The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is pushing for a law that will automatically increase the payment for Electoral Board (EB) members during elections.

“We have a proposal for legislation, wherein there would be an automatic increase in honoraria on a per election basis, instead of having to appeal for additional pay every time,” Comelec Chairperson George Garcia said during the Balitaan forum of the Manila City Hall Reporters’ Association in Ermita on Thursday.

“Every election, the costs also go up. Therefore, there should also be an automatic increase in the honoraria,” he said.

Honoraria rates for EB members in the May 12 elections were PHP13,000 for the chairperson; PHP12,000 for the poll clerk and the third member; and PHP9,000 for the support staff.

Meanwhile, the new rates for volunteer staff members from the Department of Education were PHP12,000 for supervisors; PHP9,000 for the supervisors’ administrative support staff; and PHP10,000 for the supervisors’ tech support staff.

These amounts included the PHP3,000 increase ordered by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.

Garcia said the increases are not possible for the Dec. 1 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections.

“The across-the-board increase will be gone because we don’t have a budget for it this time. We may have to ask the President for funding once again,” Garcia said. (PNA)