BY GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The Commission on Elections has started paying honoraria to all members of the electoral board who served during the May 9 elections in Negros Occidental, disclosed acting Provincial Comelec supervisor Roberto Salazar yesterday.
Salazar said that Comelec is paying between P100 million to P150 million in honorarium to more than 12,000 members of the electoral board in the province.
The chairperson of the electoral board will receive P10,000, including communication and anti -COVID19 allowances, while the poll clerk and 3rd member get P9,000 each and P6,000 is for support staff, Salazar said.
As stated in the provisions of the Civil Service Election Reform Act, it mandates the payment of poll workers compensation within 15 days after the conclusion of the elections, he added.
For poll workers in the government service with annual compensation of not more than P250,000 annually, there will be no tax deduction, but a 20 percent tax will be deducted from those receiving higher wages, Salazar further said.
The Comelec en banc disclosed yesterday that it is committed to providing additional honoraria to all members of electoral board who served more than the required hours they were asked to work for during the May 9 elections.
On the other hand, Salazar reminded all candidates in Negros Occidental to submit their respective Statement of Contribution and Expenditures (SOCE).
Candidates who either won or lost in the elections are mandated to file their SOCE within 30 days after the elections.
Failure to file a SOCE means a candidate may no longer be allowed to participate in the next elections, according to the Comelec.*
