EDUCATION Secretary Juan Edgardo Angara confirmed that they are already in talks with the Government Procurement Policy Board or GPPB to adopt a title-based approach to textbook procurement, which could potentially reduce procurement time by one year.

This was after Senator Pia Cayetano inquired about the particularly concerning delay in the department’s textbook deliveries.

“We would already identify book titles that would be purchased, instead of the current practice where we procure different suppliers for manuscript, printing, and then delivery,” Angara said.

In previous meetings with the GPPB and DepEd, EDCOM 2 Co-Chair Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian had also recommended the pre-selection of textbooks as a more efficient alternative to the current process.

“That was one of our recommendations, one of the ideas that was floated that in private schools, even in basic education they give you a list and you go to a book store and you buy your books,” Gatchalian, said.

“So, the private schools they don’t print their own books or make their own books,” Gatchalian pointed out.