No pay hike for teachers in May polls

PUBLIC school teachers who will render services during the May 9 elections won’t be getting a pay hike, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) announced as it starts today the organization of the members of the board of election inspectors (BEI) in all clustered precincts.

In a resolution, the Comelec said all BEI chairpersons and members shall get a P4,500 honorarium for the services they will render for three days during the upcoming elections. The amount is the same rate that they were paid during the May 2013 balloting.

The fee includes payment for the verification and sealing of the book of voters, the final testing and sealing of the vote counting machines and transportation allowance.

Earlier, groups led by Buhay party-list proposed that public school teachers assigned as BEI be given an P8,000 honorarium instead of the Comelec’s offer in the previous elections.

Meanwhile, Alliance of Concerned Teachers party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio authored House Bill No. 5412 seeking to make poll duty voluntary for public teachers and  allow the Comelec to appoint national government employees, private school teachers and any qualified Filipino citizen to man polling precincts. Jocelyn R. Uy