MANILA, Philippines --- A bill filed in Congress seeks to mandate government-provided compulsory insurance coverage for teachers assigned to poll duties.
The House committee on suffrage has called for the swift approval of House Bill 3710 which seeks to insure members of the board of election inspectors (BEI) with, among others, a minimum P200,000 death benefit.
Authored by A Teacher Rep. Julieta R. Cortuna, HB 3710 also covers the hospitalization of BEI members who suffer from illnesses or injuries while on election duty.
Cortuna said the hospitalization coverage will be P1,500 per day provided that the total amount will not exceed P150,000.
Members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police who are assigned to act as BEI members will also be covered by the insurance coverage under the Government Service Insurance System.
The House committees on ways and means and on appropriations are expected to approve the bill and likewise endorse it for plenary approval.
“The members of the Board of Election Inspectors play a very big and significant role in insuring the public of a clean and honest election. History has shown us that there was numerous election-related violence committed against the life of these humble public servants,” said Cortuna.
She recalled the case of 42-year-old public school teacher Nellie Banaag who was “burned to death” by still unidentified suspects during the May 2007 elections.
Cortuna said Banaag was on her way to the town hall of Taysan, Batangas to deliver the ballot box assigned her when waylaid by the heavily armed suspects.
In the same year, four public school teachers were kidnapped in Maguindanao to stop them from reporting for election duty.
In Abra, two public school teachers were seriously wounded when attacked by unidentified suspects while on their way to submit the ballot boxes.
“In 1995 elections, Filomena Tatlonghari, a teacher in Batangas was shot and killed by men who snatched the ballot boxes she was protecting,” said Cortuna, who represents the education sector in the Lower House.
She lamented that many of the violent incidents on BEI members have remained unsolved.
“Most of these incidents remain unsolved and the families of these innocent BEIs are left in the dark without anything but memories of their loved ones – heroes in their own way,” Cortuna said.
She added: “These teachers should not just be part of statistics. We must promulgate laws that would protect their future.”source: mb.com.ph
