DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 20 October) — Hostile situations in the past that brought them stress and trauma are among the reasons several teachers in the Bangsamoro region are hesitant to serve in the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataang Elections this month, an education official said.
Several cases of unsolved killings of their colleagues have alarmed the teachers, Meriam Kawit, Maguindanao del Sur Schools Division Superintendent said in an interview during the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement signing between the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education (MBHTE-BARMM).
The signing took place at Dusit Hotel in Davao City on Thursday.
“If we only have a stronger voice not to serve in the elections to protect our teachers because several died in the past, and the problem is there is no justice, cases are unsolved,” Kawit said.
She stressed the most troublesome part is after the election because in many cases the teachers would be blamed by the losing candidates.
During voting, she said, they would face threats from armed followers of candidates who sometimes interfere in the polling process and create chaos.
She said the manual mode of voting exposes the teachers to more risks due to the possibility of ballot snatching and intimidation.
She added they are verifying reports some groups are pressuring teachers to inhibit from serving in the elections for no reason at all.
Five hundred personnel from Police Regional Office-BARMM have been trained as board of election inspectors (BEI) in case teachers in Maguindanao del Sur will refuse to serve.
Nine of the 24 towns of the province are categorized as areas of immediate concern by the Comelec.
Concepcion Balawag, Cotabato City Schools Division Superintendent said, she shares Kawit’s sentiment.
Like in Maguindanao del Sur, another 500 police personnel are ready to serve as BEIs in the city.
“There is a high level of stress, fear, and anxiety especially when they are blamed by some losing parties. These are the reasons why more than two hundred have not shown up during the training lately,” she said.
Balawag noted that the average age of the teachers in the city are 45 to 65 years old, making them barely capable of handling stress and pressure.
Over 2,000 teachers who are supposed to serve in the Oct. 30 polls have declined and are expected to be replaced by police personnel.
For Kawit, she was hopeful the contents of the MBHTE-Comelec MOA will address the protection and welfare of the teachers who will be serving in the elections.
During the signing, Chief Minister Ahod “Al Haj Murad” Ebrahim was hopeful that these institutions will work together to provide adequate assistance and protection to all teachers and others who will serve in the elections.
“The signing is a testament to the strong collaboration and mutual efforts of the Commission on Elections and the Bangsamoro Government to ensure transparent, efficient, and credible election processes in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region,” Ebrahim said in his message.
“This MoA provides a framework that ensures that the rights and welfare of our teachers are upheld. With this partnership, we protect the teachers as they protect our votes. And as they protect our votes, we surely protect the future of children by ensuring that only those elected by the people will run the elective posts,” MBHTE-BARMM Minister Mohager Iqbal said.
Comelec Chair George Erwin M. Garcia announced during the signing that they had increased the honorarium from P6,000 to P10,000 for BEI chairs and from P5,000 to P9,000 for the members. (Ferdinand Cabrera/MindaNews)