MANILA -- Personnel of the Department of Education (DepEd), both teaching and non-teaching ones, serving in this year's barangay (village) and Sangguniang Kabataan (youth council) polls no longer have to wait longer for their allowance as delivery of cash cards have been 87 percent complete on the eve of elections.
In a press briefing on Monday, DepEd Undersecretary Alain del Pascua said that the delivery of cash cards of teachers and non-teachers with poll duties is 87 percent complete since 8 p.m. Sunday night.
"The delivery will continue up to noon today (Monday). They had the PHP475 to represent their allowance in the morning directly from their respective election officers it's cash and later in the afternoon the remaining of the allowance and the equivalent of the honorarium," del Pascua added.
As of 1 p.m., del Pascua said that only 13 percent or 55 municipalities nationwide have not received the cash card.
"These are spread out among Catanduanes, Davao Occidental, Davao Oriental, Dinagat Islands, La Union, Masbate, Negros Oriental Siquijor, Sulu, Surigao Del Norte and Zamboanga Del Norte," he said. "Naka-withhold na agad ang tax kapag binigay yang cash card sa mga (The tax are withheld already when the cash cards are given to the) teachers, teachers occupying positions I and II will just have a sworn statement that they're tax exempted to be submitted to the election officers. The DepEd central office will be providing Commission on Elections (Comelec) with a list of Teachers I and II and other positions that are tax exempt," he added.
In an earlier interview, Quezon City Public School Teachers Association board of director Imelda Canlas said teachers were happy about the lifting of mandatory rendering of electoral service among teachers for reasons such as laborious duties, hazards to health, harassment, and legal cases that teachers face.
She said that in her 15 years of serving during polls, there are allowances that were not given her.
No poll honoraria were ever subjected to income tax prior to the effectivity of Republic Act 10756, or the Election Service Reform Act (ESRA), DepEd Secretary Leonor Briones said earlier. A 5 percent withholding tax is imposed on the honoraria and transportation allowances that public school teachers get for serving in the polls.
To address the issue, Pascua said after the elections, the DepEd will ask Congress to amend the ESRA regarding the tax exemption of honorarium and tax allowance.
"We'll ask them na gawin ito para sa susunod na eleksiyon wala na tayong problema ng pagbibigay ng tax exemption sa ating mga teachers hindi nga sila pasok sa PHP250,000 salary per annum tax exemption (We'll ask them to do this so that in the next elections there will be no problem in providing tax exemption to our teachers because they're not included in the 250,000 pesos salary per annum tax exemption)," he said.
Del Pascua said DepEd will also review the increase of allowance and honorarium rates and if the provision of additional service credits if needed.
In case of election situations that are prone to violence, Pascua said the law enforcers can take over the poll duties of election officers.
"Standard protocol iyan sa ilang barangay (That's a standard protocol in some villages). DepEd teachers or employees may choose to be free from election service, we need to protect also the safety of our teachers," he said.
'Generally peaceful' polls
The DepEd also said the conduct of the 2018 barangay and SK polls is "generally peaceful" and smooth.
"Wala pa po kaming natatanggap na violence-related na pangyayari po sa opening ng ating eleksiyon... na meron pong nasaktan at namatay na teachers. (We haven't received any violence-related happenings during the opening of election...like hurt or killed teachers)," DepEd Election Task Force Operation and Legal Support head Marcelo Bragado said in a press briefing.
Bragado said they have received reports about poll clerks in Dalig Elementary School in Antipolo City who allegedly refused to serve, but he clarified that "this doesn't involve teachers but registered voters."
He also said they have received a report about some high school teachers in Cupang, also in Antipolo City, who figured in an accident while picking up election paraphernalia.
"Sa Cupang National High School po ito tatlong HS teachers nawalan ng preno ang jeep. Dalawa dinala sa ospital, bruises lang naman daw pero nakapag-serve na rin sila ngayong araw na ito (Three teachers from Cupang National High School High School figured in an accident when the jeep they were riding brake. Two suffered from bruises and were sent to the hospital but they were able to serve today)," he said. (PNA)
