• CHERYL G. CRUZ
The first Bahay Bulilit learning center to be constructed in Bacolod City by the Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) and McDonald’s Philippines opened this morning, July 29, in Barangay Taculing.
The one-storey learning center can accommodate a maximum of 80 kids, three to four years old, with 40 pupils for the morning class, and another batch for the afternoon class, Mondays to Fridays, Alma Gustilo, officer-in-charge of the Department of Social Services and Development (DSSD) Bacolod, told the Negros NOW Daily at the blessing of the center, led by Rev. Jose John Fuertes, San Antonio Abad Parish assisting deacon, and the turnover ceremony attended by city and barangay, as well as RMHC and McDo executives and employees, among others.
Gustilo said the city already hired a teacher for the center, and the parents/guardians will undergo an orientation before the start of classes, possibly next week. This bahay bulilit has also been registered with the Department of Social Welfare and Development as a daycare center, she added.
Adi Hernandez, McDonald’s Philippines assistant vice president for Corporate Relations and Impact, and the VP of RMHC Philippines, said this newly-opened center is the 42nd nationwide.
“It really makes sense for us to have a bahay bulilit here because we are continuously growing in the city and this is our way of giving back,” Hernandez said, adding there are seven McDo stores in Bacolod and 11 all over Negros Occidental.
“This is also our way of thanking Bacolod for welcoming us, for being a partner, and to help the community,” she said, and took note that this learning center is in a good site and the biggest, so far, with land area of 130 square meters and a floor area of 80 sqm. “We average 70 to 75 sqm for our other bahay bulilits.”
Hernandez said the P3 million is only for the construction, and does not include the upkeep of the center and the renovation every five years to ensure the quality of their bahay bulilits for the safety of the kids.
She said that while the bahay bulilit is primarily a learning center, it can also be used for other purposes in very special cases, like during calamities, or when the COVID pandemic hit and some were used as distribution points for relief goods.
With the opening of this 42nd bahay bulilit, RMHC is a step closer to its goal of having 100 learning centers all over the country by 2028, providing early childhood education to 10,000 young learners every school year, it said in a statement.
For over two decades, these learning centers have offered safe spaces for children to learn, develop essential skills, and play. Every bahay bulilit includes a learner’s area for basic lessons on values and ethics, a reading corner to foster early reading habits with the help of social workers, and a play corner where kids can have fun, express creativity, and make friends.
There is also a hand wash area, and separate comfort rooms for boys and girls, to teach them basic hygiene practices, the RMHC said.
To have a bahay bulilit in a community, McDonald’s and RMHC Philippines partner with the local government unit, which provides the site and runs the day-to-day operations, including the hiring of trained daycare teachers.
For Bacolod, the 150 square-meter property was donated at Rosario Heights Subdivision, Barangay Taculing.
“We are very thankful to the city government of Bacolod for their warm welcome and support. We laud their efforts in uplifting the lives of children through education, a shared commitment and value we have,” Hernandez said in a press release. “Rest assured that McDonald’s and RMHC will continue to be here for the community…to make a positive and lasting impact.” | CGC
