Day Care Centers to Rise in Three Towns and a City

Officials of three towns and one city of Cebu and concerned barangay officials signed separate agreements on the construction of 14 “early learning centers” worth around P14 million yesterday at the plenary hall of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc.-Eduardo Aboitiz Development Studies Center on Lopez Jaena St., Parian, Cebu City.

Represented by RAFI-Dolores Aboitiz Children’s Fund (DACF) executive committee chairwoman Ma. Cristina C. Aboitiz, RAFI and the chief executives or the representatives of Talisay City and the towns of Argao, Aloguinsan and Asturias signed the tripartite agreement to erect a day care center each in Barangays Punay, Saksak, Tampa-an, and Zaragosa in Aloguinsan town; Lunas, Manguiao, Owak, San Isidro, and Tag-amakan in Asturias town; Bulasa, Usmad, Talaga, Tulang in Argao town; and in Cansojong, Talisay City.

Officials of the concerned barangays also attended the agreement signing, which would not be the first as the RAFI-Dolores Aboitiz Children’s Fund (RAFI-DACF) intends to build more day care centers as commitment to help advance early child care and development in the province.

“Education is important that is why we implemented this program. Kay nabantayannamo, and based sab sa survey,ngadaghangmgagubanga day care centers, and they are not conducive to learning,” said Maria Iris V. Andrino, RAFI-DACF executive director.

Representing the barangay and local government unit partner officials, Asturias Mayor Alan Adlawan said that while there are already day care centers in his town, the ones RAFI is helping them build are different as they are sturdier and of better quality.

He said that is aside from the fact that the partnership enables them to spend just a very small amount as counterpart funding and they already have a brand new day care center, which has separate comfort rooms for girls and boys.
“Walana man mi matingalanganisuportaang RAFI saamokay usual na man silasigetabangsaamoa. Maongmalipayon mi ngapirmi mi maapilsa beneficiaries sa RAFI,” Adlawan said.

Each of the day care centers would also have their own sets of books to be provided by RAFI and consultancy firm Renoir, which is helping RAFI-DACF by likewise providing funds for the project.

“Renoir is a consulting firm and we got their services to ease our processes. They are a separate institution from RAFI but they also have their charitable activities; that is why for the past years, instead of doing gift giving in the orphanage, they decided to give the money to us”, Andrinosaid.

RAFI-DACF’s early learning center construction program, which was started in 2011, has already built 60 day care centers all over Cebu.