Makabayan senatorial candidate and ACT Teachers Partylist Rep. France Castro today calls for immediate support for teachers serving as members of the Board of Election Inspectors (BEIs) as they face the brunt of technical issues with the Automated Counting Machines (ACMs) in the ongoing national mid-term elections.
“Ang ating mga guro ang humaharap sa mga reklamo at nagpapasan ng bigat ng kapalpakan ng mga makina. Hindi dapat sila ang sinisisi sa kakulangan ng preparasyon ng COMELEC,” Castro emphasized. “Our teachers are not just poll workers – they are the frontliners protecting our democracy today.”
Castro calls for proper overtime pay for teachers serving as members of the Board of Election Inspectors (BEIs) as they face possible extended working hours due to widespread technical issues with Automated Counting Machines (ACMs).
While acknowledging the additional P2,000 honorarium granted by COMELEC as a result of a dialogue with ACT Teachers last year, Castro emphasized that on an occasion that BEIs shall render service beyond their prescribed hours, they should be entitled to an overtime pay.
“Our teachers have been long suffering from the lack of additional pay despite having to work outside of school hours. Let us not deny them just compensation during this election period,” Castro said.
Multiple polling precincts have reported issues with ballot ink bleeding through pages, causing scanning errors and rejected ballots. More alarming are reports of undisclosed software updates to the ACMs that raise serious questions about electoral transparency and integrity.
“The lack of transparency is alarming. When COMELEC updates machine software without public disclosure, how can we trust the results? Dapat alam ng publiko ang anumang pagbabago sa sistema na ginagamit para sa ating halalan. Karapatan ng mamamayan na malaman kung tama ba ang pagbilang ng kanilang mga boto,” Castro emphasized.
“Sa mga gurong nagsisilbi ngayong halalan, naririnig namin ang inyong mga hinaing. Your dedication to ensuring our democratic process continues despite these challenges is commendable, but you deserve more than just recognition – you deserve proper compensation and support,” Castro concluded. #
