Comelec: Inmates may earn credits by voting

The Philippines' Commission on Elections (Comelec) has introduced a new resolution allowing inmates to earn credits toward their sentences by participating in electoral processes. This move, championed by Comelec chair George Erwin Garcia, recognizes active electoral engagement as a valid activity for earning Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA) and Time Allowance for Study, Teaching or Mentoring (TASTM) credits.

Activities such as voter registration, casting a ballot, and participating in voter education programs will now be formally integrated into the framework for GCTA and TASTM. The poll body plans to formalize this by negotiating and executing memorandums of understanding with the Bureau of Corrections and the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology.

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because prison authorities hold the discretionary power to recognize new categories of exemplary deeds, the poll body should be able to legally collaborate with jail bureaus to implement the new policy without requiring legislative amendments.

Under Republic Act No. 10592, GCTA offers a reduction in jail or prison terms for good conduct, while TASTM grants deductions for inmates pursuing education or mentoring others. Garcia emphasized that including electoral participation aligns the constitutional right to vote with the state's rehabilitative objectives. He also noted that prison authorities have the discretion to recognize new categories of exemplary deeds, allowing this policy to be implemented without legislative amendments.

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directly aligns the constitutional right of suffrage with the state’s rehabilitative goals.