Mekeni honors exemplary students
As it celebrates the academic achievements of its employees’ children, Mekeni Food Corporation recognized 101 honor students for their hard work, excellence and perseverance in this year’s Galing ng Batang Mekeni awarding ceremony held in Porac, Pampanga last August.
The Galing ng Batang Mekeni program sits very close to the company’s heart. Its founders, Tatay Felix and Imang Meding Garcia, were both public school teachers from Barrio Balubad in Porac.
This year, the employees were the ones who received the awards on their children’s behalf due to the coronavirus disease pandemic.
They nurtured and educated kids for over four decades before venturing into making home-made chicharon and tocino to augment the meager family income that they have and from those humble beginnings, Mekeni Food Corporation was born.
“We honor these batang Mekeni for the excellence they have shown in their studies and also, their parents for rearing them towards a better future. Truly, education is the best gift we can give to our children. We hope that his yearly awarding event sustain their passion, dedication, and motivation to continue pressing on amid the challenges we are all facing right now” said Prudencio Garcia, Mekeni president.
Since its inception in 2008, the Galing ng Batang Mekeni has been awarding at least 100 students from grade school to college every year with medals and some cash. Some of the awardees have been consistently part of the recognition ceremony since it started like Kateleen Canda, who recently received her BS Accountancy degree, graduating magna cum laude from the Holy Angel University.
The program rooted from Felix Garcia’s personal advocacy to inspire students and teachers in their community to excel in what they do. He believes that quality education is key to effecting positive change in the community.
“Hindi lahat ay naipanganak na maganda at marangya ang buhay. Ngunit kung magsusumikap sa buhay at pagbubutihin ang pag-aaral, hindi lamang sarili ang maaaring matulungan. With this program, we hope we inspire these children and their family to work hard and share their blessings to others” said the elder Garcia.
Galing ng Batang Mekeni, which started as an employee engagement initiative, has become a special program for families to get together and for the children to get exposed to the nature of their parents’ work.
However this year, the employees were the ones who received the awards on their children’s behalf due to the coronavirus disease pandemic.