LEGAZPI CITY, June 4 -- The local government of Batuan in Masbate province will provide free school supplies to 4,101 public school learners from kindergarten to Grade 12 as part of its support for the opening of school year 2026-2027 on June 8.

Batuan Mayor Marco Martinez Cam said the initiative aims to ease the financial burden of parents while ensuring students have basic learning materials.

"We all know that one of the concerns of parents every year is their children's school supplies. This initiative aims to help address those needs so that families can use their budget for other important expenses," Cam said in an interview.

Based on DepEd enrollment data as of May 2026, 2,275 learners are enrolled in elementary schools and 1,82...