House OKs bill strengthening Comelec field offices on final reading

Months before the 2022 national and local elections, the House of Representatives on Monday approved on third and final reading a measure seeking to strengthen the field offices of the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

During the plenary session, House Bill 10579 obtained 204 affirmative votes.

The measure seeks to strengthen the field offices of the Comelec by upgrading and creating certain positions, amending for the purpose Section 53 of Batas Pambansa 881, or the Omnibus Election Code, as amended, and providing funds therefor.

Among its key provisions was that all existing plantilla positions in the Comelec field offices shall be reclassified and their salaries will be upgraded accordingly.

Further, it aims to provide new classification for poll body field offices in highly urbanized cities (HUCs) with a minimum population of 200,000 as certified by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) and with an income of at least P50 million based on 1991 constant prices as certified by the city treasurer under Section 452 of Republic Act 7160, which will be called HUC election office.

City and municipal election offices where populations are less than 200,000 shall remain to be operational in the locality where they are in.—AOL, GMA News