ACT Teachers Partylist and education sector leaders secured significant commitments from Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman George Garcia today for enhanced benefits and protection of teachers who will serve in the 2025 national and local elections.
In a productive dialog at the Comelec office, Chairman Garcia agreed to double the service credits for teachers from 5 to 10 days and extend 5 days of service credits to other government employees serving in elections. The dialog was attended by former ACT Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio, ACT national chairperson Vladimer Quetua, ACT NCR Union president Ruby Bernardo, and other education sector leaders.
“This is a significant win for our teachers who have long served as the backbone of Philippine elections. The doubling of service credits and the additional benefits will help compensate for the risks and challenges they face during election duty,” Tinio stated.
Chairman Garcia also committed to implement the previously announced P2,000 increase in honorarium and work towards providing a P1,000 transportation allowance for election day. Additionally, the Comelec will streamline the process for reimbursing legal and medical expenses of teachers.
“We welcome these concrete steps to protect our teachers. The removal of the digital signature requirement and the assignment of two additional support staff per precinct will significantly ease their election day duties,” Tinio added.
The establishment of a partnership between the Alliance of Concerned Teachers Election Hotline and Comelec will further strengthen the support system for teachers during elections.
“These commitments demonstrate recognition of the importance of the service rendered by teachers during elections. We will continue to work with Comelec to ensure these benefits are properly implemented,” Tinio concluded. #
