AUG 12, 2016

NR # 4290

Solons seek upgraded salaries for Comelec employees to correct

disparity in their salary grades
House members are seeking to upgrade the salaries of employees of the
Commission on Elections (Comelec) to correct the disparity in their salary schedule
ranging from three to five salary grades.
According to ACT Teachers Reps. Antonio Tinio and Francisca Castro, for decades,
the principle of equal pay for equal work has not been felt by the constitutional body
Comelec that has about 6,000 employees nationwide, the majority of whom, or about
5,000, are from the rank-and-file receiving a mid- to level-income income.
These employees are dismayed by the glaring disparity in their current salaries
compared to those of their fellow government workers with similar qualifications in other
agencies and other constitutional bodies, said Tinio.
Because of this, Tinio said in 2012, the Comelec Employees Union (Comelec-EU)
was organized to lobby for substantial and just salary increases among Comelec workers,
among other purposes.
In their research and consultations, the Comelec-EU found out that the disparity in
their salary schedule dates back in the 1990s and as opposed to those in other agencies,
ranges from three to five salary grades (SG).
Tinio said Comelec lawyers, accountants, statisticians and other professionals
receive less than their counterparts, and it is only in Comelec where they are classified as
rank-and-file.
For instance, Comelec lawyers (Attorney II, Election Officers for cities,and
Provincial Election Supervisors are in SG 18, SG 21, or SG 24 receiving P33,452,
P43,439, or P56,610 monthly, respectively. On the other hand, the Public Attorneys
Office (PAO) gives SG 25 to SG 29 (P53,370 to P73,099) to its Public Attorneys (PA I to
PA V), while clerks of court in the Regional Trial Courts are at SG 24 to SG 26 (P56, 610
to P67, 690), said Tinio.
Tinio further said the duties and jurisdiction of Provincial Election Supervisors, who
manage areas with 500,000 to 1 billion voters make them roughly equivalent to Division
Superintendents in the Department of Education (DepEd). The former are at SG 24 (P
56,619) while the latter are at SG 26 (P67,690).
Moreover, he said Election Officers manage areas with 20,000 to 400,000 voters,
making them similarly situated with DepEds District Supervisors. The former are at SG

12 to SG 21 (P43,439).
Castro said every step of the election process, from voters registration to the
canvassing of votes, is carried out because Comelec employees toil all year round.
They work even harder during the month-long election session, and are
additionally saddled by flawed automation. It is unjust that poll workers the very
backbone of the democratic exercise are rewarded by the government with salaries
disproportionate to their vital roles, said Castro.
Castro said answering their call for decent salaries would also help insulate
Comelec employees from graft and corruption during elections, and compensate them for
the risks they are forced to take due to election violence.
House Bill 1514 or the proposed Comelec Employees Salary Upgrading Act of
2016 provides that in accordance with the Constitutions equal protection clause, it is the
governments responsibility to provide fair and adequate remuneration to employees with
the ultimate goal of achieving equal pay for equal work in the government service.
The bill adjusts the minimum salary grade level of Comelec employees with the
following positions: Provincial Election Supervisor I (SG 23), Provincial Election
Supervisor II (SG 24), Provincial Election Supervisor III (SG 25) are upgraded to Salary
Grade 26 while the current SG 26 for Provincial Election Supervisor IV stays; Regional
Election Attorney from SG 21 to SG 25; Election Precincts Analyst I from SG 10 to SG
13; Election Precincts Analyst II from SG 14 to SG 17; Election Officer IV (outside NCR)
from SG 21 to SG 24; Election Officer IV (within NCR) from SG 21 to SG 25; Election
Officer II from SG 15 to SG 18; Election Officer III from SG 18 to SG 21; Election
Officer I from SG 12 to SG 15; and Election Field Officer from SG 21 to SG 24.
Other upgraded SG positions are: Election Assistant I from SG 9 to SG 12; Election
Assistant I from SG 7 to SG 10; Contested Ballot Custodian II from SG 10 to SG 13; and
Contested Ballot Custodian I from SG 8 to SG 11.
All remaining rank and file plantilla positions at the main and field offices,
including casual employees, shall be reclassified and upgraded accordingly.
The Comelec and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), and other
government agencies charged with the enforcement of the Act or any of its parts shall
promulgate the necessary implementing rules and regulations.
The government shall appropriate such amount as may be necessary to carry out the
objectives of the Act. The initial funding required to implement the Act shall be sourced
from Comelec savings and other possible sources that may be determined by Chairperson,
and subsequent funds needed shall be included in the General Appropriations Act (GAA)
for the year following the implementation of the Act. (30) rbb