BACOLOD City – The Bacolod City Government is set to expand its free school supplies program to include public high school students after the Sangguniang Panlungsod approved on first reading a proposed ordinance institutionalizing the assistance.
The measure, principally authored by Councilor Atty. Caesar Z. Distrito and co-authored by Councilors Al Espino, Celia Flor, Em Ang, and Israel Salanga, seeks to provide free school bags, school supplies, Physical Education (PE) uniforms, and other essential educational materials to qualified public secondary school students who are bona fide residents of Bacolod.
If enacted, the ordinance will expand the city’s existing educational assistance program, which currently provides free school supplies only to public elementary school students under City Ordinance No. 09-16-787, also principally authored by Distrito.
The proposed measure aims to ease the financial burden on families while ensuring that students have the basic materials needed to actively participate in school and pursue quality education.
A key provision of the ordinance states that eligibility will be based on residency rather than the administrative classification of the school.
Aside from students enrolled in public secondary schools under the Department of Education (DepEd) Schools Division of Bacolod City, qualified Bacolod residents studying at Negros Occidental High School (NOHS) will also be eligible for the program.
The proposed ordinance recognizes that while NOHS is under the DepEd Schools Division of Negros Occidental, many of its students are bona fide residents of Bacolod and should receive the same educational assistance from the city government.
Under the measure, the city mayor will determine the specific assistance to be provided to qualified beneficiaries, including school bags, school supplies, PE uniforms, and other school necessities, subject to the approval of the Local School Board.
Funding for the program may be sourced from the Special Education Fund (SEF), subject to the approval of the Local School Board, or from appropriations under the city’s General Fund as authorized by the Sangguniang Panlungsod.
Distrito said the ordinance seeks to promote educational equity by ensuring that deserving students receive assistance regardless of the school division where they are enrolled.
“No Bacolod student should be disadvantaged simply because of financial hardship or because the public school they attend falls under a different administrative division. What matters is that they are Bacolod residents who deserve equal support from their city government,” Distrito said.
He added that the measure is an investment in the city’s youth by ensuring that every deserving student has access to the basic educational materials needed to succeed in school.
The proposed ordinance will undergo further deliberations before it is considered for final approval./PN
