Aklan teachers, cops ready for poll duties

BY BOY RYAN B. ZABAL

KALIBO, Aklan - Barely two days to go before the first nationwide automated elections, Aklan Schools Division Superintendent Dr. Victorina Laroza said the teachers are ready for their election duties on Monday polls.

A total of 1,476 board of election inspectors (BEI), mostly public elementary and secondarry school teachers, will perform their election duties in 492 clustered precincts in the province of Aklan.

Laroza said the teachers are trained to handle the poll automation machines deployed in the barangays. She also appealed to the public to pray and to remain vigilant for a peaceful, clean and credible election on May 10.

A task force operation center will also be put up at DepEd Aklan office in close coordination with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and partner agencies involved in the polls for adequate information, technical and legal assistance of teachers.

On May 10, all BEIs must be at the precinct at 6 a.m. to ensure the Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machine, election forms, book of voters and official ballots are ready before the official voting starts at 7 a.m until 6 p.m.

In the send-off ceremony at Camp Pastor Martelino last Wednesday, Senior Superintendent Epifanio Bragais, Jr. said the assigned policemen for each polling precinct will coordinate with barangay officials for the establishment of security assistance desks (SAD) outside the polling centers under the supervision of the chiefs of police and the Comelec officials.

"They (police officers) are tasked to put up the assistance desks near the polling centers and to accommodate force multipliers in the area, to maintain order and security. They have to stay there until all the PCOS and the election forms are retrieved from the polling centers. Ang usapan naman namin ng Armed Forces of the Philippines, nandoon sila sa area during the voting and after the May 10 elections," he said.

Bragais also reminded the policemen to be non-partisan and neutral in dealings with possible political conflicts in their area and to seriously implement the security measures to guard the sanctity of the ballot.

The police director said the Philippine National Police (PNP) has intensified the checkpoints as part of the nationwide gun ban of Comelec for the May polls.

"Ang direktiba sa atin ay ipagpatuloy ang conduct ng checkpoints sa loob ng election period mula January 10 hanggang June 9. Ang ating mga pulis ay puspusan based on deployment schedule, three shifts sa bawat municipal police stations. Kami ay nakikiusap na kung maaari para makaiwas sa abala ay huwag na silang magdala ng mga bawal na baril," Bragais added.