3 inmates win as kagawad

MANILA, Philippines — Three inmates who are in jail while on trial for drug charges won as councilor or kagawad in the recently concluded barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections, the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) said yesterday.

The inmates are being held at the Dasmariñas City Jail, Tanay in Rizal and Ipulan in Cagayan, according to BJMP chief Ruel Rivera.

A total of eight inmates ran for local positions nationwide, he added.

Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos said this shows that democracy is alive in the country and that inmates continue to enjoy human rights even while they are in jail.

He noted that the inmates who won are still being tried and have not been convicted of any crime.

“If they are acquitted, they may serve. If guilty, there would likely be a disqualification case,” Abalos said.

Rivera said that there were no untoward incidents recorded even as over 26,000 inmates voted – 24,000 in special polling precincts set up within jails while 1,511 inmates were brought to regular precincts.

Voter turnout was at 90 percent for registered voters in BJMP facilities, with 26,268 out of 29,288 inmates casting their ballot.