Kasal ni Dennis sa laing babaye balido pa?

The Ronald McDonald's House of Charities, in cooperation with the city government and the Department of Social Welfare and Development, yesterday opened the first "Bahay Bulilit" in Cebu and the entire Central Visayas.

At least four other "Bahay Bulilits," which serve as day care centers that will benefit children six years old and below, were also inaugurated and turned over to the local governments in Batangas, Bataan Laguna, and Zamboanga yesterday.

In Cebu, the first "Bahay Bulilit" is located in Macroville, barangay Kamputhaw. It is aimed to benefit more than 70 preschoolers in the area.

The RMHC provides the fund for the building and the school facilities, while the DSWD provides the psychosocial component and the LGU offers the lot needed.

Architect Ramon de Jesus, who is in-charge of the construction of "Bahay Bulilit," said they have spent more than P1 million for each of the project.

In Cebu, however, they just renovated the existing day care center of the barangay and provided it with the needed facilities like desks, chairs and school materials for the kids. De Jesus said they are also supposed to build a play area for the children but the space is limited.

The classroom can accommodate 35 to 40 kindergarten pupils and has morning and afternoon sessions.

De Jesus said that to help more preschoolers, they have identified two more sites in Cebu for the next "Bahay Bulilits" project. "Our commitment is for one store, we would build one Bahay Bulilit," he said. Mc Donald's has already nine stores in Cebu.

"Since this is the first Bahay Bulilit in Region VII, we aggressively look for more site to put up Bahay Bulilit. This is to show that we love our kids," de Jesus said.

According to him, the project is part of RMHC's program in promoting the rights of the child, especially in getting better education. The funds for the project are taken from the McDonald's Happy Meal. He said that for every purchase of the Happy Meal, a percent of the amount paid goes to the RMHC to fund its projects.

Vice Mayor Michael Rama commended McDonald's for the project, adding that he hopes to see more similar projects in the future for the benefits of the children and the community.

 Kamputhaw barangay captain Lorenzo Basamot also thanked RMHC for the project and for choosing his barangay to be its beneficiary. - Wenna A. Berondo/LPM