Teachers at Apolonio Samson Elementary School in Quezon City move the bins to be used for the vote-counting machines delivered to their campus on Tuesday, May 3, 2022, less than week before the May 9 polls, where they will serve on the board of election inspectors. (File photo by GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE / Philippine Daily Inquirer)
MANILA, Philippines — ACT-Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro urged Congress on Sunday to speed up the passage of a bill exempting the honoraria and allowances of poll workers from tax as a sign of gratitude for their service in the last elections.
She asked fellow lawmakers in the Senate and the House of Representatives to immediately pass and transmit the proposed law to President Rodrigo Duterte for his approval.
Castro noted that Congress was nearing its sine die adjournment while the Senate has three session days to pass Senate Bill No. 2520, the counterpart of House Bill No. 9652, which passed in August last year.
“We urge both Houses to swiftly pass SB 2520 on third and final reading and agree on the Senate version of the bill to be able to put the bill on the President’s table for signature,” Castro said.
“We also urge President Duterte to treat this bill with urgency and immediately sign the bill once transmitted from Congress to ensure that the tax exemption bill for the honorarium of poll workers gets passed into law before he steps down,” she added.
“It’s a simple law that would greatly affect our teachers who worked hard as election workers despite defective [vote- counting] machines, long hours of service and lack of support from the Commission on Elections (Comelec) for the thousands of reported delays caused by malfunctioning machines and SD cards,” Castro pointed out.
“It is a huge and great service and sacrifice for our teachers to volunteer as poll workers. This service, which is already beyond their main duty as teachers, should no longer be taxed,” she stressed.
“Teachers deserve to receive the full amount of the honorarium after undertaking their high-risk job as poll workers. They are required to attend training, deliver the election paraphernalia to and from Comelec offices and precincts, and perform other election-related tasks,” Castro pointed out.
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