· Not an official government website

BatasKo

Ang Batas, Sa Simpleng Salita — your rights, finally explained.

Republic Act No. 10756· Enacted 2016-01-01

Election Service Reform Act (RA 10756) Philippines — BatasKo ELI5

Public school teachers can now say no to election duty. Learn who serves, how much they're paid, and what happens if someone dies or gets hurt.

ELI5ElectionsOFW RelevantelectionsteachersCOMELEC

Official text — Republic Act No. 10756

Jump to section ↓18 sections

Preamble

Sixteenth Congress

Third Regular Session

Begun and held in Metro Manila, on Monday, the twenty-seventh day of July, two thousand fifteen.

REPUBLIC ACT No. 10756

AN ACT RENDERING ELECTION SERVICE NON-COMPULSORY FOR PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS, AUTHORIZING THE APPOINTMENT OF OTHER QUALIFIED CITIZENS, PROVIDING FOR COMPENSATION AND OTHER BENEFITS

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress assembled:

SECTION 1

SECTION 1.

Short Title. – This Act shall be known as the “Election Service Reform Act”.

SECTION 2

SECTION 2.

Definition of Terms. – As used in this Act:

(a) Beneficiaries shall refer to the qualified compulsory heirs of the deceased person rendering election service under this Act;

(b) Commission shall refer to the Commission on Elections;

(c) Compensation shall refer to per diem, honoraria, or allowances granted to the Chairperson and members of the Board of Election Inspectors (BEI), Special Board of Election Inspectors (SBEI), Board of Election Tellers (BET), Special Board of Election Tellers (SBET), hereinafter collectively referred to as “Electoral Boards”, or Department of Education Supervisor Official (DESO), and their respective support staff under this Act;

(d) Department or DepED shall refer to the Department of Education;

(e) Election-related risk shall refer to any death or injury /sustained by reason of or on the occasion of the performance of election service or duties;

(f) Persons rendering election service shall refer to persons appointed by the Commission to render election-related service as Chairperson or member of the Electoral Boards and DESO, and their respective support staff; and

(g) Other benefits shall refer to death and/or hospitalization benefits granted to persons rendering election service or to their beneficiaries under this Act, including the provision for legal assistance and legal indemnification.

SECTION 3 — Rendering of Election Service.→

SECTION 3.

Rendering of Election Service.

– The Electoral Boards to be constituted by the Commission shall be composed of a Chairperson and two (2) members, all of whom shall be public school teachers who are willing and available to render election service.

Should there be a lack of public school teachers willing, available or qualified to serve, the Commission may instead appoint the following persons in this order of preference:

(a) Private school teachers;

(b) National government employees:

(1) DepED nonteaching personnel;

(2) Other national government officials and employees holding regular or permanent positions, excluding uniformed personnel of the Department of National Defense and all its attached agencies;

(c) Members of the Commission-accredited citizen arms or other civil society organizations and nongovernmental organizations duly accredited by the Commission; and

(d) Any registered voter of the city or municipality of known integrity and competence who is not connected with any candidate or political party.

In cases where the peace and order situation so requires as determined by the Commission and where there are no qualified voters willing to serve, uniformed personnel of the Philippine National Police shall be deputized to render election service as a last resort.

SECTION 4 — Honoraria and Allowances.→

SECTION 4.

Honoraria and Allowances.

– Persons rendering election service shall be entitled to honoraria, travel allowance, and such other benefits as may be granted by the Commission.

For the first implementation of this Act, the following shall be entitled to the corresponding honoraria:

Chairperson of Electoral Boards

P6,000.00

Members of Electoral Boards

P5.000.00

DESO

P4,000.00

Support Staff

P2.000.00

All of the foregoing shall be entitled to an additional travel allowance of One thousand pesos (P1,000.00) each.

Such honoraria and allowances shall be paid within fifteen (15) days from the date of election.

Such amounts shall be reviewed by the Commission in consultation with the DepEd every three (3) years from the effectivity of this Act, but in no case, shall the revised amounts be lower than herein provided.

SECTION 5 — Service Credit.→

SECTION 5.

Service Credit.

– A minimum of five (5) days service credit shall accrue to all government officials and employees serving as members of the Electoral Boards and DESO, and their respective support staff.

SECTION 6 — Other Benefits.→

SECTION 6.

Other Benefits.

– Persons rendering election service shall be entitled to death and/or medical assistance for election-related risks to be drawn from the trust fund provided in this Act.

(a) Death Benefits – The amount of Five hundred thousand pesos (P500,000.00) shall be awarded to the beneficiaries in accordance with the implementing rules and regulations of this Act. Such amount shall be reviewed by the Commission every three (3) years thereafter, but in no case shall the revised amount be lower than herein provided.

(b) Medical Assistance – Persons rendering election service shall be entitled to medical assistance in such amount as may be determined by the Commission, sufficient to answer for medical and hospitalization expenses, until recovery.

Show 11 more sections +→
SECTION 7 — Legal Assistance.→

SECTION 7.

Legal Assistance.

– Persons rendering election service are hereby authorized to engage the services of government or private lawyers immediately upon receipt of notice that a civil or criminal action, suit or administrative proceeding is filed against them in connection with their election service. The lawyer’s fee shall be part of the indemnification package under this Act, subject to the provisions of the immediately succeeding section.

SECTION 8 — Indemnification.→

SECTION 8.

Indemnification.

– The Commission shall establish an equitable legal indemnification package for persons rendering election service which shall be in the form of legal assistance and other forms of legal protection and indemnification for all legal costs and expenses reasonably incurred by such persons in any administrative, civil, or criminal action, suit or proceeding to which they have been made a party by reason of the performance of their functions or duties, unless they are finally adjudged in such action or proceeding to be guilty of an election offense.

The legal assistance and indemnification shall not cover any action or suit initiated by a person rendering election service in his or her personal capacity or on behalf of the Commission, unless such action, proceeding, or claim was authorized by the Commission.

SECTION 9 — Procedure.→

SECTION 9.

Procedure.

– The claimants shall file their respective claims for legal assistance and indemnification with their respective agencies and shall secure the approval of their respective heads of agencies on the terms and conditions of the engagement of counsel. Private individuals rendering election service shall file their claims with the Commission.

If the claimant is found not guilty of an election offense, he or she shall liquidate his or her cash advances or be allowed reimbursement for reasonable expenses, as the case may be. However, if the claimant is found to be guilty of an election offense, he or she shall be denied reimbursement or if cash advances have been made, he or she shall return the cash advance made through salary deduction or reimbursement, as may be applicable.

The funds to be used for the grant of legal assistance and indemnification shall be drawn from the agency’s annual appropriation and from the trust fund provided under this Act.

SECTION 10 — Election Offense.→

SECTION 10.

Election Offense.

– Any person who makes or causes the delay in the payment of the honoraria and allowances due persons rendering election service beyond the prescribed period of fifteen (15) days from the date of election shall be liable for an election offense.

SECTION 11 — Establishment and Administration of a Trust Fund.→

SECTION 11.

Establishment and Administration of a Trust Fund.

– The Commission shall establish a special trust fund for medical assistance, death benefits, legal assistance and indemnification as provided under this Act.

1âwphi1

The trust fund shall not be used for proposes other than what are provided for by this Act.

SECTION 12 — Appropriation Clause.→

SECTION 12.

Appropriation Clause.

– The initial funding of this Act shall be charged against the current year’s appropriations of the Commission. Thereafter, such amount as may be necessary for the continued implementation of this Act shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act.

SECTION 13 — Implementing Rules and Regulations.→

SECTION 13.

Implementing Rules and Regulations.

– Within ninety (90) days from the effectivity of this Act, the Commission with the assistance of the DepED, Office of the Solicitor General, Department of Justice, National Teacher Organizations, Election Monitoring Organizations and such other civil society organizations as may be determined by the Commission shall formulate the implementing rules and regulations of this Act.

SECTION 14 — Transitory Clause.→

SECTION 14.

Transitory Clause.

– Within thirty (30) days after the effectivity of this Act, the Commission shall determine if it still has material time to implement Section 3 hereof on the non-compulsory election service of public school teachers in the 2016 national and local elections, otherwise the same shall be implemented in subsequent elections.

SECTION 15 — Repealing Clause.→

SECTION 15.

Repealing Clause.

– All laws, decrees, orders, and issuances, or portions thereof, which are inconsistent with the provisions of this Act, are hereby repealed, amended or modified accordingly.

SECTION 16 — Separability Clause.→

SECTION 16.

Separability Clause.

– Should any provision of this Act or part hereof be declared unconstitutional, the other provisions or parts not affected thereby shall remain valid and effective.

SECTION 17 — Effectivity Clause.→

SECTION 17.

Effectivity Clause.

– This Act shall take effect immediately after its publication in two (2) newspapers of general circulation.

Approved,

(Sgd.)

FELICIANO BELMONTE JR.

Speaker of the House

of Representatives

(Sgd.)

FRANKLIN M. DRILON

President of the Senate

Senate Bill No. 2178, which was approved by the Senate on January 25, 2016, was adopted as an amendment to House Bill No. 5412 by the House of Representatives on January 26, 2016.

(Sgd.)

MARILYN B. BARUA-YAP

Secretary GeneralHouse of Representatives

(Sgd.)

OSCAR G. YABES

Secretary of the Senate

Approved: APR 08 2016

(Sgd.)

BENIGNO S. AQUINO, III

President of the Philippines

The Lawphil Project - Arellano Law Foundation

Full text on BatasKo. Original source: Official Gazette / Lawphil.

Tanda mo ba ang huling eleksyon? Sa loob ng polling precinct, mga guro ang nakaupong nagbibilang ng boto mula umaga hanggang hatinggabi — nang walang pagpipilian. Noon, ito ay sapilitan. Ngayon, hindi na.

ELI5 Summary: Republic Act 10756 — ang Election Service Reform Act — ay nagpapahintulot sa mga public school teacher na tumanggil ng election duty kung hindi sila willing o available. Kung kulang ang mga guro, may listahan ng alternatibo ang COMELEC — mula sa private school teachers hanggang sa mga ordinaryong botante. Ang sinumang maglingkod ay may karapatang honoraria, travel allowance, service credit, at protection kung masaktan o mamatay sa paglilingkod.

Real Filipino Scenario: Ang Gurong May Pagpipilian Na

Si Oscar ay isang 34-taong-gulang na midwife sa Pasig City. Bukod sa trabaho sa isang health center, siya rin ay isang registered voter na kilala sa kanyang barangay bilang matiyaga at matino.

Bago ang RA 10756, ang election duty ay para lamang sa mga public school teacher. Ngayon na may bagong batas, kung kulang ang mga guro sa kanyang precinct, maaaring ma-appoint si Oscar — hindi bilang midwife, kundi bilang miyembro ng Board of Election Inspectors (BEI).

Nakatanggap siya ng notice mula sa COMELEC. Tinanggap niya ang appointment bilang BEI member. Ayon sa Section 4 ng RA 10756, may karapatan siyang makatanggap ng ₱5,000 honoraria bilang miyembro, plus ₱1,000 travel allowance — na dapat bayaran sa loob ng 15 araw matapos ang eleksyon.

Ano ang dapat gawin ni Oscar: Siguraduhing nakatanggap siya ng opisyal na appointment letter mula sa COMELEC. I-record ang petsa ng eleksyon, at kung hindi pa nababayaran sa loob ng 15 araw, puwede siyang mag-report sa COMELEC — dahil ang pagpapaliban ng bayad ay election offense sa ilalim ng Section 10.

What the Law Actually Says

Ang Republic Act No. 10756, o ang Election Service Reform Act, ay nilagdaan noong 2016 at nagbabago ng paraan kung paano pinipili ang mga naglilingkod sa electoral boards.

Sino ang maglilingkod? (Section 3)

Ang COMELEC ay bumubuo ng Electoral Boards — ang BEI at BET — na binubuo ng isang Chairperson at dalawang miyembro. Ngayon, prayoridad pa rin ang mga public school teacher, pero hindi na ito sapilitan.

Kung kulang ang mga willing na guro, ang order of preference ay:

  1. Private school teachers
  2. National government employees (DepED non-teaching staff muna, tapos iba pang regular government employees — hindi kasama ang uniformed personnel ng DND)
  3. Members ng COMELEC-accredited civil society organizations
  4. Anumang registered voter ng lungsod o munisipyo na may integridad at kakayahan, at hindi konektado sa kahit sinong kandidato o political party

Sa mga lugar na may peace and order issues, bilang last resort lamang, ang mga PNP uniformed personnel ay maaaring i-deputize ng COMELEC.

Magkano ang bayad? (Section 4)

  • Chairperson ng Electoral Board: ₱6,000
  • Miyembro ng Electoral Board: ₱5,000
  • DESO (DepED Education Supervisor Official): ₱4,000
  • Support Staff: ₱2,000
  • Lahat: may dagdag na ₱1,000 travel allowance

Ang mga halagang ito ay dapat bayaran sa loob ng 15 araw mula sa petsa ng eleksyon. Sinusuri ang mga halaga ng COMELEC at DepED bawat tatlong taon, pero hindi maaaring bawasan ang mga itinakdang halaga.

Ano pang benepisyo? (Sections 5, 6, 7, 8)

  • Service credit: Minimum na 5 araw para sa lahat ng government officials at employees na naglilingkod
  • Death benefit: ₱500,000 para sa mga beneficiaries kung mamatay ang isang naglilingkod dahil sa election-related risk
  • Medical assistance: Saklaw ang lahat ng gastos sa pagamutan hanggang gumaling
  • Legal assistance: Kung may kasong isinampa laban sa isang naglilingkod dahil sa kanyang election duty, may karapatang siya sa legal na tulong — kasama ang bayad ng abogado

What This Means for You

Dati, kung public school teacher ka, wala kang choice — dapat kang maglingkod bilang election inspector kahit hindi mo gusto, kahit may sakit ka, kahit may emergency sa pamilya.

Ngayon, mayroon kang karapatang tumanggi. Hindi ka maaaring parusahan ng DepED o ng inyong paaralan kung hindi ka available o willing.

Para naman sa mga hindi guro — mga government employee, civil society member, o kahit ordinaryong botante — puwede ka na ring ma-appoint ng COMELEC kung kinakailangan. Hindi ito obligasyon mo, pero may patas na kabayaran kung tatanggapin mo.

Ang pinakamahalaga: kung may mangyayaring masama sa iyo habang naglilingkod — aksidente, atake, pagbabanta — hindi ka iiwan ng batas. May death benefit na ₱500,000, may medical assistance, at may legal protection kung may magsampa ng kaso laban sa iyo.

Real Filipino Scenario: Ang Accountant na Hindi Alam ang Karapatang Tumanggi

Si Joseph ay isang 41-taong-gulang na accountant sa isang ahensya ng national government sa Maynila. Hindi siya guro, pero isang araw, nakatanggap siya ng memo na iniuutos sa kanya ng kanyang opisina na mag-serve bilang miyembro ng BEI sa susunod na midterm elections.

Inakala ni Joseph na walang choice — utos ng ahensya, kaya susundin. Hindi niya alam na sa ilalim ng RA 10756, ang appointment ay may proseso at hindi basta-basta maaaring i-compel.

Ito ang edge case: Bilang national government employee (hindi guro), si Joseph ay nasa pangalawang kategorya ng preference sa ilalim ng Section 3. Puwede siyang ma-appoint, pero dapat may opisyal na appointment mula sa COMELEC — hindi lang memo ng kanyang ahensya. Ang kanyang ahensya ay hindi makakapagtakda ng election duty nang walang koordinasyon sa COMELEC.

Ano ang dapat gawin ni Joseph: Humingi ng opisyal na appointment letter mula sa COMELEC. Kung wala, hindi siya obligadong sumunod. Kung tumanggap siya ng appointment, siguraduhing naitatala ang kanyang serbisyo para sa 5 araw service credit na karapatang niya sa ilalim ng Section 5 — at hintayin ang kanyang honoraria sa loob ng 15 araw pagkatapos ng eleksyon.

What Most Filipinos Get Wrong

"Sapilitan pa rin ang election duty para sa mga guro."

Mali. Ang pangunahing pagbabago ng RA 10756 ay ang paggawa ng election service na hindi compulsory para sa mga public school teacher. Sila ang prayoridad ng COMELEC, oo — pero willing at available sila dapat. Hindi ka maaaring pilitin.

"Kung namatay ka habang naglilingkod, kailangan pang patunayan ng pamilya mo na connected sa election ang pagkamatay."

Medyo tama ito, pero maraming hindi alam ang detalye. Ayon sa Section 2(e), ang "election-related risk" ay kamatayan o injury na natamo "by reason of or on the occasion of" ng election service. Hindi kailangang nasa loob mismo ng polling place ang aksidente — basta connected sa paglilingkod.

"Lahat ng government employees ay puwedeng i-appoint kahit uniformed personnel."

Hindi. Malinaw sa Section 3 na excluded ang uniformed personnel ng Department of National Defense at lahat ng attached agencies nito. Ang PNP ay maaaring i-deputize ng COMELEC, pero bilang last resort lamang at sa mga lugar na may peace and order concerns.

"Ang ₱15 araw na deadline sa pagbabayad ay guideline lang."

Hindi — ito ay may ngipin. Ayon sa Section 10, ang sinumang nagdudulot ng pagkaantala sa pagbabayad ng honoraria at allowances nang lampas sa 15 araw ay mananagot sa election offense. Ito ay seryosong paglabag.

"Kung may kasong isinampa laban sa akin dahil sa election duty ko, ako ang mag-aabono ng abogado."

Hindi. Sa ilalim ng Sections 7 at 8, may karapatan kang sa legal assistance at indemnification — kasama ang bayad ng abogado. Ang limitasyon: kung ikaw ay napatunayang guilty ng election offense, ang proteksyon ay inaalis.

Para sa OFW / For OFWs

Ang RA 10756 ay may direktang kaugnayan sa mga OFW sa isang mahalagang paraan: ang Overseas Absentee Voting (OAV).

Sa bawat overseas election, ang mga Board of Election Tellers (BET) at Special Board of Election Tellers (SBET) ay binubuo rin ng mga naglilingkod sa ilalim ng Election Service Reform Act. Sa overseas context, ang mga taong ito ay karaniwang mga empleyado ng Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO/MWO), ng Philippine Embassy o Consulate, o mga Filipino volunteers na accredited ng COMELEC.

Para sa OFW bilang botante:

Ang RA 10756 ay nagbibigay ng mas malawak na pool ng mga maaaring mag-serve sa overseas voting — hindi lang mga guro. Nangangahulugan ito na ang overseas voting operations ay mas may kakayahang mag-function kahit limitado ang tauhan sa embahada o POLO.

Para sa OFW bilang possible election officer:

Kung ikaw ay empleyado ng Philippine government overseas — halimbawa, isang POLO labor attaché o consular officer — maaari kang ma-appoint ng COMELEC bilang miyembro ng overseas electoral board. Sa kasong ito:

  • Ang iyong honoraria at allowances ay susaklaw sa iyo rin sa ilalim ng Section 4
  • Ang 5-araw service credit (Section 5) ay applicable kung ikaw ay government employee
  • Ang death at medical benefits (Section 6) ay sumasaklaw sa iyo kung may mangyayaring election-related risk

Kung may concern bilang OFW voter: Makipag-ugnayan sa pinakamalapit na Philippine Embassy o Consulate o sa Commission on Elections (COMELEC) Overseas Voting Office para sa mga tanong tungkol sa overseas electoral board composition sa inyong host country.

Real Filipino Scenario: Ang Hotel Staff sa Italy at ang Karapatang Makaboto

Si Jenny ay isang 29-taong-gulang na hotel staff sa Italy. Rehistradong overseas absentee voter siya at aktibong sumusunod sa Philippine politics kahit malayo.

Sa panahon ng overseas voting, pumunta siya sa Philippine Consulate para iboto. Nagtanong siya sa consular staff — sino ang mga nagbibilang ng boto? Nasabihan siya na ang mga miyembro ng BET sa kanilang consulate ay mga Filipino consular employees at isang accredited civil society volunteer.

Ito ang punto na maraming OFW ang hindi alam: ang RA 10756 ay nagbibigay ng mas malawig na listahan ng mga puwedeng mag-serve — kabilang ang accredited civil society members. Sa mga overseas post na kulang ang tauhan, ito ay kritikal para matiyak na may sapat na tao para sa maayos na pagbibilang ng boto.

Kung si Jenny ay gusto ring mag-volunteer bilang election officer sa overseas post niya, maaari siyang makipag-ugnayan sa COMELEC Overseas Voting Office o sa Philippine Consulate sa Italy para malaman kung may COMELEC-accredited civil society organization siya na maaaring makapag-endorse sa kanya.

Ano ang dapat gawin ni Jenny: I-check ang listahan ng COMELEC-accredited civil society organizations na active sa Italy. Kung gusto niyang mag-serve, kailangan muna ng endorsement mula sa accredited organization, tapos opisyal na appointment mula sa COMELEC. Ang lahat ng benepisyo sa ilalim ng RA 10756 — kasama ang death at medical benefits — ay applicable sa kanya kung ma-appoint siya.

What to Do if Your Rights Are Violated

Kung hindi ka nabayaran sa loob ng 15 araw:

  1. I-document ang petsa ng eleksyon at ang iyong opisyal na appointment letter mula sa COMELEC.
  2. Iulat sa pinakamalapit na COMELEC office ang pagkaantala ng bayad — ito ay election offense sa ilalim ng Section 10.
  3. Humingi ng tulong sa DepED (kung guro ka) o sa iyong ahensya (kung government employee) para sa follow-up sa COMELEC.
  4. Kung walang aksyon, maaari kang mag-file ng reklamo sa COMELEC Law Department.

Kung nasaktan ka o may mahal sa buhay kang namatay dahil sa election duty:

  1. Mag-file ng claim para sa death benefit (₱500,000) o medical assistance sa COMELEC.
  2. Dalhin ang dokumentasyon: appointment letter, medical records, o death certificate, at patunay na ang insidente ay naganap "by reason of or on the occasion of" ng election service.

RELATED RIGHTS

Elections

Precinct Map Posting and Teacher Voter Registration Philippines — BatasKo ELI5

Elections

Election Precincts and Voter Registration Philippines — BatasKo ELI5

Elections

ARMM Election Synchronization Law Philippines — BatasKo ELI5

Elections

Accessible Polling Places for PWDs and Senior Citizens Philippines — BatasKo ELI5

Legal disclaimer: BatasKo provides general legal information, not legal advice. For your specific situation, consult a licensed Filipino lawyer or the Public Attorney's Office (PAO).

← Browse all Republic Acts