THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) will investigate Election Boards (EBs) who withdrew during the Oct. 30 polls.
A day after the election, the Comelec reported that more than 2,500 teachers in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, Abra, and in the Bicol Region backed out of their duty, as published on Inquirer.net
“But what about those very very few who on the day of the elections, when the precincts already opened, suddenly withdrew without any notice whatsoever,” Comelec Chairman George Garcia said in a message to reporters.
“Complicating this is their refusal to turn over the election paraphernalia to their replacements for no known reason. This must be investigated to prevent similar incidents to happen as things like this may endanger future electoral exercises,” the poll body chief added.
At the same time, Garcia noted that serving in polls is voluntary and not mandatory.
“Those who withdrew prior to the election, we respect their decisions as it is an absolute right. Election day duty is not mandatory to teachers,” he said.
On the other hand, a group of teachers explained that EBs who withdrew on election day have valid reasons not to report for duty.
“The Comelec must know, on a case-by-case basis, why some teachers suddenly withdrew. We are talking about the same areas that the Comelec has traditionally placed under its control during elections. If the teachers in these areas believe that security is inadequate, then it is a failure of the government,” it said in a statement.
