Gasataya Vows Timely School Supplies for 2025

By Glazyl M. Jopson

BACOLOD CITY – Mayor Greg Gasataya has committed to ensuring the timely distribution of free school supplies to public school students here for the next academic year.

To avoid delays, Gasataya said he has directed the city budget officer and treasurer to begin early preparations for the program’s funding and implementation.

The initiative, a continuing program of the city government, benefits students enrolled in public elementary schools.

The mayor acknowledged that this year’s distribution was delayed due to constraints caused by the midterm elections.

“We have to understand that it’s election season, so there were delays and circumstances,” he said.

Gasataya added that a memorandum was issued last week directing the early procurement of school supplies and other city programs, while still complying with standard government procedures.

“I assure our residents that next school year, the process will start earlier to avoid delays,” he said.

However, for this year, Gasataya declined to give a specific distribution date.

“I cannot commit to an exact date. There are no shortcuts—we must comply with proper government procedures,” he said.

He emphasized that while the city wants to expedite the process, it must strictly follow procurement laws.

Councilor Al Espino, chairman of the Committee on Education, earlier said the target was to start distribution by the opening of classes on June 16.

However, amendments to Republic Act 9184, or the Government Procurement Reform Act, caused unforeseen delays.

The Department of Education has already processed a PHP29-million purchase request that includes notebooks, writing tools and paper.

Last year, more than 72,000 public school students from kindergarten to Grade 6 across 44 schools in the city received PHP30 million worth of supplies through the same program.

The initiative is anchored on a 2016 ordinance authored by Councilor Caesar Distrito, mandating the annual provision of free educational materials to all public elementary pupils in Bacolod.