Thursday, November 01, 2007 Official assures pay for teachers in barangay, SK polls
THE Department of Education (DepEd) clarified reports on the delay of release of election duty pay to teachers who served as Board of Election Inspectors (BEIs) in the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections last Monday.
Education Undersecretary for Legal Affairs Franklin Sunga said they have been coordinating with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to fast track the payment for teachers nationwide.
Sunga said the allocation for the teacher's honoraria and additional allowances has been forwarded by the Comelec to municipal treasurers nationwide as part of their effort to speed up the payment's release.
""We at the DepEd are closely working with the Comelec to guarantee teachers that they will receive due compensation on time," Sunga said.
He said joint efforts of the DepEd and Comelec have resulted in an additional P500 that will be given to teachers for transportation allowance, and another P500 for those who handled SK polling precincts.
For the barangay and SK elections, the Comelec earlier said it would pay teachers P1,000 who will serve in the elections. The amount was substantially lower than the P3,000 the election body earlier paid for teachers who served in the May 2004 presidential elections.
The Comelec also gave each teacher a P300 transportation allowance last May.
Based on a memorandum of agreement with the education department, the Comelec would pay 50 percent as soon as the teachers retrieve the election paraphernalia from the election body and the rest would be given when they return the ballot boxes.
The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) has criticized the Comelec and DepEd for the delay in the release of payment saying many teachers have not yet received their honorarium or transportation allowance.
ACT chairman Antonio Tinio also scored the drastic cut they get during last Monday's elections.
He said teachers from Malabon, Caloocan, Muntinlupa, Pasay, Parañaque, Pasig and Valenzuela in Metro Manila and San Jose del Monte and Meycauayan in Bulacan have yet to receive their honoraria two days after the elections, Tinio said. (AH/Sunnex)
