Teachers to undergo training on automated polls in March

MANILA, Philippines - Public school teachers serving in the May 2010 presidential elections will start training on the automated poll system this March in accordance with the timetable of the Commission on Elections (Comelec), the Department of Education said yesterday.

Education Secretary Jesli Lapus said the DepEd has agreed to the schedule set by the Comelec even if March is a busy time for teachers.

“March is a busy time for us with final exams to be administered and graduation ceremonies to be organized by our teachers,” Lapus said.

However, in the series of meetings between DepEd and Comelec officials in connection with preparations for the May 2010 polls, Lapus said they decided to give in to Comelec’s timetable.

“But we still have to sit down with them to find out how long the training is going to take and other details,” Lapus said.

In a meeting yesterday, Comelec representatives demonstrated to DepEd officials the use of the poll machines.

“They seem to be user-friendly,” Lapus said, adding that he thinks the teachers will not have a hard time using the machines.

The automated elections will reduce to 250,000 the number of public school teachers needed to serve in the forthcoming elections.

The DepEd and Comelec have also set aside the poll duty pay for the teachers.

In a memorandum of agreement signed by Lapus and Comelec chairman Jose Melo yesterday afternoon, public school teachers who will man the polls in May are expected to get a total of P4,300 for their services.

The poll duty compensation was arranged by DepEd Undersecretary Franklin Sunga and Comelec Commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal in talks that were concluded last December.

In the MOA signed by both parties, Comelec agreed to the compensation demands of various teachers’ organizations.

Members of the Board of Election Inspectors (BEI) will get P3,000 each, plus P300 transportation allowance.

Another P500 will be given for the inspection, verification, and sealing of book of voters and an additional P500 for the inspection, verification, and sealing of the Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machine.

Likewise, team leaders (school heads, principals and education supervisors who are not members of the BEI) who will supervise certain precincts will receive P3,000.

Janitors and messengers who will be assigned to precincts during the elections will get P1,500, while members of the Board of Canvassers in the municipal, city and provincial levels will get P5,000.

Sunga added that the Comelec will also set aside P30 million as part of the deal for the compensation of teachers.

This amount will be allotted for election-related death or injuries that may be sustained by DepEd employees in the performance of their duties. The heirs of the deceased official/employee shall be given the amount of P200,000.

Several teachers’ organizations, including the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT), Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC), and the Action and Solidarity for the Empowerment of Teachers (ASSERT), have approved the poll duty package forged by DepEd and Comelec, Sunga said.

Facing disenfranchisement

Meantime, an umbrella organization of public school teachers’ associations said that many of the 250,000 public school teachers serving in the May 2010 polls may not be able to cast their votes due to a rule issued by the Comelec.

Benjo Basas, national president of the Teachers Dignity Coalition (TDC), said that a provision in Comelec Resolution No. 8739 promulgated last Dec. 29, 2009 could make it difficult for teachers serving as chairmen or members of the BEIs to vote on election day.

Basas said that Section 2 (b) of the resolution requires teachers sitting as chairmen or members of the BEI to be registered voters of the city or municipality.

“However, the usual practice of appointment as BEI is based on the places of our work regardless of our registration. Due to this, we cast our votes in the precincts where we are assigned as BEIs in practically all past elections and not in the precincts where we are registered as voters,” TDC said in a statement.

“As a consequence, many of us had been deactivated from the list of voters due to failure to vote in our precincts in recent elections,” Basas said, explaining that failure to vote in two consecutive elections disqualifies a voter.

“Thus, (this makes) us ineligible to sit as chairmen and members of the BEI and disallowing us to cast our votes this coming elections,” Basas said.