Ensure teachers’ honoraria, Garchalian tells Comelec

INQUIRER STOCK PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines – Following the signing of the 2019 national budget, Senator Win Gatchalian called on the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to coordinate with the Department of Education regarding the honoraria of teachers who would serve in the May elections.

According to Gatchalian, the Comelec should ensure that teachers to be deployed on Election Day would receive their honoraria on time.

The honoraria are for teachers who would serve as Board of Election Inspectors (BEI) in the elections.

“Bawat eleksyon na lang ay naririnig natin ang hinaing ng mga guro dahil sa delay ng release ng kanilang honoraria at travel allowance bilang BEI,” Gatchalian said in a statement on Sunday.

“Nananawagan ako sa Comelec na maghanda na upang maging maaga at maayos ang distribution ng honoraria at allowances ng mga guro at hindi na maulit ang problemang ito ngayong taon,” he added.

Gatchalian also stressed that the Comelec should ensure that it would have an accurate list of teachers acting as BEIs.

“Our teachers’ jobs during the elections are stressful enough as it is; let us not add to their burden by denying what is rightfully due them,” he said.

Election Day is on May 13.

Comelec earlier expressed fear that controversy about congressional insertions in the proposed budget would derail the budget for the teachers’ honoraria.

President Rodrigo Duterte signed the 2019 national budget on April 15 but vetoed P95.3-billion proposed allocation for items not part of the administration’s priority.

READ: Duterte signs 2019 national budget; vetoes P95B

According to Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, the recently-signed 2019 national budget underwent scrutiny to ensure that it “conforms strictly” to the law and was free of unconstitutional “pork” allocations. /cbb

READ: Palace assures signed 2019 budget pork free