BARMM teachers cry foul on substitution as poll workers

MANILA – More than 200 public school teachers protested Thursday their removal as electoral board members for Cotabato City.

Mayor Cynthia Guiani-Sayadi, who is seeking reelection, said the teachers were summoned to a supposed orientation by the Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education–Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (MBHTE-BARMM) but were taken aback by what transpired.

“The teachers were surprised upon learning that they were removed and others were designated to handle the Vote Counting Machines (VCMs),” Sayadi said in an interview over state-run Radyo Pilipinas.

Sayadi said the teachers have complained that their replacements, who are Islamic teachers from Madaris schools, have not undergone training to operate the VCMs.

“The Islamic teachers assigned by MBHTE were untrained and had no certification from the region’s Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST),” the mayor said. “That is illegal."

Sayadi added: “There will be chaos here. Even if they are BARMM ministers and members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, we, at the city should protect the Cotabateños right to suffrage."

According to Sayadi, city election officer Yusop Kari, a non-lawyer, has ignored the complaints of teachers who are members of the electoral board for Cotabato City.

Speaking in the same interview, Commission on Elections–BARMM Director Rey Sumalipao said the problem stemmed from an earlier memorandum of agreement (MOA) signed between MBHTE and retired Comelec chairperson Sheriff Abas that gave the regional education office the authority “to recommend” teachers to serve the polls.

“I have only known about the MOA when I was assigned again to BARMM recently from my previous assignment in Region 9,” Sumalipao said.

“I am also wondering why the MOA only came out when the election is barely a few days away,” he added.

Sumalipao also expressed support for Sayadi's position that teachers earlier trained to handle VCM machines have the right to serve as election workers.

Nevertheless, Somalipao vowed to settle the issue before Monday’s elections.

“Untrained teachers by MOST-BARMM cannot serve as election board members during the polls,” he said.

MBHTE-BARMM officials have yet to comment on the issue.