Teachers' group calls out Comelec's 'unpreparedness'

MANILA. Election workers try to fix a jammed ballot inside a counting machine at a polling center in the Manuel L. Quezon elementary school in Manila, Monday, May 13, 2019. (AP)
MANILA. Election workers try to fix a jammed ballot inside a counting machine at a polling center in the Manuel L. Quezon elementary school in Manila, Monday, May 13, 2019. (AP)

A PROGRESSIVE group of teachers hit the Commission on Election (Comelec) for being unprepared in the midterm elections on May 13.

Ophelia Tabacon, chairperson of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) in Northern Mindanao, said the lack of preparation was a hassle for teachers who were tasked to serve as the electoral board for the elections.

She said the teachers were not ready for the number of vote counting machines (VCMs) and SD (Secure Digital) cards that malfunctioned.

Others, she said, had to work overtime, feeding the official ballots all over again to the VCMs after the SD cards stopped working.

"Nanawagan mi nga idoble unta ang compensation para sa mga teachers kay less gyud ang preparations, na-hassle ang mga teachers, luoy apil ang voters nga grabe ang hulat,” she said.

(We are calling for the government to double the compensation of the teachers due to less ample time for them to prepare in this elections, and they were hassled enough for the voters in the actual day to have waited too long.)

City Comelec officer lawyer Ramil Acol echoes the same call in terms of giving additional compensation for teachers who worked overtime.

He said he hoped Comelec Manila will consider given the extra effort exerted by the electoral board composed of teachers.

In Cagayan de Oro, 14 SD cards malfunctioned so 14 electoral boards had to come back and feed the ballots all over again to the VCMs.

"Wala gyuy additional, kung akoy pabut-on maayo na i-times two ilang sweldo ana kay luoy kaayo sila kapoy kaayo ilang trabaho. Maayo unta makahuna-huna among mga labaw sa Manila nga ilang iconsider ang ka hago nga doble aning mga teachers nato nga nga naapektuhan aning defected SD cards,” he said.

(There's no additional honorarium, but if it was for me, personally, I would like to double, too their compensations because of their tiresome job. Would be better if our heads in Manila can think of it and they will consider the double exhaustion of these teachers who were affected of these SD card glitches.)

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