Comelec seeks teachers’ honoraria hike

The budget is significantly lower than the P8.4 billion budget requested by the poll body for the supposed conduct of last year’s barangay and SK elections, as well as the P10-billion budget for the rescheduled polls

The Commission on Elections on Sunday disclosed that it will request for additional funding to increase the honoraria or payment for teachers who will serve in the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections in October.

Comelec chairperson George Erwin Garcia said that the proposed budget could be added through a supplemental request intended for the upcoming polls.

“As the voter population adds up, more precincts will be added and more teachers will be needed for each precinct. In addition, the amount that they earn for serving during the elections is much lower than the payments they receive during the automated elections,” Garcia said.

He revealed that the current budget — around P2.7 billion — does not include additional honoraria for teachers, which means that electoral board chairpersons could receive P6,000, while electoral board members will receive P5,000 each.

Other precinct workers will receive P4,000.

The budget is significantly lower than the P8.4 billion budget requested by the poll body for the supposed conduct of last year’s barangay and SK elections, as well as the P10-billion budget for the rescheduled polls.

Garcia said that it will be submitted for approval by the Commission En Banc.

Meantime, the poll body announced that it is eyeing to conduct mall voting activities for seafarers for the Barangay and SK elections to increase their participation as they await their departure to their respective countries of destination for work.

Garcia said that a special voting precinct will be set up for seafarers who have already transferred their voter registration overseas but are yet to depart the country even after the elections.

“We propose to conduct this for the Barangay elections. If proven successful, even in just a few malls in Metro Manila, we could conduct this to other malls in the region,” Garcia said.

@tribunephl_rio PhotograPh by rio deluvio for the daily tribune as the traditional dragon and lion dance were performed throughout the country to welcome the Chinese lunar year, this man uses light sticks inside a Quezon City mall on sunday, 22 January 2023.