Render or not to render: assessing the utilization of public school teachers from the City of Muntinlupa of the option not to render services during election seasons.

Abstract

The roles and responsibilities of public school teachers in the Philippines go beyond teaching students to learn and filling out necessary forms to submit. They are at the forefront of the hundreds of thousands tasked to ensure the success of a free and fair elections. Public school teachers serve as election staff in polling precincts and have significant contributions on election day itself. In between the honorarium they receive, the service credit they could use, and the risks they could possibly face, these teachers cannot opt out of rendering services unless they provide valid reasons such as medical conditions. That was the situation of public school teachers who rendered services during election seasons until 2016, when then President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino, III signed the Election Service Reform Act into law which gave public school teachers the option not to render services. The law was welcomed by the concerned parties – from the public school teachers who have been rendering election services to the voting public, and has been observed for quite some time. This study primarily aimed to analyze the factors that public school teachers would take into consideration in deciding about rendering their services in the next election seasons considering the passage of the Election Service Reform Act of 2016 which no longer obliges them to serve during election season. This study also took into account the election day experiences of public school teachers who have performed election duties and of registered voters, all from the City of Muntinlupa, and their views and opinions on election service and the R.A. 10756. There is a variety of reasons behind a decision on serving during election seasons and in acting on such decisions, this study also discussed the implications and came up with recommendations on the system that ensures the success of having free and fair elections in the Philippines.