• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The Commission on Elections has yet to pay the honorarium of public school teachers who served during the recent Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections in 9 local government units of Negros Occidental.
Provincial Comelec Supervisor Atty. Ian Lee Ananoria blamed the delay on the lack of security bond of some Election Officers, or because they have unliquidated cash advances.
Comelec records indicated that the honorarium of teachers in Victorias City, Valladolid, La Castellana, Moises Padilla, Himamaylan City, Cauayan, Hinobaan, Ilog and highly urbanized Bacolod City have not yet been paid.
The honorarium for poll workers has gone up from P5,000 to P6,000. For electoral board members and chairpersons, the rates increased to P9,000 and P10,000, respectively, according to Comelec.
The Department of Education Supervisor Officials (DESO) assigned to polling centers would get P9,000 each for poll duty, while the support staff would receive P5,500 each.
Ananoria clarified that the funds for the 10 LGUs were coursed through the poll body’s regional office, while teachers in 22 LGUs have already been paid on October 31, a day after the BSKE 2023 polls.
“As we speak, it is now being downloaded to their accounts. We expect by Wednesday or Thursday this week, all the teachers will be all paid,” he pointed out.
Under the Election Reform Act, Comelec has 15 days after the elections to pay the honorarium of teachers.
Ananoria said that the failure to release the honorarium within 15 days is deemed an election offense.*
