By Junex Doronio
FOLLOWING the withdrawal of some teachers as electoral board members for the upcoming barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE), the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Sunday disclosed that around 3,000 personnel of the Philippine National Police (PNP) nationwide are being trained as their substitute.
Comelec chairman George Garcia acknowledged that teachers are not required to serve as poll workers for the 2023 BSKE scheduled on October 30, considering that it is near Undas or All Saints’ Day on November 1.
“Therefore, talagang noon pa man, inaasahan natin na may mga teachers na hindi magsisilbi sa araw ng eleksyon. Hindi naman namin sila puwedeng i-obliga kung kaya’t naghanda rin kami ng mga PNP personnel na magsisilbi bilang kahalinlin o kapalit nu’ng mga electoral board members natin,” Garcia said in his interviewed on Super Radyo dzBB.
He noted that some teachers in Abra have withdrawn as poll workers because they are related to the candidates.
Earlier reports said some 2,000 Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) teachers have indicated not to render barangay poll duties this coming October 30 citing security reasons.
To address this predicament, Commission on Elections (Comelec) -BARMM Director Ray Sumalipao on Thursday, October 19, bared that 2,100 police officers have trained for polling precinct duties in the upcoming BSKE.
(ai/mnm)
