CL teachers want poll duty made voluntary

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga — Leaders of some 48,000 public school teachers in Central Luzon are urging the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and the Department of Education (DepEd) to make their services in the May 10 elections purely voluntary.

And for those who will volunteer their services, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) in Central Luzon proposes that they be given a P2,000 honorarium, in addition to P500 daily allowance, a P500,000 life insurance coverage and free legal assistance.

Fabian Hallig, secretary-general of ACT-Central Luzon, said some 48,000 public school teachers in the region are supporting such proposals, apprehensive that this year’s elections "will turn out to be more chaotic, even violent, amid the sagging credibility of the Comelec."

He said teachers need free legal assistance as he cited instances in past elections when many of them "found themselves caught in bitter political rivalries and fell victim to abuses and harassment and even wrongly haled to court by losing candidates."

"Deprived of any legal and other forms of assistance from the Comelec and DepEd, we were forced to hire lawyers on our own and shell out hard cash from our pockets for attorney’s fees, reproduction of documents, transportation and other expenses," he said.

Hallig added, "We endured untold emotional stress, sleepless nights, wounded dignity, and even public humiliation every time we were summoned to court. Worse, some of us were served warrants of arrest and handcuffed even in front of our classes."

He said many teachers in Central Luzon still have pending cases related to past elections.

Hallig said public school teachers now tend to perceive their poll duties as "an additional oppressive burden which aggravates their problems arising from low pay, curtailed and inadequate benefits, oppressive working conditions and repressed democratic rights."

"The government says we are professionals but this is negated by the way it is treating us. We are even prevented by DepEd policies and regulations from freely exercising our rights to self-organization and peaceful public assembly, as well as from exercising our academic freedom to search for quality education," he said.

"Worse, the education budget is sorely inadequate to address the growing need for teachers, classrooms, textbooks and desks," he added.

Hallig lamented the government’s failure to grant teachers a P3,000 across-the-board salary increase although it has upgraded the salaries of soldiers and policemen.