Makati earmarks P2.17-B for city education

MANILA, Philippines - The city of Makati has earmarked P2.17 billion of its budget for this year to finance its education projects for the pre-school, elementary, high school and college levels.

Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay said the budget does not include the allocation for the K-12 program on its pilot implementation at the University of Makati, since it is being funded by the Mayor’s Special Projects Office.

Last year, Makati through the city-owned University of Makati piloted the K to 12 program, offering Grades 11 and 12 or Senior High School dubbed “Higher School ng UMak” (HSU). Around 5,000 students enrolled in Grade 11 when the program was launched. Just like students of the city’s public preschools, elementary and high schools, K to 12 students are also entitled to receive free school supplies and uniforms.

Binay said the bulk of this year’s budget amounting to P1.5 billion has been allocated for expenditures in the pre-school to junior high school levels, while the remaining P717, 380,000 constitutes the budget for the operations of the UMAK.

Aside from the city-owned and run UMAK, Makati city has 28 public elementary schools and 10 public high schools.

Of the P1.5 billion budget for preschool to junior high school, P459 million has been earmarked for the purchase of textbooks and instructional materials; P49.3 million for school supplies; P5.3 million, bags; P64.7 million, P. E. T-shirts; and P120 million for school uniforms of students.

Binay said this year’s budget appropriation for free school supplies and instructional materials has been increased by P82 million from P377 million the previous year to cover the anticipated rise in enrollment this coming school year.

The increasing trend in enrollment in the city’s public schools has been observed for the past years, which is why the city government has sustained an annual increase in its budget for education, particularly for school supplies and uniforms.

Meanwhile, DepEd-Makati superintendent Dominico Idanan pointed out a significant increase in this year’s allocation for school uniforms, which has been doubled from last year’s P65-million budget.

Idanan said the increased allocation was in line with the plan of the city government to provide ready-to-wear (RTW) school uniforms instead of just textiles that were previously given to parents upon school opening.

“The city government is actually giving in to the request of the majority of the parents for ready-to-wear uniforms for them to save money on the cost of tailoring services,” Idanan said.