The Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod has approved on First Reading a proposed ordinance seeking to institutionalize the provision of 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 City, including the Negros Occidental High School.
The proposed ordinance is principally authored by Councilor Caesar Distrito, with Councilor Al Espino, Councilor Celia Flor, Councilor Em Ang, and Councilor Israel Salanga as co-authors.
The proposed measure aims to ease the financial burden of parents while ensuring that students are adequately equipped to participate in school activities and pursue quality education, Distrito said on Thursday, July 23.
A key feature of the ordinance is its recognition that educational assistance should primarily be based on residency in Bacolod City, rather than on the administrative classification of the school where a student is enrolled, he said.
Thus, aside from students enrolled in public secondary schools under the Department of Education – Schools Division of Bacolod City, the ordinance likewise extends the same benefits to qualified Bacolod City residents studying at Negros Occidental High School (NOHS), recognizing that many of its students are bona fide Bacolod constituents despite the school’s administrative supervision under the Schools Division of Negros Occidental, Distrito said.
Under the proposal, the City Mayor will be given an option to decide as to what will be given to qualified beneficiaries, including school bags, school supplies, PE uniforms, and other school necessities as may be approved by the Local School Board.
The ordinance likewise provides flexibility in funding sources by allowing implementation through the Special Education Fund, upon approval of the Local School Board, or through appropriations from the City’s General Fund as authorized by the Sangguniang Panlungsod.
Distrito emphasized that the measure is an investment in the future of Bacolod’s youth.
“No Bacolod student should be disadvantaged simply because of financial hardship or because the public school they attend falls under a different administrative division,” he said.*
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