A mobile election monitoring app will protect teachers with poll duties today and ease their workload, a Department of Education official said over the weekend.
“We want to know the real issues on the ground, so we could provide immediate action. For example, the travel allowance and honoraria is not yet given, we’ll check on it with the Comelec, or if there’s harassment, an accident, we’ll immediately inform our law enforcers,” said DepEd Undersecretary Alain del Pascua.
Pascua added that the app will relieve teachers of the burden of submitting written reports.
“Whether they have the app or not, they will have to report the situation on the ground. The app will just make reporting for them easier since they’ll just be clicking [on menu items] and we’ll be able to get the reports and statistics right away,” Pascua said.
Pascua said teachers can take and upload photos through the app to report cases of facilities’ damage, fire, harassment and other incidents.
“The photos have date and time stamps for verification purposes… Teachers are already informed about what they should do if harassment happens but we also placed reminders in the app,” he said.
On Sunday, a Department of the Interior and Local Government official said 2,838 personnel from the Philippine National Police are ready to serve as Board of Election Inspectors deputized by the Commission on Election on Monday’s polls.
“Elections must proceed in every precinct in the country and the PNP is ready to be called to duty by the Comelec if there are no available teachers to serve in some precincts,” DILG Secretary Eduardo M. Año said in a statement.
Of the 2,838 police officers who were trained and deputized by Comelec to act as BEIs for the upcoming elections, 1,032 are in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao due to possible election-related violence in the region.
“These deputized police officers are ready to assist if they will be needed. Hopefully, we’ll have a peaceful election so that they can just focus on the peace and order aspect of their job,” Año said.
Meanwhile, a total of 149,830 police personnel have been deployed for election duty nationwide. Of this figure, 75,486 will be stationed in various voting centers; 31,613 are reserved forces; and 11,413 are part of the quick response team.
Other cops are assigned in the Election Monitoring Action Center/TOC, with 6,083 personnel; Warehouse and Hub, 1,923; Canvassing Centers, 4,566; Election Boards, 2,838; Checkpoints, 7,817; Border Control Chokepoint, 3,415; and Civil Disturbance Management, 1,901.
A total of 2,775 personnel who are on training were also recalled by the PNP for election duties.
“I have placed the entire PNP on full alert this coming election. The DILG also has an operations center in place. We are ready to ensure peaceful and orderly elections,” Año said.
