Comelec seeks funds to pay for use of school utilities in Eleksyon 2025
By HANA BORDEY, GMA Integrated News Published March 14, 2024 2:35pm The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is seeking funds under the 2025 national budget for the payment of school utilities which will be used for the midterm polls. “Kami po ay magpo-propose na ng budget para sa 2025 elections at pinasama po ng inyong lingkod […]
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By HANA BORDEY, GMA Integrated News
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is seeking funds under the 2025 national budget for the payment of school utilities which will be used for the midterm polls.
“Kami po ay magpo-propose na ng budget para sa 2025 elections at pinasama po ng inyong lingkod talaga ‘yung isang proposal sa [Department of Budget and Management] upang meron tayong budget na pambayad doon sa paggamit ng utilities ng ating mga paaralan,” Comelec Chairman George Garcia said in a press conference on Thursday.
(We will propose a budget for the 2025 polls to the DBM to include the payment for the use of school utilities.)
“Nasa DBM na po ‘yan, later on sa Kongreso, kung papayagan nila na makapagbayad tayo ng paggamit ng kuryente o paggamit man lang sa mga tubig, ‘yung billing ng tubig ng elementary school o ‘yung eskwelahan na gagamitin natin,” he added.
(It’s up to the DBM and later on Congress if they will grant the fund that will allow us to pay for the use of electricity and water in the schools that we will use.)
Garcia said this is in line with the request of Vice President Sara Duterte who concurrently sits as secretary of the Department of Education (DepEd).
“Isa sa mga request sa atin ng Vice President natin, Ma’am Inday Sara Duterte, kasi nga gumagamit ng kuryente, gumagamit ng tubig, wala naman kaming binabayad sa DepEd (Department of Education) patungkol d’yan sa bagay na ‘yan. So isipin niyo libreng nakakagamit ang Comelec during the election and yet, ang nagbabayad ay ang DepEd,” he said.
(One of the requests of Vice President Sara Duterte is to look into the payment of the utilities like water and electricity that were used by Comelec during the elections. Come to think of it, we are not paying anything to DepEd.)
Should this budget proposal be granted, Garcia said the only problem is how to determine the amount that Comelec will pay to the DepEd.
Despite this, Garcia said Comelec is “committed on the request of Vice President Inday Sara Duterte.”
Apart from this, Garcia reiterated the need for an additional budget for the honoraria of teachers who will serve as members of the electoral board in the 2025 midterm elections.
For Garcia, the teachers should be given an additional P2,000 on top of the regular honoraria amounting to P6,000 and P5,000 granted to them.
“May plebisito man o wala… hindi po kami papayag na walang dagdag ang mga guro sa kanilang mga sahod. Pinadagdagan na po natin ito nitong [2023] Barangay at [Sangguniang Kabataan], subalit gusto natin para sa national and local [elections] may dagdag pa na separate para sa kanila… lalo pa’t may early voting,” he said, referring to the early voting for vulnerable voters from 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m.
(Whether there will be a plebiscite or not, we cannot allow our teachers to have additional honoraria. We already increased it in 2023 but we want another increase for the upcoming national and local elections, especially since there will be early voting.)
“Marapat lang na madagdagan natin sila again kahit P2,000 man lang bawat isa sa kanila,” he added.
(It’s only right that they get an additional P2,000.00.) —VAL, GMA Integrated News
