Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
TWENTIETH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
House Bill No. _____________ 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
Introduced by Representative 
BRIAN DANIEL POE LLAMANZARES, PhD, MNSA 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
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 
The 1987 Constitution guarantees the right of suffrage to all citizens of the Philippines 
not otherwise disqualified by law. It is the duty of the State to ensure that this fundamental right 
is fully exercised by all, regardless of age, condition, or circumstance. However, in practice, 
various sectors such as senior citizens, persons with disabilities, pregnant women, indigenous 
peoples, internally displaced persons, persons deprived of liberty, health workers, quarantined 
and hospitalized individuals, repatriated overseas voters, migrant workers, and Overseas Filipino 
Workers in distress, continue to face significant barriers in exercising their right to vote. 
Republic Act No. 10366, enacted in 2013, sought to address this concern by authorizing 
the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) to establish accessible polling places for persons 
with disabilities and senior citizens. While this was an important step forward, experience during 
successive elections has shown that the law’s coverage remains inadequate. The COVID-19 
pandemic, for instance, highlighted the vulnerabilities of additional groups such as health 
workers on duty, quarantined and hospitalized voters, and repatriated overseas voters who are 
unable to access traditional voting mechanisms. The current law must therefore be expanded and 
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updated to ensure that all qualified voters, particularly those in vulnerable situations, are 
guaranteed meaningful access to the ballot. 
This measure seeks to amend Republic Act No. 10366 by broadening the scope of voters 
entitled to alternative modes of voting and by institutionalizing additional mechanisms to secure 
their political participation. It mandates the extension of the local absentee voting system to 
cover not only government officials and the military, but also senior citizens, persons with 
disabilities, pregnant women, and internally displaced persons. It authorizes emergency 
accessible polling places to be established in residences, hospitals, jails, quarantine facilities, 
evacuation centers, and other appropriate locations, ensuring that voters in vulnerable situations 
can cast their ballots in a safe, accessible, and dignified manner. It likewise provides for 
improved accessibility features in polling places, the provision of transportation services to and 
from voting centers, and the creation of a Vulnerable Sectors Office within COMELEC to 
oversee and supervise the implementation of the law. 
By adopting these reforms, this bill upholds the constitutional mandate to guarantee equal 
access to political participation for all citizens, particularly those disadvantaged by age, 
disability, health, displacement, or detention. It recognizes that the right of suffrage cannot be 
meaningfully exercised if physical, social, or institutional barriers prevent citizens from 
accessing the polls. The enactment of this measure will therefore strengthen the democratic 
foundations of the nation by ensuring that every qualified Filipino is able to exercise his or her 
right to vote without restriction. 
In view of the foregoing, the passage of this bill is earnestly sought. 
HON. BRIAN DANIEL POE LLAMANZARES, PhD, MNSA 
Representative 
FPJ Panday Bayanihan Party-List 
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Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
TWENTIETH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
House Bill No. _____________ 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
Introduced by Representative 
BRIAN DANIEL POE LLAMANZARES, PhD, MNSA 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
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 House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
assembled: 
SECTION 1. Declaration of Policy. - The State shall ensure that senior citizens, persons 
with disabilities (PWDs), pregnant women, indigenous peoples (IPs), internally displaced 
persons (IDPs), persons deprived of liberty (PDLs), and in special circumstances, health workers, 
quarantined and hospitalized persons, repatriated overseas voters, migrant workers, and Overseas 
Filipino Workers (OFWs) in distress, 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. 
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SECTION 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" refer to qualified voters who have long term physical, 
mental, intellectual, or sensory impairments, which, in interacting 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 during election day 
regardless of the trimester of pregnancy. For purposes of local absentee voting, 
the term shall refer to qualified voters who are pregnant at the time of registration 
for absentee voting and are expected to remain pregnant during the period of 
absentee voting; 
(e)​"Indigenous peoples" refer to qualified voters who belong to a group of people or 
a homogenous society identified by self-ascription and ascription by others, who 
have continuously lived as an 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 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 
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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. 
SECTION. 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 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. 
SECTION. 4. EmergencyAccessible 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. 
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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. 
SECTION 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 services, including assistive 3 devices] NECESSARY 
INFRASTRUCTURE 
INCLUDING 
ASSISTIVE 
DEVICES, 
TRANSPORT 
WHEELCHAIRS, RAMPS, RAILINGS, SIDEWALKS, ADEQUATE LIGHTING, 
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." 
SECTION. 6. Section 9 of Republic Act No. 10366 is hereby deleted and a new Section 
9 shall be inserted to read as follows: 
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“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 CENTER FOR 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." 
SECTION. 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.  
SECTION. 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. 
SECtTION. 9. Implementing 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. 
SECTION. 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. 
SECTION. 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. 
SECTION. 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. 
SECTION. 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. 
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​
Approved, 
 
 
 
HON. BRIAN DANIEL POE LLAMANZARES, PhD, MNSA 
Representative 
FPJ Panday Bayanihan Party-List 
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