Mandaue City to provide free school supplies for all public school students in 2025

By: Mary Rose S. Sagarino - CDN Digital Correspondent | September 19,2024 - 09:31 PM

CDN file photo

MANDAUE CITY, Philippines — All public school students in Mandaue City will receive free school supplies from the city government next year.

City Treasurer Atty. Regal Oliva, during the “Storya Ta! A Move to Good Governance and Transparency” forum with the media on Thursday, Sept. 19, said that one of the biggest portions of the P700 million Special Education Fund for 2025 is allotted for the free school supplies.

“So, libre na ang school supplies sa mga bata in Mandaue City for next year. These are for elementary and high school students,” said Oliva.

“It’s not true that Mandaue City is only focusing on infrastructure. We have not neglected social services, health, and education. Education is a very important aspect in Mandaue City,” Oliva added.

Of the P700 million Special Education Fund, P80 million will be allotted for free school supplies, P90 million for the construction of new classrooms, P50 million for the installation of solar panels and lights, P35 million for school electricity, and P70 million for a speech laboratory, among others. This will also include a P60 million budget for Mandaue City College.

Oliva mentioned that the city will be constructing classrooms to address the shortage.

Some schools in Mandaue City are experiencing a lack of classrooms, leading to two to three class shifts, each lasting four hours.

The P700 million for the Special Education Fund is part of the proposed P4.5 billion annual budget for Mandaue City next year.

City Budget Officer Lawyer Giovanni Tianero said they are working on a P4.5 billion allocation, including the P1.3 billion from the National Tax Allotment.

However, Tianero said the budget is still being finalized and will be submitted to the Sangguniang Panlungsod in October for approval. This year’s budget is P4 billion.