Bahay Bulilit rises in Mandaluyong

A day-care center for children from low-income families has opened in Mandaluyong City.

Called the Bahay Bulilt, it is a project of the Ronald Mcdonald House Charities (RMHC), the charity arm of the world’s biggest fastfood chain McDonald’s Corp.

Mandaluyong Mayor Benhur Abalos Jr. led the formal opening of the 120-square-meter day-care center along Martinez street, with RMHC president Kenneth Yang giving him the keys to the facility.

The mayor’s wife, Carmelita, will be in charge of the maintenance and operation of the center under the Kababaihan Kakaiba ng Mandaluyong, a local women’s group.

Abalos praised RMHC for its generosity in putting up the daycare center in the heavily populated Welfareville Compound.

"This center will go a long way in providing a place for our children to play and learn," he said.

Yang, for his part, vowed to continue RMHC’s programs to promote education among the youth, something that the organization did in 44 countries. He revealed that McDonald’s customers are the ones who should be thanked by Bahay Bulilit beneficiaries.

"They help us help you," he told a crowd of 120 Mandaluyong children during the Bahay Bulilit opening. "By buying Happy Meals from us, they contribute something to the RMHC fund that we use in putting up centers like this."

Bahay Bulilit literally means little house and can also be interpreted as a house for the little ones. The concept was born last year with the partnership of RMHC, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and local government units (LGUs).

Under the partnership, the DSWD helps in looking for government land that can be used for day-care centers. The RMHC in turn builds the centers while the LGUs take care of the day-to-day operations.

According to RMHC manager Butch Salaya, the first Bahay Bulilit along C-5 Road (near Kalayaan) in Makati City opened its doors to hundreds of children in November last year. "This year, we plan to put up three more in Metro Manila and later on in the provinces," he said. – Non Alquitran