The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) today called on the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) to address the impending massive disenfranchisement of teachers this coming May 2010 election.

The Alliance of Concerned Teachers today called on the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) to provide teachers serving as election inspectors in the May 10 elections with training in the use of automated counting machines at the actual precinct sites where they will be deployed.

The ACT Teachers Partylist raised fresh concerns about the Commission on Election’s readiness to implement poll automation for the May 2010 elections after a failed field test in two schools in Taguig this morning.

The largest party of teachers in the Philippines, ACT Teachers Partylist is now accredited to run for the May 2010 elections, along with 144 other partylists, according to Resolution No. 8744 released by the Commission on Elections yesterday.

In the education sector, the year 2009 was marked by a growing number of school children dropping out of school, budget cuts, inadequate pay and pension fund woes for teachers, as well as violations of their basic rights.

The 1987 constitution mandated compulsory elementary education and free high school education, envisioning a society in which all Filipinos have attained at least a high school level of education. However, under Arroyo’s watch, children than ever before are out of school.

The Alliance of Concerned Teachers today condemned a spate of abductions of teachers and schoolchildren that have taken place in Mindanao .

Yesterday, armed men allegedly belonging to the Ondo Perez crime gang stormed the Maitum Elementary School in Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur and seized more than 70 people to use them as human shields. The men were being pursued by police. Among those held hostage were teachers and at least 17 school children. The school children were subsequently released, but 54 individuals are still being held in captivity.

The Alliance of Concerned Teachers today called on Malacanang to ensure that public school teachers will receive the maximum amount of Php 10,000 additional cash gift announced by the Department of Budget and Management yesterday.

According to DBM Secretary Rolando Andaya, 1.1 million national government employees will start receiving the bonus starting next week. A minimum of Php 7,000 will be provided by the national government while another Php 3,000 may be given to employees, with the funds to be sourced from agency savings.