The City Government represented by Mayor Herbert Bautista, Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte and City Council Majority Floor Leader Frans Pumaren presented the award to Flores. The members of the Gawad Parangal Selection Committee included former UP Pres. Emerlinda Roman, former Budget Minister Manuel Alba, writer-Prof. Butch Dalisay, City Administrator Aldrin Cuna and former actress and QC Vice Mayor Connie Angeles.
Flores, who is a writer, teacher and realty entrepreneur and who in 2014 bought and revived Kamuning Bakery, the city’s oldest bakery out of his passion for history and good food. However, last Feb. 6, 2018, fire from a neighbouring resto-bar burned down the 79-year-old bakery, but Flores and his his staff and workers were not discoraged. In his life, Flores has overcome many crises, including the death of his father when he was only seven years old. What he witnessed as his late teacher-mother’s strong faith also strenghtened his fortitude.
Flores said he accepted the Manuel L. Quezon Gawad Parangal Award in behalf of his late parents who inspired him, his supportive younger sister Marilou F. So, his loyal and hardworking staff and bakers.
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The annual #WorldPandesalDay, Flores’ civic & cultural endeavor
The 4th “World Pandesal Day” was held on October 16, 2018 at the burnt ruins of Kamuning Bakery in Judge Jimenez Street corner K-1st Street, Barangay Kamuning, Quezon City where Flores led in giving away free 70,000 pandesal breads and other food items.
On October 28 at 8 a.m., the public is also invited to a free medical, dental and optical mission at Kamuning Bakery Café in cooperation with Chinese General Hospital led by its CEO Dr. James G. Dy.
The Oct. 16 and Oct. 28 events are the last two events to be held here, before Kamuning Bakery Café’s burnt ruins shall be totally demolished, except for two surviving pugon brick ovens which shall be retained for heritage preservation during its reconstruction.
With hashtag #WorldPandesalDay, this is a unique socio-civic and cultural endeavor to highlight the importance of the Philippines’ humble yet popular pandesal bread, to underscore the importance of all people helping solve the age-old problem of hunger.
Flores said an inspiration for World Pandesal Day is the Bible story of a poor boy who gave five loaves of bread and two fishes, which faith in God multiplied to feed thousands.
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The non-partisan Pandesal Forum, donating public schools
As part of its non-traditional civic and cultural causes, Kamuning Bakery Cafe also hosts the tertulia-inspired and non-partisan “Pandesal Forum” for newsmakers and leaders to dialogue with media and intellectuals over meals of pandesal with other foods and coffee brewed from Benguet province arabica beans.
Flores said: “In this liberal and informal Pandesal Forum which is part of this company’s unique CSR or corporate social responsibility, discussions focus on socio-economic, gut or “pandesal” issues affecting the people, and other topics. The pandesal is unique to the Philippines, loved by the masses, middle-class and by all, it symbolizes people’s simple happiness and wish for liberation from hunger.”
Kamuning Bakery Café is also the first Philippine bakery café to celebrate “World Poetry Day” every March 21, by inviting the public to send in original poems as payments for their coffee or tea.
Ever since Flores took over and revived Kamuning Bakery Café, it has championed diverse socio-civic, cultural, arts and other causes including the donation of four public schoolbuildings. The first public school was donated in the historic seaside town of Balangiga in Eastern Samar province. This fourth-class municipality was victim of cruel colonial war over a century ago from 1901 to 1902, with its stolen church bells still in the U.S.
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President Duterte on Kamuning Bakery Café, heritage & battle over hunger
President Rodrigo R. Duterte said: “My warmest greetings to the Kamuning Bakery Café as it celebrates World Pandesal Day. Food plays an integral part in our people’s identity as it reflects our culture and history which have been shaped by various influences of the past. This milestone does not only celebrate the ingenuity of our bakers and their unyielding passion for bread, but also empowers local community bakeries as they preserve and pass down traditional cooking methods.”
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