MANILA, Philippines — Despite streamlining the procurement process, the Department of Education (DepEd) continues to struggle with chronic delays in textbook delivery and a lack of diversity in the publishing industry.
A final report from the Second Congressional Commission on Education (Edcom 2), titled “Turning Point: A Decade of Necessary Reforms,” highlights structural barriers that prevent hundreds of registered publishers from participating in government biddings.
The “Publisher Concentration” Issue The commission revealed a striking gap between the number of registered publishers and those who actually win government contracts:
- Active List: The National Book Development Board (NBDB) lists 328 active publishers nationwide.
- Winning Bidders: In the latest DepEd bidding cycle, only 10 publishers won all 60 lots, indicating a heavy concentration of contracts among a few dominant players.
- Standard-Setting Failure: Edcom 2 noted that the NBDB has failed to fully realize its vision of capacity-building and standard-setting for the industry, even after 30 years of existence.
Geographic and Logistics Mismatch The report also identified a “spatial mismatch” in the book publishing value chain:
- Luzon Dominance: Most NBDB-registered enterprises are concentrated in Luzon.
- Visayas and Mindanao Gaps: Northern provinces in the Visayas have almost no publishing-related enterprises, while Mindanao has only a handful of printers.
- Logistics Burden: This imbalance forces DepEd to rely on multi-stage logistics chains that are highly vulnerable to weather and port delays, with books often crossing two to four islands before reaching remote classrooms.
Warehousing and Delivery Failures Even when books are procured, they often fail to reach schools on time due to:
- Inadequate Storage: Many regional offices rely on rented facilities that lack humidity control, security, or inventory tracking systems.
- Fragmented Delivery: Logistics are split across multiple contractors, leading to a lack of coordination and advance notifications for recipient schools.
Recommendations for the 10-Year Action Plan Edcom 2 has proposed several key reforms to be included in the national action plan for education:
- Regional Support: Provide capacity-building support to strengthen smaller publishing houses in strategic areas outside of Luzon.
- Flexible Bidding: Allow for smaller bid lots and the adoption of multiple textbook titles to encourage broader industry participation.
- Two-Year Runway: Implement a two-year planning and procurement timeline to ensure textbooks and manuals are delivered before the first day of classes.
- Library Hub Review: Re-evaluate the effectiveness of library hubs and resource allocations to improve student access to high-quality supplementary materials.
By addressing these “structural barriers,” the commission hopes to foster a more resilient and diverse educational supply chain that can meet the needs of Filipino learners in 2026 and beyond.