By Francis Nazareno

Section 1. suffrage may be exercised by all citizens of

the Philippines not otherwise disqualified by law, who
are at least eighteen years of age, and who shall have
resided in the Philippines for at least one year and in
the place where in they propose to vote for at least six
months immediately preceding the election. No
literacy, property, or other substantive requirement
shall be imposed on the exercise of suffrage.
It is the right and obligation to vote of qualified
citizens in the election of certain national and local
officers of the government and in the decision of
public questions submitted to the people.
A mere privilege- suffrage is not a natural right of the
citizens but merely a privilege to be given or withheld
by the lawmaking power subject to constitutional
limitations.
It should be grated to individuals only upon the
fulfillment of certain minimum conditions deemed
essential for the welfare of society.
Political right- in the sense of a right conferred by the
Constitution, suffrage is classified as a political right,
enabling every citizen to participate in the process of
government to assure that it can truly be said to derive
its powers from the consent of the governed.
Election- it is the means by which people choose their
officials for definite and fixed periods and to whom
they entrust, for the time being as their
representatives, the exercise of powers of government
Plebiscite- it is the name given to a vote of the people
expressing their choice for or against a proposed law or
enactment submitted to them. In the Philippines, the
term is applied to an election at which any proposed
amendment to or revision of the constitution is
submitted to the people for their ratification.
Referendum- it is the submission of a law or part there
of passed by the national or local legislative body to
the voting citizens of a country for their ratification or
rejection.
Initiative- it is the process whereby the people directly
propose and enact laws. Congress is mandated by the
constitution to provide as early as possible for a system
of initiative and referendum.
Recall- it is a method by which a public officer may be
removed from office during his tenure or before the
expiration of his term by a vote of the people after
registration of a petition signed by a required
percentage of the qualified voters.
He must be:
1. A citizen of the country
2. Not otherwise disqualified by law
3. At least eighteen years of age
4. Have resided in the Philippines for at least one year
and in the place wherein he proposes to vote for at
least six months preceding the election.
Minimum age- obviously, there must be some
minimum age for voting. No one, no matter how
ardent his belief in democracy, has ever contended
that human beings must be permitted to participate in
the selection of public officials from the day of their
birth.
Basis- this suffrage qualification is based on the
assumption that under a certain age, human beings do
not have the maturity, experience, education and sense
of judgment that will enable them to vote with any
reasonable degree of intelligence.
No maximum age limit- no general agreement exist as
to the exact age at which the individual supposedly
attains the maturity sufficient for political
participation. While ther is a minimum voting age in
every state, no country, however, has as yet fit to set a
maximum age limit.
Period of qualification- a voter must have been a
permanent resident of the country for at least one year
preceding the election and six months in the province,
city, or municipality where he is a voter.
Importance- six months residence in a province, city or
municipality is considered the minimum length of
time within which a person can adequately familiarize
himself with the needs and conditions and the
personalities of the locality.
The requirement as to residence is desirable in order that
registration lists may be prepared and checked in ample
time to prevent fraud.
The responsibility of determining who may be
disqualified by law and therefore may be precluded from
exercising the right of suffrage is left by the constitution
to congress.
Any persons who has been sentenced by final
judgement to suffer imprisonment for not less than one
year such disability not having been removed by
plenary pardon or granted amnesty.
Any person who has been adjudged by final judgement
by competent court or tribunal of having committed
any crime involving disloyalty to the duly constituted
government such as rebellion, sedition, violation of
the anti-subversion and firearms laws or any crime
against national security, unless restored to his full
civil and political rights in accordance with law.
Insane or incompetent persons as declared by
competent authority.
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.
The congress shall also design a procedure for the
disabled and the illiterates to vote without the assistance
of other persons. Until then, they shall be allowed to
vote under existing laws and such rules as the
commission elections may promulgate to protect the
secrecy of the ballot.
Untrammeled exercise of the right to vote- the right to
vote has reference to a constitutional guarantee of the
utmost significance. It is a right without which the
principle of sovereignty residing in the people
becomes nugatory. It is essential to insure that the voters shall exercise their
right freely, uninfluenced by threats, intimidation or corrupt motives and to secure a fair
and honest count of the ballots.
Voting by the disabled- with the enfranchisement of
the illiterates and the existence of many disabled
voters, this responsibility of the legislative body
assumes more importance. The sanctity of the
electoral process requires secrecy of the vote.