Bacolod City – The Commission on Elections has sought the help of Kabankalan and Himamaylan city governments for the payment of its 881 support staff who went on poll duty during the October 2023 synchronized Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections.
The Comelec – Negros Island Region has issued a legal opinion, which can be used by concerned local government units as “basis” to pay the Comelec support staff in the cities of Kabankalan and Himamaylan, according to Comelec-NIR director Atty. Lionel Marco Castillano.
Atty. Cindy Ballesteros was recently designated as Regional Election Attorney of NIR, following the appointment of Castillano as Comelec regional director, and Atty. Dindo Maglasang as assistant regional director.
The support staff were supposed to be paid P5,500 each, but their hiring was not authorized by the Comelec central office.
Among Comelec support staff involved, a total of 661 rendered poll duties in Kabankalan City, and 221 in Himamaylan City.
The hiring of support staff by the concerned Election Officers of Himamaylan and Kabankalan cities, was reported as an “honest mistake.”
In a press briefing, Castillano said they were ordered by the Comelec central office to help facilitate the payment of its support staff, as he stressed there was no budget for it.
Hopefully, the LGUs could help us with the payment, because they actually served during the BSKE elections, Castillano said, apparently referring to the hired support staff. (Gilbert Bayoran via The Visayan Daily Star)