Leody de Guzman, the presidential candidate of Partido Lakas ng Masa party and the broader coalition Laban ng Masa, on Monday welcomed the extension of voter registration to October 30, but said the people should not be burdened by such bureaucratic procedures in the exercise of their constitutional rights.
“Although the extension of voter registration will help to include more voters in the 2022 elections, voter registration should not be required,” he said.
Voter registration, De Guzman said, is automatic in countries such as Israel, Chile, Argentina, and Hungary, among others.
“It should be automatic that upon reaching 18 years of age, you become a voter. It should not be difficult to exercise your right,” he added.
A former garments worker and a veteran labor leader, De Guzman also asked employers to give paid leaves for workers on daily wage arrangements to be able to register, given that the Commission on Elections only set registration on working days.
“I am saddened that many workers on no-work, no-pay arrangements would not be able to register,” he said.
“I am asking employers to step up for the government’s gaps and give workers who wish to register paid leaves,” de Guzman said.
