MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Education (DepEd) has reached a major milestone in its long-running effort to address textbook shortages, announcing that it has completed procurement of all 105 textbook titles targeted for public elementary and secondary schools in 2026.
The achievement marks a dramatic turnaround from years of delays in acquiring learning resources. According to DepEd, the 105 titles represent nearly four times the number of textbook titles procured during the previous decade combined.
But while the procurement milestone is being hailed as a breakthrough, the work is not completely finished.
Some Senior High School (SHS) Core Subject textbooks and teachers’ manuals are still undergoing detailed bid evaluation. DepEd said the bidding stage has been completed, with bidders participating in all lots, but contracts still need to be awarded before production and nationwide distribution can proceed. The department expects delivery of these materials nationwide by December 2026 after the contracts are awarded.
From 27 Titles in a Decade to 105 in One Year
The latest development is particularly significant because it comes after years of criticism over the country’s slow textbook procurement system.
The Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II) previously found that DepEd procured only 27 of 88 required textbook titles from 2014 to 2023. The shortage meant that many public-school learners and teachers did not have complete textbook sets for their grade levels.
EDCOM II had earlier described the procurement system as being burdened by lengthy procedures and bottlenecks. In 2025, the commission reported that DepEd had already made significant progress, including procuring and delivering 60 new textbook titles in 2024 alone—more than twice the number acquired during the preceding decade.
The commission said the previous system involved a lengthy manuscript-development process that could push procurement timelines beyond 200 days.
DepEd subsequently introduced reforms intended to speed up the process.
What Changed Inside DepEd?
The department attributed the dramatic improvement to changes in its textbook-selection and procurement policies, particularly DepEd Order No. 008, series of 2025.
Under the revised guidelines, initial technical checks are subject to a five-day timeline, while content evaluation is limited to a 90-calendar-day period. DepEd also separated price considerations from the scoring of material quality.
Once a textbook passes the required quality-assurance stages, it can proceed directly to procurement without going through additional text modifications that could further delay the process.
The new approach is designed to prevent the kind of prolonged review cycles that previously contributed to textbook shortages.
EDCOM II has also credited reforms such as early procurement and the selection of commercially available titles for helping reduce procurement timelines. The commission reported that the process had been shortened from around 210 days to about 60 days under the reforms implemented by DepEd.
The Numbers Show a Dramatic Turnaround
DepEd said textbook procurement completion improved substantially over the past few years:
- 31% completion during the 2014–2023 period
- 57% across 2024 and 2025
- 100% of the 105-title 2026 target
Education Secretary Sonny Angara described the accomplishment as more than an administrative achievement, arguing that faster procurement is directly connected to giving learners the materials they need to study.
The development also comes as DepEd receives substantial funding for learning resources.
For 2026, the department has been allocated roughly ₱19.5 billion for textbooks and other learning materials, with the agency targeting more than 103 million learning resources to support students and curriculum implementation.
Which Grade Levels Are Covered?
The textbook procurement effort has been tied to the phased implementation of the country’s revised curriculum.
The sequence included learning resources for:
- Grades 1, 4 and 7, plus Senior High School, beginning in 2024
- Grade 3 and Grades 2, 5 and 8 in 2025
- Grades 6, 9 and 10 in 2026
With the 2026 procurement target reached, DepEd says all 105 approved printed and electronic textbook titles are moving through procurement and distribution for classroom use.
But Here’s the Catch: Procurement Is Not the Same as Delivery
The headline figure of 105 titles may sound like the textbook shortage has already been completely solved nationwide—but the distinction between procurement and actual classroom delivery is important.
DepEd itself clarified that the SHS Core Subject textbook and teachers’ manual procurement process is still undergoing detailed evaluation following the bid-opening stage.
The department must still complete the contract-award process before production and distribution can take place. Nationwide delivery of those resources is expected to be completed by December 2026.
That means the real test now shifts from buying the books to getting them into schools on time.
This distinction matters because textbook shortages in Philippine public schools have historically been caused not only by procurement delays but also by problems involving delivery, logistics and the availability of complete sets.
EDCOM II previously noted that textbooks and other learning resources could face logistical problems even after procurement, including materials being left in warehouses because delivery was handled separately from procurement.
A Major Milestone—But the Classroom Will Be the Final Test
DepEd’s completion of its 105-title procurement target represents a significant change from the situation documented by education policymakers over the past decade.
The numbers are striking: 27 titles acquired over a decade compared with a 105-title target completed in 2026.
Still, the success of the reform will ultimately be measured not by the number of titles procured, but by whether students and teachers actually receive the correct, high-quality learning materials when they need them.
For millions of Filipino learners, the question now is no longer simply whether DepEd can procure textbooks faster.
The bigger question is whether the books will finally reach classrooms fast enough to make a difference.
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