ShareThisMANILA – Less than two weeks before the October 25 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections takes place, another teachers group has demanded a “fair” compensation package for their poll duties even as they also urged for a lesser workload.
“We deserve more. Experience has taught us that barangay elections are more muddled and our safety as BET’s is more uncertain. And yet instead of increasing the amount of compensation to be given to us as Board of Election Tellers or BET in the coming barangay elections, the Commission on Elections decreased it to P2, 000 per BET,” Benjie Valbuena, Vice Chairperson of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) said Thursday adding the compensation was formerly P3, 000 per BET.
Valbuena’s group trooped to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to press their demand for additional compensation.
“That is why today, we are here at the DBM to demand compensation of P4, 000 for the BET of the October 25 elections. Comelec says that it is the DBM who has a say in their budget for this elections,” Valbuena added.
Aside from the additional compensation, the group is also urging the poll body to rescind its earlier order mandating the number of registered voters per precinct at 400 adding that it would result to more work for teachers.
“And what is equally frustrating is that Comelec promulgated Resolution Number 9002 last July 8, 2010 which pegged the aggregate number of registered voters in the clustered or grouped precincts at four hundred. This means more work for lesser pay,” Valbuena added.
Another teachers group, the Teachers Dignity Coalition (TDC) also aired the same demand Wednesday.
Benjo Basas, national president of the 30, 000-strong TDC said it is unfair for them to received such a measly sum when during the 2007 barangay and SK elections, the teachers who served as BET got an honorarium of at least P2, 000.
“That’s really unfair (Resolution 9030-General Instruction for BET and Barangay Board of Canvassers), what we asked for the Comelec is to give us higher per diem and lesser number of voters per precinct,” Basas said.
They added that teachers must be paid not less than P3, 000 per diem, P500 for sealing of book of voters and P500 transportation allowance.
In the May 10, 2010 automated elections, teachers were paid a total of P4, 800 (per diem of P3, 000, PCOS P500, sealing of the voter’s book P500, transportation allowance of P300 and additional payment amounting to P500).
As for the non-monetary compensation, they claimed that it is but fair to set aside certain amount for teachers’ insurance fund and a five-day leave credits.