;CE
EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE)
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES )
Second Regular Session )
E-FILED
US' ®
ul date: Oct 05 2020
(P
2:15 p.m.
SENATE
S.B. No. 1870
5 INDEX
Introduced by SENATOR IMEE R. MARCOS
AN ACT
PROVIDING FOR A SYSTEM OF POSTAL VOTING
BY SENIOR CITIZENS, PREGNANT WOMEN, PERSONS WITH
DISABILITIES, AND INDIGENOUS PEOPLES
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." Further 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
procedure to ensure the wide participation during electoral exercises, plebiscite or
referendum by senior citizens, pregnant women, persons with disabilities and
indigenous peoples, who are deemed more vulnerable during pandemics and other
national crises.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), COVID-19 is the infectious disease
caused by the most recently discovered coronavirus. This new virus and disease was
unknown before the global outbreak began in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. As
of September 28, 2020, COVID-19 is now a global pandemic and the Philippines alone
has recorded a total of 307,196 cases.
The United States Center for Disease Control (CDC) has reported that one's risk of
getting severely ill from COVID-19 increases as one gets older. In the United States,
eight out of ten COVID-19 related deaths have been among adults aged 65 years and
older. In the Philippines, as of August 30, 2020 data of the Department of Health,
2,106 out of the 3,520 deaths related to COVID-19 were senior citizens.
Just like senior citizens, the CDC also mentioned that pregnancy might increase the
risk for severe illness from COVID-19.
With no vaccine as of date, the public health situation in the country has underscored
the need for electoral reform. There is an urgent need to institute measures such that
the most vulnerable sectors of our society will be protected from COVID-19 while
ensuring that their right to suffrage remains unimpeded by the present circumstances.