Teachers are at the forefront of 2022 elections

By: ROSENDA t. ARAbE,

In recent reports across different media platforms, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) has been urging the COMELEC to improve poll worker compensation and COVID-19 safety mechanisms for the May 9 elections. This is because the electoral boards (EBs), which are in charge of managing the high-stakes polls, will include over 300,000 teachers.

This is another major event in the history of the Philippines because all Filipinos are again betting on who will run the country and who will once again make an attempt to improve the welfare of their citizenry and may find a way to lift their people from the quagmire of poverty and unemployment. And teachers are the frontliners of this important milestone, and the job is definitely tiring and even life-risking. That is why they really deserve full security and even additional remuneration, which must be given on time.

If anyone recalls previous experiences of teachers serving in local and national elections, some of them shed blood simply to carry out their duties, while others were verbally abused and humiliated by egoistic political leaders. Others were stationed in remote areas where their lives were in danger due to Communist Organization threats. Was the monetary compensation adequate for their ordeal? Apart from the terrifying scenarios that many of our teachers have experienced, another threat that could jeopardize the election process is COVID-19, which claimed the lives of many Filipinos in a short period of time.

As part of the preparation, teachers who were fully vaccinated were prioritized by the COMELEC to become members of the electoral boards. Thorough orientations were undertaken in preparation if a voter showed symptoms of the disease. Medical personnel and an isolation area will be situated in a strategic location in every polling center. To control the crowd, a waiting area will be prepared for every polling precinct. And thermal scanners will be provided at the entrance to monitor the body temperature of entering voters and election personnel.

Since these scenarios may represent the new normal in election proceedings, what we are hopeful about is the idea that, despite the COVID-19 virus, we may gain leaders who will be able to lead the country with integrity and compassion no matter what crises and difficulties that may arise in the future.( Contributed article)