EDITORIAL - Protecting the teachers

Public school teachers will be glad to know that the Integrated Bar of the Philippines will provide them with free legal aid in case they face criminal or administrative charges in connection with their poll duties. To complement the IBP assistance, the government should also equip the teachers with the necessary training so they can perform their duties efficiently and avoid legal problems.

Proper training is important especially because it will be the first time that elections in this country will be fully automated. As demonstrated by the Commission on Elections and the private consortium that is undertaking automation, the machines are fairly simple to operate. The new ballots should also be easier to fill out since voters will be shading spaces rather than writing down names. But teachers, as deputized poll personnel, should still be well versed with every step of the new voting process and be ready for questions or complaints.

They should also be well versed on the acts that constitute electoral sabotage — a new crime that carries stiff penalties, with some of the toughest punishment reserved for erring Comelec members and deputized poll personnel. With the private sector providing legal aid to teachers, the government should do its part and help them avoid needing legal assistance.

Equally important is keeping the teachers safe. In 2007, a teacher on poll duty was killed together with a poll watcher and other teachers were injured when a schoolhouse in Taysan, Batangas, which was used as a polling precinct, was burned down allegedly on orders of a local politician who was losing in the vote count. The principal suspects were cops. Teachers are also expected to help keep watch over ballot boxes, which will still contain the hard copies of votes for reference in case of poll protests or glitches in automation.

Public school teachers are already overworked and underpaid in their regular duties, As the ones tasked to man the frontlines during elections, they should be given sufficient protection and decent pay for ensuring the integrity of the vote.