City Hall plans to give free meals, supplies to public school students

Students of public elementary and high schools in Cebu City may soon receive free meals and school supplies.

Councilor Jose Daluz III, chairman of the Local School Board (LSB), said P60 million from the 2011 Special Education Fund (SEF) surplus has been allocated for this purpose.

Vice Mayor Augustus Joy Young, however, said this is better spent for classroom repairs and construction.

Each of the kinder and elementary pupils will be getting free school supplies that may consist of one bag, five pieces of 80 leaves notebook, rulers and crayons.

Pupils will also be served one free meal a day to ensure that they are well feed and prepared for their lessons while about 10,000 armchairs will also be purchased for distribution in public high schools.

Daluz said the Department of Education will be the one to bid the supplies. Purchase of school supplies will be based on the 2011 enrollment of 107,000 plus a 3,000 allowance.

He said the bidding and purchase may be done next month.

“It may already be a little late but pupils will still be needing bags and notebooks. They may already run out of notebooks in the middle of the school year,” said Daluz.

Until the purchase is made, Daluz said school board members are still encouraged to further discuss the matter.

“If we get adverse reactions especially from members of the City Council, then we can cancel the purchase. We are prepared to listen to the voice of the people anyway, what we are doing is for the benefit of the students,” Daluz said.

Daluz said the school board decided to acquire 10,000 new armchairs worth P1,450 each for the public high schools.

Rhea Mar Angtud, Cebu City Schools Division Superintendent, told the school board that many public schools don’t have armchairs and instead borrow chairs from the barangay halls for their students.

Vice Mayor Joy Augustus Young, however, is not sold to the whole idea.

The SEF, according to the vice mayor, may be put to better use if this is spent on rehabilitation of classrooms and construction of new ones.

Many public schools, especially in the rural areas hold classes in makeshift classrooms, he said.

“Kanang distribution of school supplies maayo nga idea but there are more pressing problems like lack of classrooms. We should prioritize classrooms,” Young said.

He also raised fears that just like previous initiatives, free school supplies from City Hall ended being sold in sidewalks.

The vice mayor’s comments, however, drew sharp reaction from Mayor Michael Rama.

“He is only saying it now. Ngano sa una ila man ni gi allow (why did they allow it before). Why not allow it now,” Rama said, referring to the time when Young was chairperson of the LSB.

“That is my call. Why will he (Young) tell me what to do? He should be reminded that he is no longer chairman of the local school board.”/with reports from Edison delos Angeles and Tweeny M. Malinao