ARMM-DepEd to deploy 6,000 teachers for May 14 elections
ZAMBOANGA CITY – About 6,000 teachers will be deployed to polling centers in the 116 municipalities located in the five provinces, and two component cities that comprise the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) for the upcoming Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections on Monday.
ARMM Education (ARMMDepEd) Secretary Rasol Y. Mitmug Jr., said a total of 2,490 barangays in the ARMM will elect their respective village chiefs and SK chairpersons.
Mitmug said that three teachers will be assigned as members of the electoral board for every precinct.
Each electoral board member will receive an allowance of R6,500.
Mitmug said that the Commission on Elections (Comelec) was all set for the twin elections, with the ARMM’s security forces ready to protect teachers assigned to the polls.
He also added that DepEd will be implementing a mechanism which will monitor the safety of the teachers during the elections, known as the DepEd-ARMM Emergency Response Network.
Meanwhile, in Davao City, DepEd Region 11 spokesperson Jenielito Atillo disclosed that concern for their health was the top reason why some teachers, many of them veterans of previous elections, have declined to serve in the coming polls.
Other reasons cited include peace and order, especially in remote voting stations, and fear of be- ing dragged into electoral protests.
In this year’s barangay elections, conflict of interest was another issue because their relatives will be running for Barangay and SK posts, said Atillo.
“Not all teachers, but many opted not to serve, specifically because of health reason and members of their family are running in the barangay elections,” Atillo said in an interview Thursday.
He said many of those not serving in the Barangay and SK elections were veterans of past elections.