The House of Representatives on Monday approved on third and final reading a bill that strengthens the field offices of the Commission on Elections.
The lower chamber approved House Bill 10579 by a 204 vote.
The bill, which seeks to amend the Omnibus Election Code, proposes to strengthen the field offices of the Comelec by upgrading and creating certain positions.
It provides that all existing plantilla positions in Comelec field offices shall be reclassified and their salaries will be upgraded accordingly.
It also aims to provide new classification for poll body field offices in highly urbanized cities (HUCs) with a minimum population of 200,000 as certified by the Philippine Statistics Authority.
City and municipal election offices where populations are less than 200,000 shall remain to be operational in their respective localities.
Under the measure, a Regional Election Director will be ranked Director IV and receive Salary Grade 28 (P142,683 to P159,804).
A Provincial Election Director will be ranked Director II, receiving Salary Grade 26 (P111,742 to P125,150).
The HUC Election Office, on the other hand, will be headed by an HUC Election Director with a rank of Director II.