Bacolod distributes P30-M free school supplies to elementary pupils
BACOLOD CITY – The city government is distributing P30-million worth of free school supplies to more than 65,000 pupils here.

BACOLOD City officials led by Mayor Albee Benitez (center) distribute free school supplies to pupils of Rizal Elementary School and Education and Training Center School (ETCS) 1, 2, and 3 on Monday, August 5. (Photo courtesy of Mayor Albee Benitez Facebook)
Mayor Albee Benitez led the ceremonial distribution to the pupils of Rizal Elementary School and Education and Training Center School (ETCS) 1, 2, and 3 on Monday, August 5.
Distributed were notebooks, pad papers, pencils, pencil sharpeners, and plastic envelopes for kindergarten to Grade 6 pupils in 44 public schools.
In a press briefing on Monday after the ceremony, Benitez said that they procured school supplies for about 70,000 pupils. “We have a buffer for late enrollees,” he added.
Benitez said the distribution will be held until Friday, August 9.
He said prices of school supplies have more than doubled since they started the project in 2022. They tapped the Special Education Fund (SEF) for additional appropriation of school supplies.
“We still have the same number of beneficiaries but the budget doubled from P15 million to P30 million this year,” Benitez said.
Last year, the city government failed to distribute school supplies due to their inability to use the SEF to purchase them. With a new directive this year, they were able to utilize the SEF to buy them.
Benitez said they are assessing WiFi connectivity in elementary public schools. They found out that there are cable lines but the problem is the distribution of connections.
He said they will have to assess various access points to enable pupils to access WiFi in all schools.