‘Restore P3.2-B budget for teachers’
Credit to Author: WILLIAM DEPASUPIL, TMT| Date: Fri, 01 Feb 2019 17:34:48 +0000
THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) has asked the Senate-House bilateral budget committee to reinstate the P3.2-billion budget for teachers who will serve in the midterm elections in May.
Comelec spokesman James Jimenez and Director Zita Castillon Buena issued the call to the lawmakers on Friday after the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has slashed it to P1.9 billion or by 40.625 percent.
“I don’t understand why Budget department slashed it to P1.9 billion from P3.2 billion, considering that it was supported by documents to support the amount we are asking. It was based on headcount, on the number of teachers that will serve in the elections,” Jimenez explained.
On a possible, “no election” scenario, Jimenez said that it was out of the question, but stressed that he could not really tell.
“I don’t think you’ll hear Comelec say no-el. But we fear that there is going to be a significant impact on our preparations whether or not that (budget cut) will lead to no-el,” he said.
Jimenez said there were solutions floated, but the superior solution was really to have a budget.
The Comelec has been allotted a P25 billion budget for the midterm polls, the bulk of which went to automation.
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