A DAY before Filipinos chose their new leaders last Monday, May 9, about 93 percent of the Electoral Board (EB) members were certified by the Department of Science and Technology (DoST).

This was revealed recently by the DoST during the “Pandesal Forum” held at the Kamuning Bakery in Quezon City.

DoST Secretary Fortunato de la Peña, together with DoST-National Capital Region (NCR) Director Jose Patalinjug 3rd, said that 197,077 of the 209,922 teachers who underwent the certification process conducted by the 389 DoST certifiers nationwide passed the two-stage examination process.

The certification program is in line with Republic Act 9369 or the “Amended Automated Election Law.”

Under Section 3 of the law, “where AES shall be adopted, at least one member of the Board of Election Inspectors shall be an information technology-capable person, who is trained or certified by the DoST to use the AES. Such certification shall be issued by the DoST, free of charge.”

De la Peña stressed that the DoST was able to certify about 93 percent of the prospective EB members for the national and local elections.

Aside from this, about 176 Special Board of Election Inspectors, assigned in different polling precincts in the Philippine Embassies and Consulates General, were certified for overseas voting. Among them were SBEIs from the Asia-Pacific countries, Middle East, Canada, Europe, North and Latin America, and Africa.

Meanwhile, 2,923 personnel from the Philippine National Police were also certified to serve as deputized Special Electoral Board in selected areas when the need arises.

The DoST-NCR, under the Office of the DoST Undersecretary for Regional Operations, led the operationalization of the Electoral Board Certification program together with DoST-Science Education Institute, DoST-Advanced Science and Technology Institute and the DoST Regional Operations Office.