2 million pupils to get free school bags, supplies

Executive Secretary Ralph Recto said the nationwide initiative, which began on 9 June, aims to provide essential school supplies to less fortunate students throughout the academic year.

Recto said the program is in line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s directive to promote quality education by ensuring children begin the school year prepared, while easing the financial burden of back-to-school expenses on Filipino families.

"We know that for many families, preparing for the school year means making sacrifices to buy school supplies and other needs. By helping hardworking parents get their children ready for class, we are giving our kids a better start," Recto said in a statement on Sunday.

The ceremonial launch at Taytay Elementary Public School marked the initial distribution of school bags and learning kits to 4,000 learners from Department of Education-identified public schools as part of the program's phased nationwide rollout.

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

Recto emphasized that investing in early-grade learners remains a key priority of the administration, noting that foundational education plays a vital role in literacy, numeracy, classroom readiness and long-term learning outcomes.

The program is funded through the Socio-Civic Projects Fund of the Office of the Executive Secretary in coordination with the Department of Education to ensure the timely and targeted delivery of assistance to identified beneficiaries nationwide.

Recto added that close coordination between the OES and DepEd will help strengthen implementation, from beneficiary identification to on-the-ground distribution, ensuring that assistance reaches intended learners across the country.