ILOILO City – Close to 36,000 teachers in Western Visayas will serve as electoral board members in the upcoming May 12 midterm elections, with education and poll officials assuring the public of their impartiality despite lingering doubts over political influence in public school appointments.
The Department of Education (DepEd) Region 6 has confirmed that 35,949 teaching personnel will be deployed as members of electoral boards.
In addition, 2,217 DepEd personnel will serve under the Election Task Force and as utility workers, while 2,875 non-teaching staff will be assigned to assist in logistical tasks such as school readiness and voter assistance.
A total of 2,801 public schools — utilizing 7,337 classrooms — will serve as voting centers across the region.
DepEd regional information officer Hernani Escullar Jr. assured that all assigned personnel will carry out their election duties with integrity.
“Our teaching personnel will be deployed with utmost honesty and dedication,” Escullar said.
He added that DepEd’s Election Task Force will be active from May 11 to 13 to receive and act on any complaints involving electoral boards.
“Our task force will respond immediately to issues raised in the field. We will coordinate with the Comelec and other agencies to provide support to our personnel,” Escullar added.
Meanwhile, Commission on Elections (Comelec)-Iloilo provincial election supervisor Atty. Reinier Layson also sought to allay public concerns about possible political bias among teachers appointed to electoral boards.
He emphasized that strict disqualification rules are in place to prevent conflicts of interest.
“One clear ground for disqualification is any relationship with a candidate up to the fourth degree of consanguinity or affinity,” Layson said. “Even if a teacher was appointed with the help of a politician, their loyalty during elections must remain with the rule of law.”
Layson encouraged the public to immediately report any suspected partiality.
“Anyone with credible information or complaints on election day must not hesitate to file a formal complaint with the Comelec,” he said.
Training for electoral board members has already been completed, according to Layson, with refresher courses underway ahead of the final testing and sealing of automated counting machines on May 7./PN
