THE ALLIANCE of Concerned Teachers reiterated its call for higher incentives for teachers who will serve as poll workers next year.

ACT sought P10,000 pay for teachers who will serve as chairperson of the electoral board, P9,000 for electoral board members and P8,000 for DepEd supervisor officials.

“The longer voting hours as announced by Comelec yesterday further justifies the need to substantially raise the pay of frontliners in the coming elections. We’re happy to hear that they will increase all poll workers’ pay by P3,000, but we hope that the government will heed our specific demands. As we all know, the 2022 election are expected to be rife with many challenges. Our teachers who will be serving in this important day should be well-compensated and should have sufficient support,” Raymond Basilio, the group’s secretary general, said.

The group also requested for a higher transportation allowance.

Basilio asked the Commission on Elections to provide a P1,000 allowance for those poll workers living in the urban areas and P5,000 for those in rural areas.

The group also requested for an additional P500 hazard pay.

It urged the Comelec to allot a budget for overtime pay for services rendered in excess of 24 hours on election day.

“We urge Comelec to respond to these demands ASAP, as the commission may be faced with more and more concerns as election nears. It is best that these matters of fair compensation be settled immediately, of course with the help of our legislators who are tackling Comelec’s 2022 budget. Ensuring sufficient pay and protection for poll workers shall be part of the priorities of our duly elected lawmakers,” Basilio said.