THUR5DAYMAY2,2019 i;43

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plea ro disguafiry
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Afftea*ersforpoll duty
By Maricel V. Cruz and Rio N. Araja and freedom of the teachers to express
and unionize. ,

HE Commission on Elections said on _ They also insisted that ACT and ACT
Teachers parly-list are separate entities.
W9{nesday that it_.has no basis to disqualify "We thank the Comeiec for sticking
I public school teachers who are rnembers of to the law and siding with teacherE
on this matter. With this decision,
ACT Pa|tv-list
arty-list in serving
serrri'r., oo Electoral Board$.,, there should no longer b. a barrier
.. * to teachers, or any citizen for that
matter, who volunteered to serve in the
. The Cornelec issued the statement as
it denied the petition of Tao Muna oartv_
ground for disqualification of members
upcoming polls," Castrs said.
ot the.Llectoral Boards,', the Comelec en
list, which asked the poll bodi, to nLt banc said.
"This decision should aiso be
apporntACT members.
"The Commission has no basis to
a to the same group or any
-signal
_ According to former labor sector disqualify public school teachers who
_. other,group who have p'ians'to attaci
Kepresentative Mohammad Omar are_members the rights of our teaihers" oo in"
ofACT party_list in servine hare.brained. speculation thar tney aie
luj*99, who
appornung
represents Tao Muna, not as .blectoral Boards,': it added.
partisan and cannot be trusted wit-h our
ACT mernbers to the:BEI -. ACT Teachers party-list Rep.
w]ll "qsure a faii and orderly;nt*;i Antonio. ball6*',!? she'added,,' r,..? j : i )..,, i, lli ;.r1 ;.
I
IlnroJ meanwhile, said the Comelec was
ofthe" elections."
only implementing the law when it gave __Meanwhile, The Commission on
lut the Comeiec denied the petition, the ruling. lluman Rights raised th. ulu* ou.iro*i
*new"
saying that public schoot teucfri,rs wtio problems brought about the power
'1ile should stress that it [is] illegal of
are members of ACT party_list .,may ^
for
social media to afilect voters'decision,
-for any individual or public'ofii.lui% .,reriors';
:gve as Electoral Boards the ii pfvgnt a teacher from serving in the and vote-buying and othe, bui
May 2019 National and Local El;;io;; "old" problems.
on the grounC of merilU-rsfirp
pursuant to RA 107j6,', or the Election Sleclions
ln . Llw.fer-spgkesperson Jacqueline Ann
any organization or party-list, or de-Guia
Service Refonn Aet, said "social media'trolls who
re-qure the discseiation oi withdriwai
A copy of the ruline was rceeived hv of membership bull$ and spread haned snA fakc news
in eny of the u;io# ;;
iCT Teachers Paryllist nep. eranei orgailzatlons under or ascociated with could influcnee cited
or confuse the voters,i'
Castro. that even befsre the staft
The poll body said it moved to deny said.
theAllianee sf eoneemed Teachera,'. he
of-She
the March 29 campaisn o.rioa.
-
raJardo's request ,,for lack of basis iir "politically motivated violen-ce iGrAV
lay_a_nd in fact," according to the letter. _ Tinio and Castro had described claimed many lives.,'
Fajardo's petition as,,discriminatorv.i
'Membership in any pafoy-tist is noi a as it violates '?lus the horror of narco-politics," she
the constitutional riefris said.

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