TEACHERS who served as election officers in the village and youth polls deserve a tax-free honorarium, according to teachers’ groups.
“Do not tax the teachers for this [honararia]. Our plea is to even increase their honorarium to a sufficient minimum. In our estimation, it should be doubled,” Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT)-Philippines chairperson Vladimer Quetua said in Filipino on Wednesday, noting that election duty honoraria are subject to a 20% withholding tax.
“While we acknowledge the increase in honoraria to P10,000 for the EB (Electoral Board) chairman and P9,000 for the members, the 20% tax will reduce the actual amounts to P8,000 and P7,200, respectively,” the Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC) said in a separate statement.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. had vetoed a move to make teachers’ election duty honoraria tax exempt in July last year, but the TDC said it will continue to lobby for it in Congress as the Commission on Election (Comelec) does not have authority over tax exemptions.
Last Tuesday, Comelec Chairman George Erwin M. Garcia told a media briefing that his office was working to expedite the release of teachers’ honorarium “by Friday (Nov. 3).”
Meanwhile, TDC national chairman Benjo Basas told BusinessWorld that the Comelec should acknowledge the valid reasons behind some of the teachers’ abrupt withdrawal from serving last Monday’s elections and refrain from resorting to threats.
Mr. Basas recalled that Mr. Garcia vowed on Tuesday to “deal with teachers and cops who suddenly withdrew” from poll duty on the day of the elections, citing about 2,500 of them.
“I hope this is not a threat. Because it’s not good to threaten the same people you ask for help every election,” said Mr. Basas in a text message.
“If it can be established that they only intend to sabotage or delay the election, they may be held accountable,” he said. “But if they withdraw because they feel an imminent threat to their safety and health, the Comelec should recognize it.” — Jomel R. Paguian
