THE Office of the Vice President (OVP) alongside the Commission on Elections (Comelec), Public Attorney’s Office (PAO), and the Department of Education (DepEd) vowed to provide legal support to the teachers who served as poll clerks during the 2023 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) on October 30.
This was confirmed by Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte after she cast her votes at Daniel R. Aguinaldo National High School (DRANHS) in Matina, Davao City, wherein she was expected to be accompanied by his father, former President Rodrigo Duterte.
In an ambush interview, the second highest official in the country said: “Tinulungan tayo ng Comelec at PAO na meron kaagad representation ang mga teachers natin kapag meron silang kasong gustong i-file, meron silang threats sa kanilang buhay, meron silang legal support (The Comelec and PAO helped us so our teachers should have immediate representation when they have a case they want to file, when they have threats to their lives, they will have that legal support),” Duterte said.
The promised legal aid is also based on the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) collectively signed by the three agencies on September 18 to protect the teachers while on election duty.
“This is with regards sa service ng mga teachers natin for BSKE 2023, meron kasi tayong mga incidents noon na nagkakaron ng problema ang ating mga teachers. Meron pa tayong mga teachers na namatay dahil nag-serve sila sa election (This is with regards to the service of our teachers for BSKE 2023. We have had incidents in the past where our teachers encountered problems, we even have teachers who died because they served in the election),” the official added.
It can be recalled that during the MOA signing, Comelec chairman George Garcia emphasized the need to prioritize the welfare of the teachers in society.
“Teachers are so vulnerable that’s why legal assistance is the best defense against these kinds of attacks against them,” Garcia said.
“They should be properly represented by counsel. That is very important. Teachers do so many things. If they receive help from the Public Attorney's Office, who really provides free help, especially now that there is a MOA, they will be able to defend themselves easily,” he added.
Based on the report from the Comelec, around 8,000 teachers nationwide served as the chairpersons and board members of manual BSKE wherein they are expected to receive an honorarium of P9,000 to P10,000 depending on their position.