The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT)-NCR Union urged authorities to expedite the release of honoraria for electoral board members who served during the recent midterm elections.
ACT-NCR union president Ruby Bernardo voiced concern that many teachers worked over 24 consecutive hours, often covering their own expenses for food and transportation, only to face delays in receiving their compensation.
“It has been a week since the elections, yet thousands of teachers who served as members of the Electoral Board have not received their long-overdue compensation,” Bernardo said in a statement.
“Hindi katanggap-tanggap na ang mga guro ay nagtitiis ng init, pagod, at panganib para sa halalan, ngunit pagdating sa bayad at benepisyo, laging huli,” she added.
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) announced last week that it had begun distributing honoraria to teachers who worked as poll workers during the May 12 midterm elections. The aim is to complete payments within ten days of Election Day.
Meanwhile, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) on Monday approved an additional ₱1,000 across-the-board honorarium for teachers and other electoral board workers. This brings the total compensation to ₱3,000, following the earlier release of ₱2,000 under the 2025 General Appropriations Act. The new release amounts to ₱758.459 million.
The ACT-NCR Union also renewed its call for tax exemptions on all election-related pay and overtime compensation for teachers who worked beyond regular hours.
“While we acknowledge Comelec’s P1,000 increase in honoraria, it is practically wiped out by the 15% tax deduction. Ang dagdag na P1,000 ay halos nawawalan ng silbi dahil sa 15% na buwis na kinakaltas. Nararapat lamang na maging tax-exempt ang honoraria ng mga guro, at dapat silang bigyan ng overtime pay kung sila ay nagtrabaho nang higit sa 24 na oras,” Bernardo said.
An estimated 758,549 individuals served as poll workers in the recently concluded midterm elections, with the majority being public school teachers.