TEACHERS and school-polling precincts are now ready for the May 13 midterm elections, the Department of Education (DepEd) said on Wednesday.
In an interview following a House of Representatives oversight meeting on DepEd expenditures, Education Undersecretary Nepomuceno Malaluan said 230,000 teachers will be deployed as members of the Electoral Boards and technical support personnel during the elections.
“We are all systems go [for Monday’s polls],” he said.
According to Malaluan, 36,000 schools will be used as polling centers for
the elections.
Earlier, DepEd said P50 million will be allotted for the maintenance and security of schools before and after elections.
Task force
THE DepEd said Education Secretary Leonor M. Briones issued on May 2 Memorandum 52 establishing the 2019 DepEd Election Task Force and its operation and monitoring center in the central, regional and
school/city division offices.
The memorandum said the task force will be established at the Bulwagan ng Karunungan, DepEd Central Office in Pasig City, starting at 1 p.m. on May 12 and will end operations at 5 p.m. on May 14.
It added that all regional and schools division officers of the agency are also authorized to create their respective task-force centers on the said dates.
The DepEd is one of the national agencies deputized by the Commission on Elections to ensure free, orderly, honest, peaceful and credible elections.
The Briones memorandum said the task force will ensure that teachers are provided with adequate information, technical and legal assistance in the performance of their duties on Monday.
Meanwhile, Briones reminded all DepEd officials and personnel not to intervene directly or indirectly in any election campaign or engage in any partisan political activity.
The DepEd also guaranteed payment of the honoraria, travel allowances and overtime payments of teachers who will serve this Monday.