DOLE reminds employers in private sector to allow workers to register for 2010 elections

Good news for those employees still unable to register for the 2010
elections.

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has reminded all the employers
in the country's private sector to give their eligible employees the time to
register, and thus affirm their rights as citizens of the country to vote in
the forthcoming 2010 elections, and reinforce the democracy enjoyed by the
country.

DOLE Advisory No. 7, Series of 2009, issued on October 5 this year, for the
purpose, enjoins all employers in the sector to observe compliance with the
full implementation of Republic Act No. 8189, otherwise known as the
"Continuing Voter's Registration Act of 1996."

Labor and Employment Secretary Marianito D. Roque said that, "taking into
consideration that the deadline for registration is fast approaching, all
employers in the private sector are urged to allow employees to participate
in the registration activities even during working days and to consider
their temporary absence from work on official time."

The Labor Chief emphasized that COMELEC Resolution No. 8514 promulgated on
November 12, 2008, as amended by Resolution No. 8585 promulgated on February
12, 2009, had fixed the dates for the filing of applications for
registration, or transfer, reactivation, correction, reinstatement of name
in the registration records only, from December 2, 2008 up to October 31,
2009.

Thus, currently, there are only around two weeks remaining for any workers
who have not yet done so, to register and be eligible to vote in the
upcoming polls.

The COMELEC had requested the DOLE, through its Resolution No. 8669 issued
on September 15, 2009, to issue guidelines urging private sector employers
in the country to allow their employees to file their applications for
registration even on weekdays.

In particular, the COMELEC asked that employees' absence from their work,
for the purpose of registering, be considered as official time.

Similarly, the government's poll body had requested the Civil Service
Commission to do so, likewise, in behalf of the employees in the country's
public sector.