'PWDs can provide swing votes in 2013'

MANILA, Philippines - People with disability (PWDs) may be weak physically but they can actually provide the swing votes in the 2013 senatorial race.

Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioner Rene Sarmiento said the estimated one million PWDs who are qualified voters are enough to elect a senator if all of them would only register to vote in 2013.

“They can hold the swing vote especially for president, vice president, senators and even for local officials,” he noted in an interview.

This had been proven in the 2010 polls when Liberal Party candidate Risa Hontiveros lost her senatorial bid to party-mate Teofisto Guingona by merely 1.1 million votes.

Because of this, Sarmiento urged some 500,000 remaining PWDs who have yet to update their registration with the Comelec to register as PWDs.

At present, efforts are underway to adjust polling precincts to the meet the needs of PWDs by asking them to register according to their disabilities. One of the goals is to make the precincts accessible for them by placing them on the ground floor.

According to Sarmiento, some 5,552 PWDs have signed up during the National Registration Week held from July 18 to 23 in various satellite registration booths set up by the Comelec in various SM Malls in Metro Manila.

Calabarzon posted the highest registration with 1,824, followed by Eastern Visayas with 606 and Metro Manila with 566. Those who failed to register then could still do so by going to their respective Comelec offices during the regular registration period until October 2012.

Sarmiento said the Comelec is planning to repeat the special registration to reach out to PWDs.