Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
Senatorial candidate Martin Romualdez said yesterday that public schoolteachers would get higher compensation if they choose to serve as poll supervisors in this year’s elections.
In a statement, Romualdez said that both the Senate and the House of Representatives had already passed the proposed measure making poll duty optional rather than compulsory.
The enrolled copy of the bill is set to be transmitted to Malacañang for the President’s
signature.
The proposed measure seeks to increase the compensation and insurance benefits of the public schoolteachers that, according to Romualdez, should be commensurate to the “efforts and risks” the teachers are taking by working on the front line of the elections.
The Leyte lawmaker explained that making poll duties optional for the public schoolteachers and giving them proper compensation for their services would “recognize their invaluable contributions to our system of free, fair, clean and credible elections, and shows government’s compassion for their well-being.”
“For the longest time, public school teachers served as the guardians of our electoral system on voting day itself and during the counting of the votes. For this, the nation should extend its sincere gratitude [to the teachers],” Romualdez said.
Senate Bill No. 2178, or the proposed Election Service Reform Act (ESRA), seeks to allow public schoolteachers to choose whether to accept poll duties, which have been mandatory for them in past elections.
The bill also provides for a higher honorarium for the teachers who will choose to serve as members of the board of election inspectors (BEI).
The House has also passed its own version of the proposed ESRA known as House Bill No. 5412.
In the House version, the teachers’ honorarium will be increased from P3,000 to P6,000 (for the BEI chair); from P3,000 to P5,000 (for every BEI member); P3,000 to P4,000 (for supervisors of the Department of Education); and P1,500 to P2,000 (for an election support staff member).
Their travel allowance will also be raised from P500 to P1,000 each.