• CHERYL G. CRUZ
An amount of P50 million is being pushed for the purchase of educational materials that will be given for free to all public elementary students in Bacolod City.
The proposed increase in the allocation, from P15 million under City Ordinance 09-16-787, series of 2016, which provides free educational materials to all students of public elementary schools in Bacolod, is among the amendments being pushed by Councilor Caesar Distrito to the ordinance he authored in 2016.
CO 09-16-787 institutionalized the granting of free educational materials to elementary students in the City, enacted to promote access to quality education, and reduce the financial burden on families from marginalized sectors, Distrito said in his amendatory measure already approved on first reading by the Sangguniang Panlungsod last week.
“However, the current appropriation (of P15 million) is no longer sufficient to cover the increasing number of enrolled pupils and the rising costs of instructional materials and supplies,” he said, noting that one main reason why the distribution of the educational materials was delayed was due to insufficient budget.
To sustain and expand the impact of this program, there is need to increase its annual appropriation, and update its implementing mechanisms to comply with Republic Act 12009, or the New Government Procurement Act, that aims to enhance transparency, competitiveness, and efficiency in the procurement of goods and services, he added.
The free educational materials that will be provided to each student will still include a school bag, P.E. uniform, and school supplies, although the latter shall not be limited to notebook, folder, pencil, ballpen, ruler, pencil case, eraser, sharpener, and pad paper.
“In case the appropriation (of P50 million) is insufficient to cover the amount needed to procure the educational materials to be given, the Special Education Fund may be used, subject to the approval of the Local School Board of the City,” the proposed amendatory ordinance states, adding “the amendments are made in accordance with the mandate of the State…to establish and maintain a free and accessible education.” | CGC
