MANILA, Philippines — More than 37,000 public schools are ready to serve as polling centers for the national and local elections this 2022, according to an official from the Department of Education (DepEd).
"All of these [schools] are ready and they are also prepared for testing and sealing [of the vote counting machines] from May 2 to 7," DepEd Director of Public Affairs Services Marcelo Bragado said in an interview over Unang Balita on Wednesday.
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He added that their teachers assigned to serve as the board of election inspectors (BEI) are ready to serve in this year's elections, as they have already attended the necessary training.
Bragado said that their classrooms are equipped with disinfection areas as well as a help desk to assist voters.
Under the Commission on Elections (Comelec) Resolution 10460, the Electoral Boards (EBs)— also known as BEIs— are normally made up of public school teachers who are willing and able to provide election-related services.
EB members receive honoraria, travel allowances, communication allowances, anti-COVID-19 allowances and service credits.
Last month, teachers group Alliance for Concerned Teachers (ACT) Philippines decried the 20% income tax levied on the honoraria and travel allowances for teachers who will serve during the polls, claiming that the government has refused to renumerate them with fair pay.
In the past, the tax raise was just 5%, which the group has already been protesting.
A Senate hearing on the tax raise was held last week, where the Department of Finance remained firm on taxing teacher-poll workers' extra pay since doing otherwise is unfair and complicates the state's tax system.
Allowances to be given in cash
In a separate statement on Wednesday, ACT welcomed the Comelec's decision allowing teacher-poll workers to receive their compensation in cash. Before, they received their allowances through cash cards which did not allow teachers to withdraw amounts below P100.
“This is an important development towards uplifting the conditions of teachers rendering election service, and should be coupled with a timely and properly scheduled release of their hard-earned pay," ACT Secretary General Raymond Basilio said in an emailed statement.
The national and local elections are set to take place on May 9. — Angelica Y. Yang