Teachers put up hotlines for poll anomalies

BAGUIO CITY – To ensure the safety of teachers serving as election officers on May 14, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) is setting up national and regional hotlines to monitor and document election anomalies and violence in next week’s village and Sangguniang Kabataan elections.

National hotlines 0929-720-8193 and 0956-067-9186 will enable ACT to provide immediate and appropriate assistance to teachers, particularly in Mindanao, which has been placed under Martial Law until the end of the year, ACT President Benjamin Valbuena announced in a press conference here Tuesday.

“Our most serious concern is for the safety of our teachers in election hotspots,” Valbuena said, given that this was the first political exercise which will enforce the Election Service Reform Act of 2016 (Republic Act No. 10756). The law no longer makes election services a mandatory duty for public school teachers, and sets fees and honoraria for those who participate voluntarily in the polls.

ACT officials and delegates are here for a national congress.

According to Police Director General Oscar Albayalde, the police have included 5,744 villages all over the country in its election watchlist.

Bicol region has the highest number of villages in the watchlist with 1,258, followed by Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) with 832, and Central Luzon with 504.