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AFTER several postponements, the long awaited Sangguniang Kabataan and Barangay Election has been pushed through as scheduled this year.
Government agencies which include the Department of Education (DepEd) announced its readiness for an orderly and peaceful conduct of the 2018 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections where some DepEd personnel volunteered to act various roles as election inspectors.
According to Undersecretary for Administration Alain Del Pascua, the Deped as an organization was very much ready for the May 14 elections as he mentioned that more than 300 DepEd personnel and officials gave support to our teachers who served in the local elections, through our Election Task Force (ETF) and Monitoring Center which have been already mobilized from Central down to the Regional and Division offices.
The main purpose of creating the said task force is to provide the teachers with substantial information and technical and legal assistance if needed” the efforts of the Department to ensure the safety of teachers.
The DepEd ETF and Monitoring Center is now currently being reactivated until May 15 at the Bulwagan ng Karunungan, DepEd-Central Office in Pasig City and in various regional and division offices including Davao Region and its 11 division offices.
During the National Day of Prayer, Declaration of the State of Readiness, and Signing of Memoranda of Agreement (MOA) held on May 7 at the Philippine National Police Multi-Purpose Hall, Camp Crame in Quezon City, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and DepEd signed the MOA which aims to protect and promote the welfare of DepEd personnel on the conduct of local elections, and to ensure that the law, in regard to their honoraria, allowances, and other benefits, is properly observed.
Education Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones exhorted the Comelec that teachers who opt to render their time, energy, and safety to ensure the integrity of the ballot must not be encumbered by tax on their meager allowance.
In the same event, PNP Chief Oscar Albayalde announced that they will also put up a national task force which will provide “strategic directions to all police operations with regard to all election related programs and activities just like during the 2016 national elections and do even better security operations for this barangay and SK el ect i on s.
Other agencies and organizations present at the event were the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP), Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), Philippine Red Cross, Department of Health (DOH), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
In a recent development, Deped and Comelec on Friday committed to realize that volunteer-teachers, with annual basic salary of P250,000 and below, will promptly receive tax refund after the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) ruled to impose 5% withholding tax on their honorarium and allowance for rendering services during the 2018 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections on May 14.
According to the TRAIN Law, those with annual income below P250,000 will be tax exempt and upon computations were made Sec. Briones said the tax refund will range from P300 to P350 and she promised that in two weeks’time, that [amount] will be returned once our teacher-volunteers submit and have their certification of salary grade verified.
Assistant Secretary for Procurement Revsee Escobedo seconded the assurance and detailed how the tax refund will be facilitated while Atty. Frances Aguindadao-Arabe, Deputy Director of Comelec Education and Information Division, confirmed the timely return of the deducted tax in cash and encouraged teacher-volunteers to submit their sworn declaration along with their poll report on election day which will only be validated by the election officer and will not require notarization outside the polling precinct.