Friday, May 11, 2007 Everything's ready for Monday's polls: education dep't
EVERYTHING is in place for Monday's mid-term elections, said the Department of Education (DepEd).
"You are all physically and legally secured," Education Undersecretary for operations Ramon Bacani told teachers at the DepEd Central Office, in Pasig City who witnessed the signing of a memorandum of agreement (MOA) between DepEd, the PNP, and the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP).
IBP national president Vicente Salazar said 10,000 lawyers and paralegal personnel will be deployed on election day to assist the teachers manning poll precincts.
PNP deputy chief Antonio Billiones, for his part, said policemen will be deployed in polling places to provide security and ensure the holding of honest, orderly, peaceful election.
In Metro Manila alone, the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) is deploying 6,000 policemen including elite members of the Regional Special Action Unit to secure 5.5 million registered voters who will troop to 725 polling centers in the metropolis on Monday.
But the DepEd's preparedness was immediately put to a test following reports that hundreds of public school teachers in Taguig have been denied appointment as member of the Board of Election Inspectors (BEIs).
Dr. Natividad Jimenez, principal of Signal Village Elementary School, said of the 154 teachers in her school, only 55 received their appointments as chairpersons of the BEIs while her recommendation for 79 teachers to act as poll clerks were turned down.
Lawyer Henriquetta Danieles, Taguig Commission on Election (Comelec) chief, instead appointed individuals who were not teachers
Jimenez said teachers of other schools in Taguig such as Taguig Elementary School, Bagong Tanyag Elementary School, and Tipas Elementary School were also replaced.
Antonio Tinio, chairman of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT), said instead of teachers, the Taguig Commission on Election (Comelec) appointed individuals who are not teachers in violation of the Omnibus Election Code.
Education Undersecretary Franklin Sunga vowed to look into the matter. (AH/Sunnex)
