Most of Teachers Are Deactivated From Voters’ List

                  Melchor Cayabyab, Advocacy Officer  0922-7592838

While the candidates, their parties and supporters contemplate much on winning the coming elections, public school teachers express their concern over the possible shortage of election workers to man the polls in May which could severely interrupt its conduct. This, despite the Comelec en banc Resolution No. 7833 allowing the teachers to transfer their registration to be qualified as voter to their place of work or assignment.

“Most of us have been deactivated from the list of voters for failure to vote in recent elections.Thus, we have no registration to transfer.” Said Benjo Basas, a teacher of Baesa High School in Caloocan City and the Chairperson of Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC).

 Election laws considered the failure to vote in the two successive preceding regular elections as a ground for deactivation of a voter.

“Since teachers are deputized as members and chairmen of the Board of Election Inspectors (BEI) every election, practically, we could not cast our votes to our respective precincts.” Basas added.

The election body promulgated Resolution No. 7833 on March 5, 2007 in response to the possible shortage of public school teachers because most of them, especially in Metro Manila work in the city or municipality other than their places of registration. TDC consistently reminded the Comelec of this possible problem and even wrote a formal query on February 22.

“This issue was raised as early as 2004. Teachers who are not registered voter of a city or municipality where they work are definitely not qualified to sit in the Board of Election Inspectors (BEI). The usual practice, however, is to assign us to the polling place where we work regardless of our eligibility qualification, which makes us very vulnerable to election offense.” He explained.

Comelec Resolution 7833 allows the transfer of registration of teachers beginning March 6 to March 30, which according to the group is insufficient time to facilitate the individual transfer of teachers’ registration.

“Unfortunately, the Comelec did not anticipate this seemingly worse problem. The issue now is not just the race against time, but how to deal with this in a manner not against the law.” Basas concluded.