Comelec to push for P2,000 honoraria for teachers serving in BKSE

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Friday said it will appeal to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for the grant of the P2,000 honoraria for teachers who will serve in the 2025 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) on December 1.—MARIANNE BERMUDEZ/PDI

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Friday said it will appeal to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to grant the P2,000 honoraria for teachers who will serve in the 2025 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) on December 1.

According to Garcia, the additional honoraria for the teachers who became part of the electoral boards in the 2025 midterm elections will not be applied to the 2025 BSKE due to the cuts in the Comelec’s budget.

“Sana magawan ng paraan at atin pong ulit na idudulog yan sa ating pangulo na sana po yung P2,000 man lang na natanggal sa mga guro natin ay maibalik sa BSKE sapagkat parehas naman ang trabaho,” Garcia told reporters in an interview.

(I hope something can be done about this, and we will appeal this again to the President to return the P2,000 to the teachers who will serve in the BSKE because their jobs are still the same.)

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Garcia also said that the electoral board members will lose two support staff in every precinct as part of the budget cut.

The Comelec requested a total budget of P49.5 billion for 2025. However, the poll body was only allotted a P35.22 billion budget under the 2025 General Appropriations Act. Of this figure, around P11 billion will be allocated for the conduct of the 2025 BSKE.

Meanwhile, Garcia shared that as of 2 p.m. on Thursday, the poll body had distributed 98.4% of the honoraria for teachers who served in the 2025 midterm elections.

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“Ineexpect na matapos ngayong araw sa buong Pilipinas ang distribution natin ng honoraria para sa lahat ng guro na naglingkod noong araw ng eleksyon,” he added.

(We expect the distribution of honoraria across the country to be done today.)

He also said that the additional P1,000 approved by President Marcos may be distributed late, but he assured that it will not be given 15 days after the conduct of elections, as mandated by the law.

The P1,000 increase is on top of the P2,000 across-the-board increase for the compensation of teachers and other poll workers who served in the elections.