Comelec: No decision yet on extra pay for electoral board members

Commission on Elections (Comelec) acting spokesperson Rex Laudiangco on Thursday clarified that the poll body has yet to decide on supposed “additional honoraria” for electoral board members.

Laudiangco issued the clarification after he earlier assured that the teachers who worked overtime during the recent national and local elections will be given “additional honoraria.”

“Apologies po, but I have to stress that the Commission has yet to decide on this. There is no Resolution yet approved and promulgated. It was a statement of me having remembered that there was a similar instance in the 2019 NLE,” he told the reporters.

He, however, reiterated that if this would be decided, it will not be the first time that the teachers and electoral boards will be given additional honoraria, citing that it was also done in the previous 2019 elections.

“Please allow me to clarify po, that if ever this would be decided on, this would NOT be the first time that this was done, given, as I’ve said, the similar instance in 2019,” he said.

Over 640,000 personnel of the Department of Education (DepEd) served as poll workers on Eleksyon 2022.

Several teachers earlier appealed to the poll body for the removal of 20% tax on their election service honorariums for Eleksyon 2022.

The teachers said they have written twice to the poll body but it has yet to respond to their appeal.

Comelec Commissioner George Garcia said he supports the teachers, but it would be up to Congress and the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) to decide on the issue.—LDF, GMA News