Comelec exempts DepEd hiring from poll ban

Comelec headquarters in Intramuros, Manila. INQUIRER FILES

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has allowed the Department of Education (DepEd) to continue hiring employees despite the ban on transferring or detailing officers in the civil service including public school teachers ahead of the upcoming Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE). In a memorandum dated Oct. 13 and published on Monday, Education Undersecretary Michael Poa said Comelec allowed DepEd to continue appointing or hiring new employees provided that it would not “in any manner influence” the conduct of the BSKE on Oct. 30.

—Jane Bautista