VP Duterte asks Comelec to give teachers advance pay for poll duties

Vice President and Education Sec. Sara Duterte FILE

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte on Thursday asked the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to give in advance the honoraria for teachers who will serve in the upcoming 2023 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan polls.

Duterte made the appeal during the second day of the 2023 National Election Summit, saying the advance honoraria would help teachers with their expenses.

“Baka naman, sa amin lang Comelec, from the Department of Education, mauna ‘yung bayad sa mga teachers bago ang election. Of course, bumabiyahe sila, kumakain sila, and may gastusin din sila during the days na they are serving our country as part of the Boards,” she said in her speech.

(For us in DepEd, maybe our teachers can be paid first before the election. This is because they travel, eat, and have expenses while serving the country as part of the Boards.)

“Baka lang pwedeng i-advance, or it can be a consideration for the plan for future elections na mauna ‘yung payments or ‘yung compensation para sa ating mga teachers,” Duterte added.

(Maybe the compensation for teachers can be given in advance, or it can be considered for future elections.)

The Vice President also called on the Comelec to ensure the teachers’ safety during elections.

“Minsan, ang mga guro ay tinatakot ng mga mga warlord politicians at ginagawang kasangkapan sa kanilang pandaraya,” Duterte said, adding that these incidents usually happen in remote areas known to be controlled by politicians’ private armies.

(Sometimes, the teachers are threatened by warlord politicians and forced to aid in cheating.)

“Alam natin na mahirap kalaban ang mga warlords na may private army. Pero kailangan nating ipakita na mas mahirap pong kalaban ang mga taong gobyerno katulad ng mga pulis at mga sundalo because they represent the government,” she said.

(We know that warlords with private armies are difficult enemies. But we need to show that it is harder to fight with the government forces such as the police and the military.)

The Vice President also said the electoral process could move to something better than shading or writing on the ballots, suggesting technological methods such as fingerprints, face, and eye scanning to ensure the validity of the people’s votes.

Duterte also said she is open to including voter education in the K to 12 curricula of the DepEd to “help prepare and equip the Filipino youth with the ability to discern and engage responsibly” in voting.

“By instituting civic education in youth and nation-building, we encourage the involvement of an empowered citizenry guided by Filipino values, discernment, and knowledge that are crucial in cultivating a culture of participative democracy,” she said.

Duterte also called on law enforcement authorities to end the series of deadly attacks against elected local government officials.

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