Senator Imee Marcos this weekend distributed free Pandesal packs to principals, teachers and students of four public schools (Kamuning Elementary School, Quezon City High School, Tomas Morato Elementary School & Don Alejandro Roces Science High School) at a ceremony at Kamuning Bakery Cafe in Quezon City to kickstart the annual “World Pandesal Day” celebrated every year on October 16. She also answered socio-economic, geopolitics and other questions from the media at “Pandesal Forum”.
Free Pandesal breads and other foods were given, and free; medical/dental/optical mission were also conducted yesterday (October 16) for “World Pandesal Day” at 83-year-old Kamuning Bakery Cafe at Judge Jimenez Street corner K-1st Street, Barangay Kamuning, Quezon City.
This is also the first ever actual free medical/dental/optical mission by Federation of Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce & Industry, Inc. (FFCCCII) ever since the global pandemic for the public.
It all started on October 16, 2015 with special guests GMA Network, Inc. Chairman Atty. Felipe Gozon, Senator Sonny Angara and former National Youth Commission (NYC) Commissioner Dingdong Dantes, Kamuning Bakery Cafe owner Wilson Lee Flores said the goals of “World Pandesal Day” are to honor the humble yet great Pandesal as national bread of the Philippines and to highlight the need to solve the age-old problems of hunger and poverty.
Other leaders who have expressed support for World Pandesal Day in the past included former President Rodrigo Duterte, former First Lady Imelda Romualdez Marcos, former Vice-President Leni Robredo and others.
Wilson Lee Flores said this philanthropic project of giving away 70,000 free breads and other foods to urban poor families every October 16 was inspired by the miracle in the Bible of a boy who donated five loaves of bread and two fishes, which Jesus Christ multiplied to feed thousands of people.
The World Pandesal Day has the support of FFCCCII, Philippine Foremost Milling, San Miguel Mills, Mondelez Philippines, Hobe Noodles, Mega Sardines, King Sue Ham, Yan Yan International Phils. Inc., Ever Bilena, Nash Coffee, Caltex in Iba Malhacan Road, Meycauayan Exit, Bulacan, Cathedral Cargo Movers Trucking and Pagcor.
Established in 1939, Kamuning Bakery Cafe is the first and pioneer bakery in Quezon City, it has become a cultural institution and bastion of freedom of expression with the civic project of the non-partisan “Pandesal Forum” where leaders and newsmakers dialogue with media and intellectuals. Among its numerous clientele and visitors included Philippine presidents Cory C. Aquino, Fidel V. Ramos and Bongbong Marcos; foreign ambassadors of USA, China, Russia, UK, Singapore; even opposition leaders Leni Robredo, Ping Lacson, Risa Hontiveros, Leody de Guzman and Walden F. Bello. Former President Rodrigo Duterte and Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte also annually express support for World Pandesal Day.
Kamuning Bakery Cafe’s many notable clientele since 1939 include its first “suki” or loyal customer the pre-war newspaper tycoon Don Alejandro Roces and his son the late newspaper publisher and activist Joaquin “Chino” Roces; national artists Nick Joaquin, Levi Celerio, Dr. Bienvenido Lumbera, Ricky Lee, Ryan Cayabyab; U.P. Dean Armando Malay; numerous celebrities, writers, artists, intellectuals, and many others.
For 83 years, Kamuning Bakery Cafe has resiliently survived crises, like the Japanese military occupation of World War II, the 2018 neighboring resto bar’s fire and the 2020/2021 global pandemic.
College teacher and writer Wilson Lee Flores has also turned Kamuning Bakery Cafe into a unique social enterprise by donating profits to charities like donating public school buildings in rural areas like for Sta. Rosa Elementary School in historic Balangiga town in Eastern Samar province; Villa Bacolor Elementary School in Tarlac City, Tarlac province; Dinalaoan Elementary School in Barangay Dinalaoan, Calasiao City, Pangasinan; and others. Among Kamuning Bakery Cafe’s unique cultural and civic projects is the annual “World Poetry Day” celebration on March 21.
Both the iconic Kamuning Bakery Cafe and Wilson Lee Flores have respectively been given Quezon City’s highest award, the “Manuel L. Quezon Gawad Parangal” in 2018 and 2021.
Also part of Kamuning Bakery Cafe charities was the baking and giving of free breads for Quezon City’s medical and security frontliners and homeless people in cooperation with the Quezon City government during the 2020 pandemic hard lockdown.
Also during the pandemic, Q.C. resident Wilson Lee Flores also helped contact Shenyang City in northeast China to donate medical supplies for Quezon City, since he had read that Quezon City and Shenyang City years ago had a sister city agreement. (VICTOR BALDEMOR)
