The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said Saturday that the cuts to their P14.277 billion budget proposal for 2025 may put teachers’ honorariums, voter’s education, and supplies for the 2025 midterm polls at risk.
“Nung nagkaroon ng pagdinig ng noong nakaraang linggo, may mga nagsasabi na sana maibalik yung nawala sa Comelec at nagkaroon ng motion at sabi nila in the proper time ay imo-move nila na maibalik yung buong budget na nawala sa atin,” said Comelec Chairman George Garcia on Super Radyo dzBB.
“Sapagkat napakarami pong items tulad ng forms and supplies, baka po hanapan kami ng mga tao. Halimbawa may mga kailangang gamit, hindi po namin maipo-provide.”
(When there was a hearing last week, there were those who said that they hoped to return what was slashed from the Comelec, and there was a motion, and they said in the proper time they would move to return the entire budget because there are so many items, such as forms and supplies. People might look to us if items are needed, but we won’t be able to provide them.)
“Forms and supply, yung printing natin, maaring masakripisyo and honorarium ng mga teachers and support staff. More or less, yan po ang mawawalang components sa elections,” he added.
(Forms and supplies, our printing, may be sacrificed, as well as the honorariums for the teachers and support staff. More or less, these will be the missing components in the elections.)
The chairman, however, said they fully understood the cuts as other agencies, such as the Department of Education, might need more funding than they do.
In the 2025 national expenditure program, Comelec requested P35.470 billion, but the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) reduced this to P14.277.
Garcia said that teachers serving on election day during the 2025 midterm polls would receive an additional honorarium of P2,000.
Due to the budget cuts, those serving in the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan polls will not receive the honorarium. — DVM, GMA Integrated News
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