THE government believed that proper security and compensation should be provided for the teachers participating in the coming 2010 elections.

Presidential deputy spokesperson Lorelei Fajardo on Wednesday said they are confident that the Department of Education (DepEd) and Commission on Elections (Comelec) are doing everything to resolve the issues raised by the teachers.

Last Tuesday, Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) warned that they will take a mass leave or conduct protest actions if the government continues to ignore teachers' appeal for adequate compensation, safety, and proper training on the automated election.

ACT is demanding for a P1,000 increase in the compensation of teachers rendering services in the election. Teachers were paid P1,000 per day.

Fajardo said although they are agreeable to the increase, the decision would still come from the Comelec, which is an independent body.

"That has to be studied upon by the Comelec. One thing that we have to consider, do we have the funds for it?," she said.

"But I am sure that DepEd and Comelec are already talking about it. They are studying how they could address the concern of the teachers," she added.

For security concerns, Fajardo assured that sufficient security will be deployed to secure the safety of the teachers who have been vulnerable to harassment and assault during elections.

"Their security concerns are valid. It is really important to secure them and additional security should be positioned for them," she said, adding that this instruction is already incumbent upon the police and military.

The teachers group argued that the government has been ignoring their appeal for a dialogue to thrash out their concerns.

Fajardo defended that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has always been open to dialogue concerning any issue however they do not want to bypass the department supposed to be in the frontline in addressing the plight of the teachers.

"We have always been open to any dialogue but we don't want to bypass our cabinet members. They are the first line of defense," she said.

"Education Secretary Jesli Lapus should make a recommendation about it. He should be the one who will give his recommendation to the president," the Palace official ended. (Jill Beltran/Sunnex)