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Over 1,700 Cebu teachers face disenfranchisement

By LALA ORDENES and IRENE ROSALES

CEBU City—Unless they grow a pair of wings on election day, 1,770 public school teachers who are on poll duty here may not be able to cast their votes on May 13.

Thousands of teachers in Cebu will be unable to vote come election day. Photo by MARIO IGNACIO IV
Thousands of teachers in Cebu will be unable to vote come election day. Photo by MARIO IGNACIO IV

Three teachers will man each of Cebu City’s 592 clustered precincts as members of the Board of Election Inspectors (BEI).

But they can only cast their ballots in the precinct where they are registered to vote. The problem is the polling place where the teachers serve as poll watchers may not be the place where they are registered as voters.

Except for a 20-minute window during which they are allowed to vote, BEIs need to stay at their post from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Monday.

“We can’t just leave our posts, but if our precinct is near, we can still vote,” Edna Gabisay, BEI at the Ramon Duterte Memorial National High Schoolin Guadalupe, said.