Teachers protest “hasty changes” in poll duties
NDBC BANTAY HALALAN 2023 • 11:30 AM Fri May 6, 2022
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By:
DXMS RADYO BIDA
Teachers stripped of poll duties despite having DOST certification troop to Comelec for answers but got none. (DXMS photo)
COTABATO CITY – An estimated 200 teachers earlier assigned as electoral board in the city have protested the alleged replacement of their names to serve the May 9 polls by teachers who have no certification from Department of Science and Technology (DOST).
“We were surprised to learn about this hasty changes during the orientation, our replacements were mentors of Madaris (Islamic schools) who have not been trained on poll duties, specifically on the handling of vote-counting machines,” one of the teachers told reporters.
“There’s no proper explanation why we were replaced by Madaris teachers who were not certified by the (MOST/DOST) Ministry/Department of Science and Technology on handling VCM,” she said. “MBHTE gave no explanation, Comelec office was close.”
The replacements, they were told, were ordered by the Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (MBHTE-BARMM).
Their replacements came after a new election officer, Eusoph Kari, former municipal election officer in Maguindanao, was designated as acting city election officer, replacing Atty. Norpaisa Paglala who was moved to Marawi.
Sarapia Talapas, Al Hadja was designed by BARMM as acting Cotabato City schools division superintendent, replacing Dr. Concepcion Balawag who was designated as director for Administration and Finance Services of MBHTE BARMM.
Reached for comment MBHTE Minister Mohaqher Iqbal said the reshuffling of education officials was normal and allowed by law to help improve teachers’ services during elections.
Atty. Ray Sumalipao, Commission on Elections – BARMM director, stressed that the replacement of teachers was not the works of Comelec.
In a radio interview, Sumalipao said “it stemmed from an earlier memorandum of agreement (MOA) signed between MBHTE and retired Comelec chairperson Sheriff Abas giving MBHTE the power to recommend teachers to serve the polls.”
“I only learned about the MOA when I was reassigned to BARMM from Region 9,” he said, adding that only teachers with MOST/DOST certification have the right to serve or operate the VCM.
Sumalipao vowed to “settle the matter” by Friday or Saturday.
Efforts to reach Minister Iqbal for comments on the replacement of teachers proved futile as of posting.