The national government has rolled out the “Bagong Bag para sa Mag-aaral: Presidential Assistance to Primary-Grade Learners” program, which aims to provide essential school supplies to 2 million Kindergarten to Grade 3 students across the country throughout the school year.

The initiative, launched on June 9, is in line with President Marcos' directive to ensure that young learners begin the school year prepared while helping families cope with back-to-school expenses.

Executive Secretary Ralph Recto said the program recognizes the sacrifices many parents make to send their children to school.

“We know that for many families, preparing for the school year means making sacrifices to buy school supplies and other needs,” he said.

“By helping the hardworking parents get their children ready for class, we are giving our kids a better start,” he added.

Recto said the school bags symbolize the administration's commitment to ensuring that no Filipino child is left behind because of poverty or lack of basic learning materials.

“Ang bawat bag na ating ipinamimigay ay hindi lang basta school supplies. Simbolo ito ng ating paniniwala na walang batang Pilipino ang dapat mapag-iwanan dahil lamang sa kakulangan ng mga pangunahing gamit sa pag-aaral (Every bag that we distribute is more than just school supplies. It symbolizes our belief that no Filipino child should be left behind simply because of a lack of basic tools for learning),” he said.

Recto underscored the importance of investing in young children, saying that early-grade education lays the foundation for future learning and development.

He noted that foundational education plays a critical role in developing literacy and numeracy skills, improving classroom readiness, and achieving better long-term learning outcomes.

The program was formally launched at Taytay Elementary Public School, where the government distributed school bags and learning kits to an initial batch of 4,000 learners from public schools identified by the Department of Education (DepEd).

The distribution forms part of a phased nationwide rollout that seeks to reach 2 million primary-grade learners.

Each beneficiary receives a pre-packed school bag containing notebooks, pencils, crayons, rulers, erasers, sharpeners, and other essential learning materials.

The program is being implemented through the Socio-Civic Projects Fund (SCPF) of the Office of the Executive Secretary in coordination with the DepEd.

According to the OES, the partnership is intended to ensure the timely, efficient, and targeted delivery of assistance to identified beneficiaries nationwide.

It added that the initiative highlights the continued coordination between the OES and DepEd in strengthening program implementation, from identifying beneficiaries to carrying out on-the-ground distribution, to ensure that assistance reaches intended learners across the country.