DepEd asks Comelec for higher compensation for 2022 poll workers

Ahead of next year's national and local elections, the Department of Education (DepEd) has asked the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to provide additional compensation for teaching and non-teaching personnel who will serve as poll workers.

In a statement released Thursday, the DepEd said Education Secretary Leonor Briones wrote a letter to Comelec chairman Sheriff Abas on February 15 to increase the honoraria for poll workers amid the pandemic.

“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 said.

According to the DepEd, the recommended compensation for the Chairperson of Electoral Boards is P9,000 while the members of the board should be given P8,000.

The DepEd said Comelec Commissioner Marlon Casquejo and DepEd Undersecretary for Administration Alain Del Pascua discussed the recommendation to increase honoraria of teachers and non-teaching personnel as well as other election-related matters as early as February 8 of this year.

DepEd's 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, also had discussions on the proposal.

On the other hand, the Department of Education Supervisor Official (DESO) and the support staff should be paid P7,000 and P5,000, respectively, the DepEd added.

Poll workers must also receive hazard pay worth P500 each day, the DepEd suggested.

According to DepEd, teachers should only work only for a maximum of eight hours, including the preparation and the post-election activities. It added that funds must be provided for the maintenance and repair of schools that will be used as voting centers.

The DepEd also said provisions of onsite swab testing and other health services in case the threat of COVID-19 is still there should be considered during the election period.

Moreover, P1,000 allowance for food and water and P2,000 for transportation expenses should be provided.

The DepEd also requested Comelec for the grant of honoraria for the 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 will be provided with adequate information, technical and legal assistance in performing their respective roles in the coming polls.

GMA News Online has reached Comelec for its comment on the appeal of DepEd but it has yet to reply as of posting time.

Briones also urged the DepEd officials to actively participate in the upcoming elections with integrity and honesty as the country aims to have a peaceful and fair election.

"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.

"We, at the Department of Education, thank our teacher-volunteers for continuing to be on the frontline of the foremost exercise of democracy in the country," she added. — RSJ, GMA News