The unsung heroes of Election Day

Observers say that the recent election in the country is one of the most controversial marred with massive cheating and scores of political killings.

But if there are people who are exposed to so much risk and really sacrifice a lot in doing their back breaking assignments – they are the teachers.

Every three years, the teachers are compelled to do their tasks as they troop to the precincts and assist millions of Filipinos in casting their vote. They make sure that the voting procedures are properly followed.

Making it harder is when the night comes. They buckle up for the manual counting of the votes, a primitively tedious process that generally lasts long into the night.

All throughout that long day and night, the teachers will have to contend with the many dangers of a Philippine election. Look at the death of teacher Nellie Banaag of the Pinagbayanan Elem. School in Taysan, Batangas. The potential of harassment, violence and even death is still very much part of our ancient electoral process.

Aside from physical harm, our teachers are also putting their reputation at stake every time they go on poll duty because they are the ones who count the ballots. Even when desperate politicians resort to accusing teachers of cheating, effectively calling them crooks and liars, they unmindfully return to their posts every three years.

It can’t be money, because all teachers get from election duty is a measly allowance. It can’t be fame or glory. After all, this is a thankless job, one that the public is mostly unaware of, one that the winners simply forget after being proclaimed, and one that the losers use as a convenient scapegoat as they scream about being robbed.

All it can be is a deep sense of duty that turns ordinary people into heroes, something that we should, at the least, recognize and be thankful for.