Baguio Welcomes Its First Ronald McDonald Bahay Bulilit Learning Center: a Collective Commitment to Early Childhood Education
BAGUIO CITY, March 12, 2025 — As part of a shared commitment to championing early childhood education, Ronald McDonald House Charities (RHMC), McDonald’s Philippines, and the City Government of Baguio, officially turned over the newest Ronald McDonald Bahay Bulilit Learning Center to the resident of Purok 1, Barangay Asin.
City Mayor Benjamin Magalong delivered his message of support and thanked the residents and barangay officials of Asin, to RMHC and McDonald’s Philippines during the ceremonial opening of the Bahay Bulilit Learning Center, the first in Baguio City and the Cordillera Administrative Region, also the turnover of the key to Asin Punong Barangay Peter Pugong Dumapi was very successful.
Michael Del Rosario the store owner and operator of McDonald’s in Baguio gave an inspirational message and also Cynthia Langagan, Assistant to City Social Welfare and Development delivered her message of support
Every Bahay Bulilit Learning Center is a result of the collaboration among different stakeholders—the land on which it is built is provided by the city government, the learning center is constructed by RMHC, through the support of McDonald’s Philippines, the City Social Work and Development Office handles the day-to-day operations, and the community supports with its upkeep.
Bringing color and creativity to the space, this particular Bahay Bulilit also features a mural by local Baguio artist Kunaya Lopez, whose work reflects her advocacy for young Baguio learners through art. Inspired by the city’s rich culture, her mural serves as a bright and welcoming backdrop for children as they take their first steps in education.
Each Bahay Bulilit Learning Center serves 90 to 100 children every school year, providing a safe and fun space where they can develop basic skills needed to prepare for formal schooling. Built on approximately a 120-150 sqm lot, each center features a learner’s area, a reading corner stocked with reading resources, a wash area, and separate restrooms for girls and boys. Through reading, writing, storytelling, and other educational activities, children learn and grow while also having the opportunity to play and build social skills.
In an interview with McDonald Philippines Assistant Vice President for Corporate Relations and Impact Ms. Adi Hernandez, “Supporting Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) is critical in instilling a strong foundation for lifelong learning. This is why at McDonald’s Philippines and Ronald McDonald House Charities, we are committed to investing and scaling programs like the Ronald McDonald Bahay Bulilit Learning Center, as it provides ECCD access to more young Filipino learners.”
“With the opening of the Bahay Bulilit Learning Center in Baguio City, there are now 47 Ronald McDonald Bahay Bulilit Learning Centers across the country, benefitting over 4,000 children and our goal this 2025 is to open 10 learning centers, the most we will ever do in a year–and more in the next few years.”
“This is a tripartite agreement from the LGU, Local Community, and McDonald’s Philippines in maintaining this Ronald McDonald House Charities, the CSWD will be the one to run and take care of day to day operation of a Learning Center, and we can accommodate 30 to 40 per batch every session,”
“We’re truly grateful for the support of the local government, and recognize that it is through partnerships and collaboration across industries and sectors, that enable community development initiatives to thrive and truly become sustainable,” Hernandez concluded.
McDonald’s Philippines, together with Ronald McDonald House Charities, continues to expand its support for learners at every stage.
Beyond early childhood care and education, another program of RMHC is Ronald McDonald Read to Learn, a program in partnership with the Department of Education (DepEd) that helps Grade 1 and 2 public school students with beginning reading skills.
RMHC and McDonald’s also partner with DepEd for their annual Brigada Eskwela program, and support more public schools with McDonald’s ReClassified–a program that repurposes decommissioned restaurant furniture from renovated McDonald’s restaurants into school chairs with desks, and other classroom furniture.
Furthering its advocacy for education, McDonald’s also offers opportunities for out-of-school youth in partnership with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), and directly hires working students as crew members, enabling them to earn while finishing their studies. # Photos by Mario Oclaman //Filipino News Sentinel
