IN EXACTLY 40 days from now, the 2022 national elections will be conducted and yet again, the Department of Education will be a big part of this significant event in our nation’s history.
As the Department tapped by the National Government and the Commission on Elections to ensure the free, orderly, and peaceful conduct of the elections, our teachers and supervisors are chosen to serve as the chairpersons and members of the Electoral Board and as Technical Support Personnel.
It is not only because DepEd has the biggest number of personnel and because our schools also serve as the election venues, but time and again, we say that our teachers are chosen for this task because of their credibility and trustworthiness. As teachers, we face the perils and dangers that come with this task because of the trust and confidence given to us by our fellow citizens.
As we face this exigent assignment on May 9, we need to be properly informed and prepared regarding the various processes and functions that we must fulfill as members of the electoral board. Thus, the Department of Education National Election Task Force conducted the clustered conferences to help prepare our personnel on Voters Education and Supervision, Poll Center Management, Automated Election System (AES) and Vote Counting Machine Operation.
Similar to previous local and national elections, DepEd establishes its Election Task Force Operation and Monitoring Centers in its Central, Regional, and Schools Division Offices tasked to monitor the conduct of the elections in their respective regions and divisions and help facilitate immediate concerns and problems that may be encountered by the electoral board members deployed on field.
The DepEd Elections Task Force (ETF) Operation and Monitoring Center shall assist public school teachers and personnel with their duties in the May 2022 elections. It also seeks to ensure that teachers and personnel are provided with adequate information, technical and legal assistance in the course of the performance of their duties as members of the Electoral Board. This will also serve as DepEd’s institutional link to volunteer organizations and individuals.