For election duty, ACT demands higher stipend for teachers

CEBU, Philippines - The Alliance of  Concerned Teachers (ACT) in Central Visayas is asking the Commission on Elections to increase the honorarium of the Board of Election Tellers (BET) for the upcoming barangay elections.

Bernabe Sabejon, ACT-7 vice- president, is seeking for a P6,000 honorarium because P2,000 honoraria given to the teachers are not enough considering the efforts, sacrifices and risks they will be facing.

ACT officers met with Comelec regional director Temie Lambino last Monday.

Lawyer Marchel Sarno, Cebu City north district election officer, clarified that the teachers will get a total of P3,500, including the P1,000 additional allowance and P500 transportation allowance.

On October 28, a total of 400 voters are expected to cast their votes to their chosen barangay candidates in every precinct. The number is higher compared to the 200 voters per precinct in the previous barangay elections. Considering the increase in the number of voters per precinct, the teachers are also urging the Comelec to increase their honorarium.

“Napakababa naman ng tingin ng Comelec sa amin dahil ang liit ng ibibigay nila, sa dami ba naman ng trabaho namin. Sana pakinggan naman ang kahilingan ng mga guro na taasan ang two thousand pesos honorarium,” Sabejon said.

Lambino explained that they have already done their part in proposing a budget to congress but it was slashed.

“Hindi na yan problema ng comelec because we had given the proposed budget to the congress pero gi-cut. If we have more budget, I think there will be no question on the compensation of our teachers,” Lambino said.

This is the reason why the Comelec has mandated the local government units (LGUs) to give their election contributions to help defray the election expenses.

Comelec resolution 9739 requires local government units to allocate at least P10,000 but not more than 10 percent of the barangay’s general fund to the Comelec to defray expenses of the Board of Election Tellers (BETs).

Barangays have until October 18 to turn over their contribution.

The Comelec expects to collect P14.7 million from all 80 barangays in Cebu City. Last week, three barangays gave their contributions, including San Roque, Tejero and San Antonio. San Roque gave P108,000, Tejero gave P216,000 while San Antonio gave P54,000.

Two more barangays, Carreta, Tinago, paid last Monday.

“I really agree to increase the compensation of the teachers not of their work but their dignity. Think of the dignity of their job,” Lambino said.

Lambino said the money collected will be utilized to pay for the security, expenses of the Philippine National Police and Armed Forces of the Philippines who will guard the election, printing expenses, BET training and among others.

Antonia Lim, ACT-7 president, said they are hoping that the House Bill 444, an act amending Sec. 13 of Republic Act R.A. 6646 otherwise known as The Electoral Reform Law of 1987, will be passed into law.

ACT said the mandatory election service has been a burden on the part of the teachers since the enactment of 1987 through R.A act no. 6646.

“The competence and hard work of these public school teachers who have served as Board of Election Inspectors have made possible the success of both local and national election. However, this important task entailed great sacrifices on the part of these public teachers. There were even times when they had to give up their lives for the protection of the ballots,” ACT position paper reads. — (FREEMAN)