The Philippine National Police will deploy around 37,000 cops nationwide to ensure public safety as classes resume for School Year 2025–2026 on June 16.
PNP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Jean Fajardo said on Saturday preparations are in full swing ahead of the class opening.
“We are ready,” Fajardo said in a radio interview with dzBB. “Around 37,000 police officers will be deployed, including 5,000 assigned to man police assistance desks in schools,” she added.
She said both mobile and foot patrols will also be active near school zones to maintain order during the opening week of classes.
The academic year, which now spans 197 class days, will conclude on March 31, 2026. This schedule reverts the school calendar to its traditional June-to-March cycle, before changes introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. earlier directed the Department of Trade and Industry to make sure prices of school supplies remained reasonable and affordable.
The DTI, upon the President’s directive, released a comprehensive guide to enable the consumers to know the price of school items they need for the upcoming academic year, Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro said.
Citing the DTI’s price guide, Castro said prices of 29 school items have decreased compared to the previous year.
The 2025 price guide covers 195 stock keeping units (SKUs) across 12 product categories, including more variations in notebooks, pad paper, pencils, ballpens, crayons, and other writing essentials.
The expansion helps parents and students find products that fit their needs and budget.
Prices of around 101 SKUs or 52 percent of the 195 listed items such as ballpens, erasers, and sharpeners remained the same from last year.
Based on the price guide, notebooks are priced at P15 to P52, while pad paper costs from P15 to P48.75. Pencils are sold from P11 to P24 while crayons, in various box sizes, can be purchased for P12 to P114.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline “PNP to deploy 37K cops for School Year 2025-2026 ‘balik-eskwela’.”