Boracay workers warned vs ‘partisan resorts’

 Workers in this island resort who were being forced by their employers to vote for a certain candidate must report to the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
Comelec issued this advisory in light of reports that some resorts here required long-term employees to change their residency status.
“Requiring employees to acquire local residency (in Malay, Aklan) is not illegal [under the] Omnibus Election [Code],” said the provincial election officer, Roberto Salazar.
What is illegal is when “the management forces employees to vote for [a certain person] running for [public] office,” he said.
This reporter asked representatives from several resorts and hotels here about the issue, but they refused to comment.
Salazar urged employees undergoing such pressure from their employers to report to Comelec or the Department of Labor and Employment.
“For years, Comelec has been lax in monitoring election-related activities in Boracay,” said Salazar. “This year, our office will be strictly implementing all existing election-related policies.”
Around 33,813 voters in Malay, including Boracay, had their biometrics data taken as of Oct. 31, 2015, figures from the local Comelec office showed. More than half of the voters were from the island resort.
In 2013, registered voters without biometrics data in the town numbered 27,268./