No more free notebooks in public schools: Cebu City to spend P130M for buildings

The City of Cebu will not be giving out free notebooks to students this schoolyear, but has instead allocated P130 million to construct more school buildings. Students of public elementary and high schools in the city used to receive free notebooks from the city. Mayor Tomas Osmeña said that this year, the city will instead spend money on the needed infrastructure.

The project of giving away free notebooks started during Osmeña's first term as mayor of the city under the supervision of then Councilor Joy Augustus Young, who is now the city's education consultant. Annually, the free notebook project cost the city P5 million, which is taken from the Special Education Fund (SEF).

The city has also decided to stop subsidizing the school miscellaneous fees. This includes the Philippine National Red Cross fee and Boy and Girl Scout of the Philippines-Cebu Council membership. "It is not that we cannot afford (school supplies), but this is not our priority now. We are spending heavily on buildings and lot acquisition for schools," Osmeña said.

Among the major construction projects tabled is a four-story building for the Guadalupe Elementary School amounting to P12, 493,100. There is also the Sirao Elementary and High School building worth P14, 805,511.

Also included in the list is the construction of school buildings in Quiot, Kinasang-an and Buhisan. The city is also negotiating with the Department of Health for use of the lot where the TB Pavilion is situated in Sambag II as a possible site for another public school. There are also plans to build a public high school in barangay Lahug.

The TB Pavilion, if plans push through, will be relocated to the South Road Properties (SRP) near the Mambaling access road. Osmeña said the schedule for implementation of the construction of school buildings will be this year.

The construction of new buildings in Sirao is deemed as one of the most important due to the danger that looms over the current site of the school, which has been tagged as a landslide risk. Last Wednesday, the city council approved the allocation of over P14 million for the relocation and construction of the building. The money will be taken from the calamity funds while the funds for the Guadalupe Elementary School will be taken from Supplemental Budget No. 1.

Councilor Jocelyn Pesquera, council committee chairperson on education, said that the city has stopped subsidizing the notebooks since 2005. She added, "kinahanglan man pud ang parents will also shoulder some expenses for their children. If the government gives free fees and other expenses basin sunod nilang pangayo-on sa gobyerno libreng plite." - Garry B. Lao