Lawmakers are urging the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to increase the honoraria and other benefits for election service volunteers.
House of Representatives Assistant Minority Leader France Castro on Monday also welcomed the 10-day service credit for teachers who will volunteer in the coming polls.
In a Comelec budget deliberation last week, Castro asked for updates on the demands of teachers for an increase in honoraria and benefits for poll volunteers. The lawmaker said the Comelec has drafted a memorandum of agreement with the Department of Education (DepEd) on the additional 5-day service credit for election service volunteers.
Castro said lawmakers are asking that there should be enough funds for additional honorarium, transportation, meals allowance, and hazard pay for election service volunteers. These will include P10,000 for the chairman of electoral boards; P9,000 for the members; P8,000 for DepEd supervisor officials; and P7,000 or the support staff.
The lawmaker noted that there “will be unprecedented challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The Comelec already stated that it will likely adopt longer hours for voting as a contingency to minimize and prevent the further spread of COVID-19
Senator Win Gatchalian meanwhile renewed calls to uphold the welfare and safety of education frontliners who have been sacrificing their health and safety to ensure learning continuity amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
He said the crucial next steps include the vaccination of all teachers, non-teaching staff, and other school officials.
Gacthalian said this is necessary especially since the DepEd is set to begin the pilot testing of limited face-to-face classes in areas with minimal risk of COVID-19. The DepEd earlier announced that full vaccination will be required for the pilot test.
Public school teachers have Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) coverage, which they can use if they get infected with COVID-19. Teachers, however, still need to shoulder medical expenses before receiving reimbursements from the state insurer.
One of Gatchalian’s suggestions is the creation of a PhilHealth special lane for teachers to allow the speedier provision of aid for COVID-19 treatment.
Further, Gatchalian sought to exclude from gross income and exempt from taxation the honoraria, travel allowance, and other benefits granted by the Comelec to teachers and poll workers.