The Negros Island Region Commission on Elections regional director is appealing to the mayors of Himamaylan and Kabankalan cities to pay for the unpaid honoraria of 841 support staff in the 2023 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan polls.
Regional Director Lionel Marco Castillano said he has met with the mayors of the two cities to appeal for their help.
The honoraria due the support staff was P5,000 each.
There were 616 support staff in Kabankalan and 225 in Himamaylan who were not paid.
Comelec admitted to an “honest mistake” in hiring the services of the support staff, which was allowed during previous national elections, but not during the barangay and SK elections.
This led to the Comelec’s failure to pay the honoraria promised the support staff composed of Department of Education teachers and employees.
Castillano said the marching orders of Comelec Chairman George Garcia if for him is to find ways to pay the support staff because they deserve to be paid for their work.
Castillano said the NIR Comelec legal officer has provided the legal basis that will enable the LGUs to pay the honoraria without being disallowed by the Commission on Audit.
Hopefully the city councils will see the way, he said, and the support staff can be paid at the earliest possible time so they will be encouraged to serve in the next polls.
Teachers are the front liners in elections which success depends on them, Castillano pointed out.*