QUEZON City Vice Mayor Ma. Josefina “Joy” G. Belmonte said her educational and social programs are meant to uplift the quality of public-school education during the recent “Pandesal Forum” held at the Kamuning Bakery Café. She said she continues her initiatives to support the many needs of the city’s public-school students and teachers, ranging from higher academic standards, classrooms and equipment needs and security safeguards.
Her office endeavors to improve the health and nutrition of their constituents, as well as promote illegal-drugs prevention and rehabilitation. She invited the public, especially the academic sector, to support the fifth year of her annual project—the Quezon City International Film Festival (QCinema).
She said this yearly event is pivotal in promoting better quality Philippine independent films.
Soon to be launched in the country’s largest movie screen at the new Vertis North mall, QCinema encourages independent movie makers to produce screenplays that will promote the city.
During the forum, Belmonte witnessed and helped facilitate the donation of plastic chairs by J&T Plasticware factory owner Joeben Tai, represented by executive Ian de Ausen, to Quezon City High School officials led by principal Janet Dionio. Among other academic-oriented projects of Belmonte are the Commission on Higher Education Special Study Grant Program, with 1,066 beneficiaries; module development on adolescent reproductive-health education, in partnership with the Division of City Schools and Women’s Health Care Foundation; Gabay Guro Program, in collaboration with Smart Foundation, attended by 250 masteral teachers to enhance education via scholarships, English proficiency and computer literacy; and special-education training for day-care workers, with 50 participants trained on early detection and intervention approaches in teaching children with special needs.
The office of the vice mayor also donated computer sets to five schools for their computer-literacy program; donated books and computers to the Novaliches Public Library, and in six other public elementary schools in Quezon City; distributed school supplies to 12,200 children, oral hygiene kits to 1,800 schoolers, school bags and learning items to 7,837 indigent students, 3,460 umbrellas to school-age children in District 3 and graduation leis to 69,811 students.
Pandesal Forum is a nonpartisan event regularly held at the Kamuning Bakery Café ever since it opened as the city’s pioneer bake shop in 1939. It is moderated by the bakery owner and newspaper columnist Wilson Lee Flores.