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Additional honoraria for poll workers approved 'in principle' - Comelec
Additional honoraria for poll workers approved 'in principle' - Comelec
By Dhel Nazario
Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioner George Erwin Garcia said on Monday, May 16 that the Commission En Banc has approved, in principle, the additional honoraria for teachers and other members of the electoral boards (EBs).
During the Laging Handa public briefing, Garcia said that they are currently in the process of knowing which precincts encountered problems with their Vote Counting Machines (VCMs) that forced them to extend their work hours on election day.
He added that they are no longer discussing what time or how long they extended as long as the machines malfunctioned in their polling precincts. These specific precincts will then be sent to the Comelec's operation center.
Garcia did not disclose the amount and stated that their decision was to also provide additional and equal amount of honoraria to the support staff as well as the technicians in each of the precincts where VCM problems were recorded.
"Kinakailangan na sila po ay pantay-pantay na makatanggap. Hindi porke’t si ganito, si chairman ay chairman dapat mas mataas ang kaniyang matatanggap na dagdag na honorarium – hindi po (They will receive equal honoraria. Not because someone is the chairman they will also receive a higher honorarium - that's not the case)," he explained.
"Papantay-pantayin natin dahil pare-parehas naman po silang lahat na nag-overtime at naperhuwisyo o naistorbo dahil sa pagkasira po ng makina (We will be fair since every single one of them were inconvenienced or disturbed and went overtime due to the malfunctioning machines)," he added.
On May 13, Acting Spokesperson John Rex C. Laudiangco said that Garcia has asked the Commission En Banc to approve additional honoraria for members of EB who served for extended hours.
Garcia even issued a memorandum to urge his fellow commissioners in the Comelec to allow the granting of additional honoraria to members of EB.
In 2019, Laudiangco recalled that teachers who were affected by delays also received additional honoraria.