Lawmaker proposes day-off with pay for first-time voters

A lawmaker has proposed a day-off with pay for employees registering to vote for the first time.

Rep. Raymond Palatino of Kabataan party-list has filed House Resolution 1336, which directs the Department of Labor and Employment to instruct public and private companies and offices to implement a one-day off with pay to encourage employees to register on or before the deadline set by the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

Palatino said there is an urgent need to encourage new registrants as Comelec has shortened the period of registration for them from its original deadline of December 15 to October 30, 2009.

The lawmaker said the proposed day-off with pay will not affect the economy as there would not be that many employees in a company or office who are first-time voters or new registrants.

The young solon said there are an estimated five million first-time voters and new registrants this year.

“Majority of these new registrants are young first-time voters who are situated in campuses, schools, communities and various workplaces,” Palatino said.

He said the new registrants who work office hours usually have no time to register as by the time their work end ends, city halls and government offices have already closed.

He said it is the responsibility of Department of Labor and Employment to ensure that employees nationwide are not disenfranchised in the coming 2010 elections because of this limitation.

The Comelec aims to reach at least three million newly registered voters. But the latest data showed that only 841,200 have registered so far. — Frank Lloyd Tiongson, Manila Times