Comelec men seek pay raise

Employees of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) are also pushing for a wage hike to enable them to cope with the higher standard of living and help them avoid ‘temptations,’ particularly during elections.

The Comelec Wage Fight Alliance! (CWFA), an association of Comelec employees, said it agreed with the observation of Customs Commissioner Rozzano Rufino Biazon that giving employees adequate pay may help lessen ‘temptations’ in office.

But the group said not only those from revenue-generating agencies, such as the Bureau of Customs and Bureau of Internal Revenue, deserve higher pay but also workers from other government agencies such as the Comelec.

“Considering the extremely high cost of living nowadays and in light of the fact that the present Salary Standardization Law simply is not enough to tide our families through these very tough times, Comelec employees, too, deserve a just and appropriate pay,” CWFA convener Armando Mallorca said in a statement.

A higher pay, added Mallorca, “may [also] help Comelec employees fight temptations,” adding that election workers were “oftentimes exposed to a lot of temptations” especially during the election period.

The CWFA has been clamoring for the adjustment of the salaries of poll workers nationwide, saying Comelec personnel’s wages are not at par with those received by workers in other constitutional bodies and government agencies.