PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. led the distribution of educational materials to students from 13 public schools in San Juan City on Thursday.
Marcos was assisted in the activity by Education Secretary Sonny Angara at Pinaglabanan Elementary School.
In his speech, Marcos underscored the importance of strong collaboration between national and local governments in improving the welfare of students and teachers.
"To the youth, make full use of everything we have brought for you and all the assistance we are providing to our presidential scholars. Do your best," Marcos said.
"The local government and the national government can accomplish more together," he added.
During his visit, Marcos first went to the Grade 1 and Grade 3 classrooms, where the pupils demonstrated the use of tablets in their lessons.
He also observed the use of smart televisions and other digital learning tools in the classroom.
The president then joined the distribution of educational materials to students at the gymnasium, an initiative jointly undertaken by the Office of the President and the San Juan City government.
Under the program, the San Juan City government is distributing 13,000 tablets to learners across the city’s public schools to support digital learning.
Students also received school uniforms and rubber shoes from the local government.
Meanwhile, the Office of the President, through the Office of the Executive Secretary, distributed 1,000 school bags containing notebooks, pencils, crayons, and other school supplies for Kindergarten and Grade 1 learners.
The initiative aims to help students gain better access to learning resources while helping ease education-related expenses for families.
Marcos also attended the orientation of 105 Presidential Scholars representing the 21 villages of San Juan City.
The scholars are beneficiaries of educational assistance under the Socio-Civic Projects Fund, which allocates P100,000 per barangay for five scholars, with each recipient receiving P20,000 to help support their educational needs.
Marcos urged the scholars to study hard, noting that they might one day lead the country.
"You think this would take a long time, it will be sooner than you think when it is time for you to be the ones to run this country. You will be the ones who will lead the Philippines," Marcos said.
"And I’m not talking about government alone. I’m talking in all the different sectors — in private business, in education, in government, in all the sectors," he added.
Marcos commended the San Juan City government for its commitment to education, citing its initiatives to provide public school students with learning tools and other forms of support.
The president stressed the need to improve teachers' welfare, noting his administration's release of teachers’ allowances over the past two years and the increased number of teaching positions nationwide.
"If the youth are the hope of the nation, then the hope and future of the Philippines are in the hands of our teachers," he added.
The education sector received the largest allocation in this year’s national budget — P1.345 trillion, in line with the Constitution’s mandate to prioritize education.
The budget will fund the creation of 32,916 teaching positions and 32,268 nonteaching plantilla positions in public schools.
