THE Commission on Elections-Employees Union (COMELEC-EU) is calling for the passage of the Comelec Integrity Bill that seeks to establish more independent election field offices.
In a statement, union president Mark Ramirez said the measure will pave the way for Comelec field offices in cities and municipalities to be given suitable office spaces that are independent from local government unit (LGUs).
“This is to ensure their institutional integrity and independence,” he said Ramirez.
He said the law will also lead to the hiring of additional election assistant positions in Comelec field offices.
“It will not only address the long-standing problem of lack of manpower in Comelec, but also help insulate the office from political influence as this would discourage the practice of hiring LGU casuals to augment the staffing in the field offices,” said Ramirez.
Section 55 of the Omnibus Election Code states that local government units are tasked to provide a suitable place for the local office of the Comelec and its staff.
The House Committee on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms passed the Comelec Integrity Bill last week while its counterpart measure at the Senate is still pending at the Committee on Electoral Reforms and Peoples Participation.