By Stephanie Sevillano
MANILA – The Department of Education (DepEd)’s Election Task Force (ETF) on Monday said it has been addressing poll-related issues it received during the ongoing midterm national and local elections.
As of 1:30 p.m., the Task Force logged 160 reports at the DepEd’s Election Command Center at TechZone in Makati City, which started operation on Sunday.
The command center provides a 24/7 response to the needs of all teaching and non-teaching staff rendering service for the 2025 polls.
In a statement, DepEd Media Relations Chief Dennis Legaspi assured prompt actions to resolve various issues experienced by teachers and non-teaching staff in the field.
“Ang mga ulat ay kaagad na tinutugunan sa koordinasyon ng Comelec [Commission on Elections], PNP [Philippine National Police], at iba pang mga katuwang na ahensya upang masiguro ang maayos, ligtas, at tapat na halalan (These reports are immediately responded in coordination with the Comelec, PNP, and other partner agencies to ensure an orderly, safe, and honest elections),” he said in a Viber message.
Legaspi said most of the reported concerns are issues with vote-counting machines, missing names in the voter’s list, and health-related concerns among teachers and personnel.
Earlier, DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara vowed to help ensure clean and honest elections through the DepEd’s ETF, in line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to uphold the peaceful, clean, and honest elections.
The ETF, with around PHP99.3 million in funds, deployed teams to uphold the welfare of teachers and non-teaching staff, coordinated with the Commission on Elections, and helped resolve issues on the field promptly, Legaspi said.
He added that the task force also covers “real-time monitoring, legal support, hotline and help desk operations, incident response, and post-election reporting.”
The DepEd’s election command center will be fully operational until 5 p.m. on May 13. (PNA)
