AMID the Covid-19 pandemic, the Department of Education (DepEd) has requested the Commission on Elections to provide additional compensation and benefits for teaching and non-teaching personnel who will serve in the May 2022 polls.
In her formal letter to Comelec Chairman Sheriff M. Abas dated February 15, Education Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones noted that the current pandemic has prompted the department to seek higher honoraria for the teaching and non-teaching personnel on duty for the election.
“We recognize that there is a need for a higher compensation for the teachers because the risk of the Covid-19 is still here. We also made sure that the requested amount or rates prescribed are just and reasonable,” Briones stated.
Comelec Commissioner Marlon Casquejo and DepEd Undersecretary for Administration Alain Del Pascua discussed the proposed increase in the honoraria of teachers during election time and other election-related matters as early as February 8 this year.
The discussions led to the formalization of DepEd’s position through Briones’s letter to Comelec, after internal discussions spearheaded by the Office of Undersecretary for Administration, along with the Bureau of Human Resources and Organizational Development (BHROD) and the Information and Communications Technology Service (ICTS), among others.
Proposed compensation
Based on DepEd’s proposal, the recommended compensation for the Chairperson of Electoral Boards is P9,000 while the members of the board will have P8,000 each.
Meanwhile, the Department of Education Supervisor Official (DESO) and the Support Staff are recommended to get P7,000 and P5,000, respectively, considering the prevailing Consumer Price Index and Inflation Rate as of January 2021.
Aside from the benefits provided by the Election Service Reform Act (ESRA) and its IRR, the DepEd also requested P500 per day in Covid-19 Hazard Pay for authorized poll workers.
Provisions of onsite swab testing and other health services in case of the existence of Covid-19 during the election period, P1,000 allowance for food and water, and
P2,000 for transportation expenses were also proposed.
Moreover, the DepEd asked for the grant of honoraria for selected members of the Comelec-DepEd Monitoring and Coordination teams from the Central and Field Offices under the 2022 DepEd Election Task Force.
These teams will ensure that teachers get adequate information, technical and legal assistance in performing their respective roles in the election.
The DepEd also proposed that teachers work only for eight hours at maximum, including the preparation and the post-election activities; it also requested for funds for the maintenance and repair of schools to be used as voting centers.
Briones urged DepEd officials to actively participate in the elections with integrity and honesty.“We call on all our officials and personnel to maintain neutrality, focus on non-partisan public service, and remain a beacon of integrity,” Briones said.
She thanked teacher-volunteers for continuing “to be on the frontline” of the foremost exercise of democracy in the country.