THE DEPARTMENT of Education (DepEd) XI has authorized 17 of its teaching and non-teaching personnel to serve as members of the Random Manual Audit Teams (RMATs) for the upcoming Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) Parliamentary Elections.
DepEd XI spokesperson Jenielito Atillo confirmed that the authorization follows a formal request sent by the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) to DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara seeking the participation of pre-identified personnel for the historic regional polls.
DepEd responded affirmatively to authorize the selected personnel, who possess prior experience as Electoral Board members in previous national and local elections.
Under the arrangement, the authorized personnel will serve as secretaries and third members of the RMATs. Their duties will include assisting in the conduct of the manual audit, as well as the counting and tabulation of votes for positions subject to the auditing process.
The Random Manual Audit is scheduled to commence on Sept. 18, 2026, and may continue through Sept. 26, 2026, or until the audit process is completed.
According to DepEd XI data, the breakdown of the 17 approved personnel across the region is as follows:
- Davao Del Sur: 11 personnel
- Davao Occidental: 4 personnel
- Davao City: 2 personnel
Atillo told reporters during the press conference of Isyu Karon at the Royal Mandaya Hotel on Friday, Sept. 11, 226 that the deployment highlights the inter-agency collaboration between COMELEC and DepEd to ensure transparency, accuracy, and credibility during the conduct of BARMM’s parliamentary elections.
