AVE party-list hits COMELEC on
possible shortage of teachers in May polls
Press Release
By
Alliance
of Volunteer Educators (AVE)
March 23, 2007
QUEZON CITY, Philippines –
The Alliance of Volunteer Educators (AVE) Party-List expressed its
disappointment over possible shortage of poll workers this coming elections
following reports that there are teachers who will not be able to man polls.
In a statement, AVE Party-list
Representative Eulogio "Amang" R. Magsaysay disclosed although the Commission on
Elections (COMELEC) filed a resolution allowing teachers to transfer their
registration in areas where they will serve as election officers, this does not
totally solve the problem.
"COMELEC has issued Resolution
7833 allowing our fellow teachers to transfer their registration in areas where
they will serve in elections yet we have been receiving reports that many of our
teachers are no longer registered to vote (registered voters)," Magsaysay said.
The problem lies with the fact
that there teachers who have been deactivated from the list of registered voters
because of not being able to vote in the last two previous elections.
Just recently, COMELEC issued
a statement that it would 'reactivate' the voters' registration of teachers to
enable them to transfer their respective registration and be able to man polls.
"We could have avoided this if
the authorities concerned looked into this matter beforehand," the party-list
solon said. "But since we are barely two months before elections, we just need
to move on and unite to safeguard the votes of our fellowmen."
At the same time AVE
Party-list has expressed its concern over reports that there are teachers who
are filing vacation leave just in time for the May elections.
"This is a clear manifestation
that our teachers can no longer bear the weight of election duties imposed on
them," Magsaysay stated. "If these reports are true, we cannot blame our
teachers since their primary role is to teach and not to be election officers,
in the first place."
Under the Omnibus Election
Code, it is still the legal mandate of public school teachers to render service
during elections. That is why AVE has long been lobbying against the
exploitation of teachers during elections by filing bills and resolutions on
making such service voluntary and not mandatory since there are other sectors
that could be equally honest and truthful when it comes to safeguarding the
ballots.
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