DepEd assures teachers on BSKE duty of medical, insurance assistance from gov't

The Department of Education (DepEd) on Monday assured teachers who rendered duty as Board of Election Inspectors (BEIs) for the October 30 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (BSKE) polls will be provided medical and insurance assistance as needed.

"We would like to remind our teachers, aside from the benefits provided by Comelec, that DepEd has provided them personal accident insurance coverage," DepEd spokesperson Michael Poa told reporters in the Commission on Elections (Comelec) head office in Manila.

He mentioned an incident in Davao where a teacher fractured a bone following an accident while on their way to the precinct for their election duty.

"They can get in touch with GSIS (Government Service Insurance System) so they can avail of such claims in the event such similar incidents," Poa said.

Poa also said that DepEd already touched base with Comelec to ensure that the BEIs will get their poll duty honoraria ranging from P9,000 to P10,000 on time.

"The funding was downloaded to the DepEd and the poll body is just waiting for pertinent reports from the teachers for the release of the honoraria," he said.

Under existing rules, the poll duty honoraria should be released to the teachers within 15 days, but according to Poa, they are "working for an even earlier release."

Meanwhile, Poa said the DepEd is still verifying reports of teachers in Abra who decided to back out of their voluntary poll duty.

"I don't have the complete details right now, but we're told that they were substituted. We are still trying to get information," he said.

Comelec chairman George Garcia earlier said 29 teachers in Abra have withdrawn as electoral board members ahead of the October 30 elections, but clarified that it was not because of threats to their lives.

According to Garcia, the teachers backed out because they have relatives who are running for the elections. —KBK/BM, GMA Integrated News

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