VICE President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte suggested to the Commission on Elections to pay teachers in advance for the service they will render the during elections.

“We owe it to them to ensure the safe and credible conduct of vote canvassing. Baka naman sa amin lang from the Department of Education, mauna ‘yung bayad sa mga teachers namin bago ang election,” Duterte said at the 2023 National Election Summit at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza in Pasay City.

Duterte said that public school teachers who spend long and tedious hours in polling precincts have been requesting for advance and proper compensation.

“Of course, bumibiyahe sila, kumakain sila, and may gastusin din sila during the days na they are serving the country. Baka lang i-advance, or it can be a consideration, or plan for future elections na mauna ‘yung payments or ‘yung compensation para sa ating mga teachers,” she added.

The Vice President also called on the Comelec to ensure the safety of the teachers serving during elections.

“Minsan, ang mga guro ay tinatakot ng mga warlord politicians at ginagawang kasangkapan sa kanilang pandaraya,” Duterte said, adding that these incidents usually happen in remote areas controlled by politicians’ private armies.

“Alam natin na mahirap kalaban ang mga warlords na may private army. Pero kailangan nating ipakita na mas mahirap pong kalaban ang mga taong gobyerno katulad ng mga pulis at mga sundalo because they represent the government,” she said.

The Vice President also said that the electoral process can move to something better than shading or writing on the ballots, suggesting technological processes such as fingerprints, face, and eye scanning to ensure the validity of the people’s votes.

Duterte, meanwhile, lauded Comelec for conducting the National Election Summit as it serves as an avenue to discuss how to improve the electoral process in the country.