San Juan City supports public education from the classrooms to students’ homes via various provisions

Video clip of over 700 public schools K-12 learners treat San Juan Mayor Francis Zamora with a welcome worthy of a rock star:

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1BnFnMRUgX/

Short link: https://wp.me/paaccn-10Tj

| X (Twitter): @edd1819 | Instagram: @bluestar0910 |Facebook: SDN Chronicle

SAN JUAN CITY, August 25, 2026 (SDN) — Over 700 screaming learners treated Mayor Francis Zamora to a rock star welcome on Monday, August 24, at the eGovPH Serbisyo Hub Building here along Pinaglabanan Street, Barangay San Perfecto.

As he entered the venue for the ceremonial distribution of shoes the city government provided for free, the young students, as soon as they saw him emerged, suddenly erupted in unison, screaming to the top of their voices, a deafening cacophony of voices enveloping the wide two-level venue. Screams that even the deaf might hear.

So, where did this army of enthusiastic screamers come from, essentially the mayor’s adoring fans in uncontrollable mayhem?

WATCH San Juan Mayor Francis M. Zamora putting on the students’ shoes: https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1EQjvHSTCG/

One of the staff of the mayor told SDN – SciTech & Digital News that Zamora’s cheering fans are representatives of the city’s 13 schools, which have around 13,000 students from Grade I to Grade XII. Each of the schools sent 50 to 60 representatives to the event.

Zamora’s staff said as the ceremonial shoe distribution was being held at the new extension of City Hall, eGovPH Serbisyo Hub, thousands of pairs of shoes were being released to students in their respective schools.

Before he climbed up and commanded the stage as would a rock star, the mayor first approached the kids who continued to screams continued. Many stood up and approached and mobbed Zamora, who gamely took the adoration.

Zamora gamely went with the moment’s flow, apparently enjoying his time with her wards.

As they continued to mob him, many handed their shoes for the mayor’s autograph, with not a hint of displeasure in his happy face.

The autograph signing, the mobbing, the screams occupied a good part of the event, and likely the children will take this memory home and keep it for a long while.

School supervisors tried to contain and calm down the innocent mayhem. But to no avail.

After the autograph signing everyone taught the mayor was ready to take stage for event proper. No. He, instead proceeded to the stage’s front edge where 10 pre-selected students were seated with their boxes of shoes.

To the surprise of the attendees, not the least members of the media ppresent, the mayor put on each of the kid’s shoes, tying the laces, as he proceeded with the ritual. One by one he did.

Here are some more photographic records of the event via SDN

Let’s hear it from some of the kids. SDN spoke with a few of them.

“Kinakaban. Natutuwa. Ngayon lang ako sinuotan ng sapatos (Nervous. Happy. It’s only now that someone put my shoes on),” a smiling Grade 4 Roencia Isaver T. Losantas, 9 years old. She was the lucky one, the first the mayor helped put on her s hoes.

Grade 6 Jan Gabriel B. LasPinas, 12 years old, Sta. Lucia Elementary School (SLES), said this is his second pair of shoes in 2026. “Maraming salamat kay Mayor at binigyan kami ng sapatos na magagamit sa high school (Thanks so much to the Mayor for giving as shoes that can be used in high school).” He was to be a seaman.

Grade 6 Axelle Rose Zonio, 11 years old, also expresses her thanks to Zamora, saying, this can help them in their studies, including those active in sports.

Aside from the shoes and PE uniforms, the mayor also cited other necessary school supplies and materials provided to the city’s public schools, including 55-inch Smart TV Sets in classrooms.

The T-shirts supplied to the students were inscribed with the slogan that says “Ako ay San Juaneno. Ayoko sa Droga”.

He further assured the schoolchildren to not hesitate to approach him whatever their problem and to not keep them to themselves. Bullying is not tolerated in the city, he emphasized.

San Juan Government under Zamora has wide ranging support for public school students, parents, and teachers

Referring to the provisions of free shoes for the learners, he said it will not end as long as he is the mayor. He added this is part of the City Government’s comprehensive educational assistance to help families reduce their school expenses and that students have the resources to focus on their studies.

Last month in July, the City Government also provided San Juan’s K-12 students with tablets even as fibre optic internet connection was installed in all classrooms and in their homes.

Honor students, the mayor said, are also granted financial incentives by the local government as well as those levelling up from Grades 6, 10, and 12.

Not only that, those who distinguished themselves by winning in regional, national, and international academic and sports competitions receive financial incentives in honor of their hard work and achievements.

Public school students’ families also receive financial for their expenses related to education, all public school teachers also receive laptops and financial incentives to tide them over.

San Juan City’s admirable huge support for education is not for nothing, according to the 2024 Functional Literacy, Education, and Mass Media Survey (FLEMMS) the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) conducted.

The FLEMMS made public in 2025 showed San Juan registered a functional literacy rate of 95 percent, which ranked the City Number 1 among all the Philippines’ highly urbanized cities. — EDD K. USMAN (©)

________

The author

EDD, a native of Sub-Saharan Africa Buluan/Datu Piang, Maguindanao del Sur, BARMM, college at UST, is a Manila-based journalist for over 40 years (33 years with Manila Bulletin), has five Media Awards (1 with University of the Philippines (UP) 2017 Science Journalism Award), covered and traveled over 40 times abroad), has contributed to Rappler, Business Mirror, Manila Business Insights, Panorama Magazine, Agriculture Magazine, and others, former Manila-based Foreign Correspondent of Saudi Arabia newspapers Saudi Gazette and Riyadh Daily, and The Peninsula (Qatar newspaper), with 2008 East-West Center (EWC) Journalism Seminar in the United States, 2000 Executive IT Seminar in Seoul, South Korea, with three Silver Awards in Photography, writes Muslim and Current Affairs, Enterprise, Science, Tech, Products Launch, and virtually everything under Heaven. (®)