Makati City: The Department of Education (DepEd)’s Election Task Force (ETF) on Monday announced its ongoing efforts to address poll-related issues reported during the midterm national and local elections.

According to Philippines News Agency, as of 1:30 p.m., the Task Force recorded 160 reports at DepEd’s Election Command Center located at TechZone in Makati City, which commenced operations on Sunday. The command center offers round-the-clock support to both teaching and non-teaching staff involved in the 2025 elections.

DepEd Media Relations Chief Dennis Legaspi, through a statement, affirmed that prompt actions are in place to resolve issues faced by teaching and non-teaching staff during the elections. He emphasized that reports are being addressed immediately through coordination with the Commission on Elections (Comelec), the Philippine National Police (PNP), and other partner agencies to guarantee orderly, safe, and honest elections.

Legaspi noted that the majority of the concerns reported involve issues with vote-counting machines, missing names in the voter’s list, and health-related concerns among teachers and personnel.

Earlier, DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara committed to ensuring clean and honest elections through the efforts of the DepEd’s ETF, aligning with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive for peaceful, clean, and honest elections.

The ETF, which operates with a budget of approximately PHP99.3 million, has deployed teams to support the welfare of teachers and non-teaching staff, coordinate with the Commission on Elections, and promptly resolve field issues, Legaspi explained. The task force also includes real-time monitoring, legal support, hotline and help desk operations, incident response, and post-election reporting.

The DepEd’s election command center will remain fully operational until 5 p.m. on May 13.