With the ongoing deliberations on the proposed 2025 national budget, The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Philippines issued in a press conference today its demands for higher election service honoraria and allowances and enhanced protection for poll workers, the majority of whom are public school teachers, who will be serving in the 2025 mid-term elections. ACT also reactivated its election hotline for election-related issues and concerns.
“Long before the candidacy filing and as we do with every election, we have persistently called on the COMELEC, DBM, and both chambers of Congress to ensure fair compensation, additional benefits, and comprehensive medical and legal support for all poll workers. With the increasingly volatile political climate, our poll workers, the majority of whom are public school teachers, who have always been on the frontlines of this democratic process, deserve the commensurate compensation and maximum protection as they perform critical election duties,” stated former Act Teachers Party-list Representative Antonio Tinio.
“We now urge our legislators to include in its priorities allocating a substantial budget for the upcoming elections to ensure that our demands for poll workers and proper conduct of elections materialize. We have filed before our representatives and senators a budget proposal of P15.18B to cover demands for P15,000 net election service honoraria, much-needed communication, transportation and food allowances, and overtime pay for approximately 600,000 poll workers,” ACT Chairperson Vladimer Quetua demanded.
ACT also relaunched its ACT Teachers’ Election Hotline to monitor the ‘true on-the-ground state’ of the mid-term elections and election service conditions. Among the issues that may be reported to the hotline, which will soon be collaborating with COMELEC’s Voter Care Hotlines, are compensation concerns, violations of the provisions in the Election Service Reform Act (ESRA), and rights and safety concerns in their performance of duties before and during the elections on May 12, 2025.
The ACT Teachers’ Election Hotline can be accessed via (1) mobile numbers 09569130778 for Globe and 09684801168 for Smart; (2) email at actphilippines@gmail.com; and (3) Facebook at fb.com/actph1982.
ACT also pressed the Marcos Jr. administration to act on the proposed legislation for tax exemption of election service pay, which had been approved by both legislative chambers in 2022 but was subsequently vetoed by the president.
“To rectify his anti-teacher measure when he assumed office, the president should certify as urgent the bill for tax-free election service honoraria and allowances as teachers and all poll workers deserve to get their compensation in full for performing the noble, essential, and often dangerous election duties,” ended Quetua.#
