BACOLOD City – The 2025 midterm elections’ spending ban has affected the implementation of City Ordinance (CO) No. 09-16-787, or the free school bags and supplies for public elementary school students ordinance, of this city.
Councilor Al Victor Espino, chairperson of the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) committee on education, said on Wednesday, March 19, that the ban has delayed the release of school supplies for school year 2025-2026.
The implementation of the aforementioned ordinance was not included in the list of the city projects submitted to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) for exemption, he said.
Based on Comelec Resolution No. 10999, the release, disbursement or expenditures of public funds, except those enumerated in Section 261 (v) of the Omnibus Election Code (OEC), are prohibited.
Espino, however, said that he will find ways for possible early distribution of the school supplies right after the election period.
Every year, a budget of P15 million which comes from the general fund of the city is allotted for the implementation of Under CO 09-16-787.
But due to the increase in the prices of school supplies, the city last year had augmented another P15 million from the Special Education Fund (SEF), making it a total of P30 million, enough to purchase better supplies for over 70,000 recipients./PN
