Not just a social club

Gina de Venecia celebrated her birthday last Feb. 15 in Parañaque City to present her latest baby – a Day-Care Center for the more than 800 pre-school children of Barangay Don Bosco.

On her special day, Mrs. de Venecia was also sworn in as president of the Assumption High School ’66 and College ’70 Foundation.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, a few batches ahead of Manay Gina at Assumption, and Speaker Joe de Venecia led the special guests, who also included the members of her other organizations, the Congressional Spouses Foundation and the INA Foundation.

The Day-Care Center is the first project of the Assumption High School ’66 and College ’70 Foundation. In her speech, Manay Gina stressed that the Foundation is not merely a social club for Assumption alumnae but, "a humanitarian organization that is dedicated to service."

Assumption girls have also been taught to be instruments of transformation in society, as espoused by the foundress of the school, Mother Marie Eugenie Milleret, who will be canonized by Pope Benedict XVI on June 3 this year.

Gina’s ever-supportive husband, Speaker de Venecia, has allocated funds to complete the two-story building, which will also feature a multi-purpose hall. It will be constructed on a 200-square-meter lot in Barangay Don Bosco, donated by the government of Parañaque through Mayor Florencio Bernabe, Jr.

The project is certified as urgent by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), taking to consideration that the said barangay is among the most populous in the metro.

"Through this Day-Care Center, we are volunteering our services as guardians to these children," she added. Some of the activities that she has committed to implement are: the regular feeding program, catechism classes for values formation, and related projects geared at the children’s total development and protection.

Before the groundbreaking rites were the signing of MOA (Memorandum of Agreement) between the Foundation and the city of Paranaque, and a brief turn-over ceremony for the Foundation’s leadership from its immediate past president Celina Bautista, who was president for the past 16 years, to the birthday girl, Manay Gina.

Celine says, "Gina just accepted the post, but imagine, she is already donating a day-care center!"

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