A TEACHERS’ group called on the government to ensure that there will be no power interruptions on Monday, election day.

“We are gravely concerned over the threat of power outages in the Philippines in the coming months,” Benjo Basas, national chairperson of Teachers’ Dignity Coalition, said in a statement.

“Staggered brownouts in the coming months would mean there will be staggered, or no internet connection in our schools- especially now that DepEd has required all its teaching personnel to stay in schools during their teaching hours- every day,” Basas said.

“It would also mean that households, where learners are expected to join online classes or accomplish their learning modules would have intermittent power service and internet services. Both students and teachers are affected, thereby influencing learning outcomes. How can we promote quality education when the infrastructure required for it is essentially faulty?” he added.

“This concern resonates as well to our teachers as the backbone of the upcoming elections, as the main poll workers that will man the polling precincts…we take this opportunity to call on concerned government agencies to ensure that our colleagues are supported through ample supply of electricity. It is imperative, and the duty of the government, to support our teachers who shall facilitate the conduct of elections nationwide,” Basas said.

The group also called on the private sector, such as the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines, and the sector that generates electricity to do their role in ensuring a stable supply through power reserves across the country.

“It is our hope that these stakeholders responsibly comply with all laws, regulations, and directives designed to prevent power outages and ensure a continuous electricity service,” Basas said.

“Lastly, we call on President Rodrigo Duterte, the Department of Energy, and the Energy Regulatory Commission to ensure that power outages in the country will not occur, most especially during the week of the elections onwards,” he added.