QUEZON CITY, May 7, 2022 – As part of the agency’s commitment to free, clean, informed, safe, and fair elections, the Department of Education (DepEd) formally fielded teaching and non-teaching personnel who will serve as poll workers in the upcoming May 9 elections.

DepEd will provide 647,812 teaching and non-teaching personnel to assist the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) for the 2022 National and Local Elections, according to the DepEd Election Task Force (ETF) Head and Director IV for Procurement Management Service Atty. Marcelo Bragado.

“On behalf of the Department of Education and Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones, we respectfully turnover the following resources and personnel to the Commission on Elections this coming May 9, 2022. We are turning over 37,219 public schools nationwide to be used as polling centers,” Atty. Bragado said, who represented Undersecretary for Administration and ETF Chair Alain Del B. Pascua.

“We are also turning over 106,439 classrooms to be used as clustered precincts and the same number of classrooms to be used as isolation polling places on Monday,” he added.

Among the DepEd personnel provided by the agency, 319,317 are members of the Electoral Boards, 200,627 are EB Support Staff, 38,989 are DepEd Supervisor Officials, 87,162 are DESO Support Staff, and 1,717 are members of the Board of Canvassers.

DepEd ETF Co-Chair and Undersecretary for Field Operations Atty. Revsee Escobedo noted that the Department has been proactively advancing just benefits for poll workers, who are mostly composed of public school teachers.

“Amidst the pandemic, as early as February 2021, Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones has submitted several proposals to the COMELEC that are all geared towards the improvement of the honoraria, benefits, and allowances as well as the protection, safety, and insurance of all DepEd poll workers,” Undersecretary Escobedo noted.

Usec. Escobedo highlighted that COMELEC granted DepEd’s requests for the upcoming elections, including the increase of honoraria of the poll workers, the grant of COVID-19 Hazard Pay amounting to Php 500, and provision of transportation allowance worth Php 2,000.

To ensure the safety of the elections, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), and Philippine National Police (PNP) also provided support to the COMELEC. The assistance includes 154,000 armed personnel from AFP, 225,000 from PNP, and 22,500 from PCG.

Furthermore, COMELEC Chairman Saidamen Pangarungan expressed their gratitude for the continued support of the other national agencies for the upcoming elections.

“Thank you to the officers and members of the Department of Education for your tireless diligence in the conduct of casting and canvassing of votes. We are grateful also to our uniformed personnel in the AFP, PNP, and PCG for your selfless service to keep the security and safety of the elections.”

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