The national government has officially rolled out the “Bagong Bag para sa Mag-aaral: Presidential Assistance to Primary-Grade Learners” program, a major initiative aimed at distributing essential school kits to two million students from Kindergarten to Grade 3.
Launched on June 9, the project fulfills a directive from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to equip young learners for the upcoming academic year while easing the financial burden on public school parents.
Executive Secretary Ralph Recto noted that the initiative recognizes the significant sacrifices families make to support their children’s education.
“We know that for many families, preparing for the school year means making sacrifices to buy school supplies and other needs,” Recto stated. “By helping the hardworking parents get their children ready for class, we are giving our kids a better start.”
Recto emphasized that the distributed school bags represent the administration’s commitment to educational equity, ensuring that no Filipino child falls behind due to a lack of basic materials.
“Ang bawat bag na ating ipinamimigay ay hindi lang basta school supplies. Simbolo ito ng ating paniniwala na walang batang Pilipino ang dapat mapag-iwanan dahil lamang sa kakulangan ng mga pangunahing gamit sa pag-aaral,” he explained.
He further stressed that investing in early childhood education is critical for long-term academic success, as fundamental literacy and numeracy skills are formed during these foundational years.
The program held its official launch at Taytay Elementary Public School, where the first 4,000 students received kits equipped with notebooks, crayons, pencils, rulers, and other school necessities. This initial event marks the start of a nationwide, phased rollout across public schools identified by the Department of Education (DepEd).
Funded through the Office of the Executive Secretary’s Socio-Civic Projects Fund (SCPF) in coordination with DepEd, the collaborative project is structured to ensure the transparent, efficient, and direct delivery of materials to the intended beneficiaries.