That is disenfranchisement of criminal proportions. We ve already committed a criminal act in disenfranchising Filipinos overseas, who probably number as much, if not more, than the 4.5 million youth of voting age residing in the Philippines. Taken together, that is an enormous number of people we are taking the most fundamental right of citizenship from more than a third of the voting population. That is plain unacceptable. Even if costs the world to register them, we have no choice but to do it.
Elementary justice demands it.
As it is, as the budget secretary herself says, it doesn t cost much. I can t see any possible objection to it on grounds of principle. The citizen s right to vote is not alienable certainly not by living abroad. The only problem is logistics. The NGOs there have already identified the mechanisms necessary for the enterprise and can set them up at a moment s notice.