Wanted election tellers

With only two months left before the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) is inviting qualified individuals to apply as election tellers.

Cebu Provincial Election Supervisor Marco Lionel Castillano admitted that they still lack members of the Board of Election Tellers (BET), especially in the mountain areas.

Castillano explained that this is because public school teachers are no longer required to become BETs. Instead, facilitating the elections has become a "voluntary" decision for the teachers after the Election Service Reform Act was passed.

In 2016, former president Benigno Aquino III signed into law the act, which renders election service non-compulsory for public school teachers and authorizing the appointment of other qualified citizens. Compensation and other benefits are also provided for BETs.

Republic Act 10756 stated that if there is lack of public school teachers who are “willing, available, or qualified to serve,” Comelec can appoint private school teachers, national government employees, members of organizations accredited by the Commission, and any registered voter of the city or municipality of “known integrity and competence” who is not connected with any candidate or political party.

At present, Castillano cannot say yet the specific number of BETs needed in the province. Compared to the previous local elections, he said there are lesser teachers who signed up now due to various reasons.

Comelec is also mindful not to assign female teachers in highly conflicted areas and are far-flung.

“Public schools teachers nga mga women, kung mahimo dili sila ipa-serve sa mga risgo nga area (ug) mga bukid. But, we must understand nga ang teachers, almost 90% mga babaye,” he said.

Castillano said that another contributing factor is the increase in the number of clustered precincts. In the previous barangay and SK elections, one precinct caters to 600 voters.

This year, a clustered precinct only consists of 400 voters. With lesser number of voters per precinct, the more clusters are formed thus, more BETs are needed.

"The good news is majority composed na ang board of election tellers nato. Gamay nalang ang kulang,” he added.

Castillano said they are now at least 80 percent ready for the May 14 elections. The office now only need to train the individuals who will serve as BETs once the list is finalized.

Meanwhile, Castillano promised to cooperate if Cebu will be questioned, too, following the allegations that there were irregularities in the 2016 elections.

Senator Vicente Sotto III called for a Senate investigation into reports of fraud and foreign interference in the last elections.

Sotto claimed that his source told him that there were result transmissions a day before Election Day and that the election servers were accessed by a foreign party.

“If we don’t do anything to clear the doubts as to the legitimacy of the previous election, then we put at risk the accuracy of the 2019 elections,” said Sotto.

Even if Cebu was not among the provinces mentioned by Sotto, Castillano said that their office will submit itself to investigation should there be any.