Luistro reminds poll bets not to harass teachers over voting results

ELECTION PREPARATIONS:  Teachers install posters showing election guidelines at the Cubao Elementary School, Quezon City on May 7, 2016.  Millions of voters will elect their national and local leaders on May 9, 2016. INQUIRER PHOTO / NINO JESUS ORBETA

MANILA — Education Secretary Armin Luistro has appealed to politicians and their supporters not to intimidate the teachers who will facilitate and oversee Monday’s general elections.

Luistro expressed concern for the teachers who were usually blamed by losing politicians in previous elections and were also accused of taking part in cheating.

“Our teachers are only doing their jobs. If there are those who would commit any wrongdoing, there is an outlined process for such incidences, so don’t harass or threaten our teachers. Document it and go through the process, but please do not put pressure or harass the teachers because they have been trained, and I’m sure they’ll do their jobs very well,” Luistro said in a recent interview.

The Department of Education (DepEd) activated on Sunday, its election task force to provide teachers adequate information and technical and legal assistance as they perform their duties as members of the board of election inspectors (BEI). The teachers can also report to the task force if they are harassed, threatened or intimidated by  groups related to disgruntled election candidates.

Should any BEI member face an election-related suit, Luistro said that the DepEd, through its partnership with the Public Attorney’s Office, would be ready to provide free legal assistance.

Expecting this year’s elections to be heated, he appealed to the teachers to be neutral and nonpartisan and to “continue that long tradition of objectivity and of effective service” during the elections.

For this year’s elections, more than 277,000 teachers will help in the peaceful and orderly conduct of the election. The chairperson and members of the BEI will be given by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) an honorarium of P4,500 each, while their support staff will get P1,500. DepEd supervisors, on the other hand, will receive P3,000.

The Comelec has also allocated P30 million for election-related deaths or injuries of DepEd and non-DepEd personnel in the performance of their duties. In the event of death, heirs of the victim will receive P200,000.  SFM