenous peoples (IPs) are able to exercise 
their right to political participation without restrictions. The State shall devise systems and 
procedures that will enhance accessibility in their voting process.  
SEC 3. Sec. 2. Definition of Terms. – As used in this Act, the term: 
(a) "Commission" refers to the Commission on Elections.
(b) "Senior citizens" refer to qualified voters who are sixty (60) years or older.
(c) "Persons with disabilities" or "PWDs" refer to qualified voters who have long
term physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory impairments which, in interaction with
various barriers, may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis 
with others.  
(d) "Pregnant women" refer to qualified voters who are pregnant at the time of the period
for early voting and during election day regardless of the number of trimester. 
(e) "Indigenous peoples" refer to qualified voters who belong to a group of people or
homogenous societies identified by self-ascription and ascription by others, who have 
continuously lived as organized community on communally bounded and defined territory, 
and who have, under claims of ownership since time immemorial, 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 
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differentiated from the majority of Filipinos. IPs shall likewise include peoples 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 resettled outside their ancestral 
domains.  
 
SEC. 4. Early Voting. – For national and local elections, there shall be early voting 
where senior citizens, PWDs, pregnant women, and IPs qualified to vote early may choose to 
cast their ballot for a period of not less than two (2) days within thirty (30) calendar days before 
election day at accessible establishments designated by the Commission.  
 
For this purpose, accessible establishments shall be located at the ground floor, 
preferably near the entrance of a building, shall be readily accessible to public transportation, 
and shall be free of any physical barriers and provided with necessary infrastructure and 
disability support services, including assistive devices, transport wheelchairs, ramps, railings, 
sidewalk, adequate lighting, ventilation, and other features for the senior citizens, PWDs, and 
pregnant women.  
 
Aside from structural accessibility, the Commission shall provide live assistance for 
PWDs such as sign language interpreters.  
 
There shall be a nationwide registration of senior citizens, PWDs, pregnant women, and 
IPs who may wish to avail of their early voting privileges to qualify them for early voting. Only 
those who are not registered under the early voting system shall vote on election day.  
 
SEC. 5. Option for Postal Early Voting. – Senior citizens, PWDs, pregnant women, 
and IPs who registered for early voting shall have the option to cast their ballot via post in 
designated precincts: Provided, That voters who wish to vote via post must first be registered 
to do so with the Commission.  
 
The Commission shall provide rules, necessary safeguards, and confirmation 
procedures to properly implement this provision.  
 
SEC. 6. Emergency Accessible Polling Places (EAPP). – During election day, the 
Commission shall designate a room or a makeshift or temporary polling place established at 
the ground of a voting center or outside of it but in close proximity thereto, where senior 
citizens, PWDs, and pregnant women voters may vote on election day.  
 
The Commission shall ensure that the voting procedure in the EAPP, including the 
facilities, materials, and a voting machine in the event of automated elections, are adequate, 
appropriate, accessible, and easy to understand and use, and that reasonable 
accommodation shall be granted to PWDs, senior citizens, and pregnant women in order that 
they may fully exercise their right of suffrage. The Commission shall provide live assistance 
for PWDs such as sign language interpreters.  
 
SEC. 7. Section 2(j) of Republic Act No. 10366 is hereby amended to read as follows:  
 
"SEC. 
2. 
Definition 
of 
Terms. 
- 
xxx 
(a) 
xxx. 
xxx.  


3 
 
(j) Accessible polling piece refers to the venue where the Board of Election Inspectors 
(BEIs) 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, SHALL BE READILY ACCESSIBLE TO PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION, and [is] 
SHALL BE free of any physical barriers and provided with necessary INFRASTRUCTURE 
AND services, including assistive devices, TRANSPORT WHEELCHAIRS, RAMPS, 
RAILINGS, SIDEWALKS, ADEQUATE LIGHTING, VENTILATION, AND OTHER 
FEATURES FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES AND SENIOR CITIZENS.”  
 
SEC. 8. Section 9 of Republic Act No. 10366 is hereby amended to read as follows:  
 
"SEC. 9. [Creation of] Precincts for Persons with Disabilities and Senior Citizens. – The 
Commission is hereby authorized to [establish] DESIGNATE precincts [of a nonterritorial 
nature,] IN ACCESSIBLE POLLING PLACES FOR THE exclusive[ely for] USE OF persons 
with disabilities and senior citizens [who in their registration records manifest their intent to 
avail of their right to a separate precinct under this section. Pursuant-here to, the Commission 
shall establish at least one (1) such precinct, assigned to accessible polling places for every 
voting- enter.], SUCH AS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS, TOWN HALLS OR PLAZAS, CIVIC 
CENTERS, COMMUNITY CENTERS, OR OTHER SIMILARLY DESIGNATED SPECIAL 
VENUES OR AREAS, WITH PREFERENCE FOR VENUES DESIGNED WITH SPECIAL 
FEATURES TO ENSURE THEIR SAFETY AND COMFORT. Such precincts shall be 
provided with assistive devices PURSUANT TO THE PROVISIONS OF SECTION 2(J) OF 
THIS ACT as well as the services of experts in assisting persons with disabilities, SUCH AS 
SIGN LANGUAGE INTERPRETERS.  
 
SEC. 9. Implementing Rules and Regulations. – Within ninety (90) days after the 
approval of this Act, the DMW shall, in consultation with appropriate government agencies 
and stakeholder representatives, shall issue the necessary rules and regulations for the 
effective implementation of this Act. 
 
SEC 10. Appropriations. – The initial appropriation to carry out the provisions of this 
Act shall be charged against the current appropriations of the Commission. Thereafter, the 
amount necessary for the continued implementation of this Act shall be included in the annual 
General Appropriations Act.  
 
SEC. 11. Separability Clause. – If any portion of this Act is declared unconstitutional or 
invalid, the portions or provisions which are not affected shall continue to be in full force and 
effect.  
 
SEC. 12. Repealing Clause. – All laws, decrees, executive issuances, rules and 
regulations inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed and/or modified accordingly.  
 
SEC. 13.  Effectivity. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in 
at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation.  
 
Approved,