New York/New Jersey Leaders for Knowledge Channel

Circle of Champions in New York/New Jersey: (seated from left) Benpres Rosan Cruz, Knowledge Channel president Rina Lopez-Bautista, Philippine DepEd Secretary Jeslie Lapus, New York Consul General Cecilia Rebong, Fiesta Philippines Mila Mendez, Robert Perez de Tagle, Chamber of Commerce president Butch Meily, Philippine Fiesta president Nanding Mendez, Moneyfast Remittance Lee Quimbo, NaFFAA-NY Joe Ramos Philippine Independence Day Council president Gani Puertollaño, and Metrobank NY's general manager and first vice president Alfred Madrid.

The Filipino-American community in New York pledged its support for Knowledge Channel Foundation, Inc. (KCFI), through the establishment of the Knowledge Channel Circle of Champions – NY Chapter (KC3, NY), a group that will actively advocate for the improvement of the quality of Philippine public school instruction through the Knowledge Channel, a curriculum-based all-educational channel available by cable and satellite in the Philippines.
At the organizational meeting of KC3, NY, the KCFI founder and president Rina Lopez-Bautista appealed to community and business leaders to champion the future of the Philippines by helping more schools gain access to Knowledge Channel. Out of the 42,000 public schools throughout the country, only 1,709 schools have been covered so far.
Lopez-Bautista pointed out that the Knowledge Channel has proven to improve retention and comprehension levels of students and has increased National Achievement Test (NAT) scores in schools. "The schools' use of the Knowledge Channel has resulted in improvement of the children's test scores. A school in Batanes increased its NAT scores by 107%. Knowledge Channel has improved the learning curve of Filipino youth," she said.
She added, "Especially in the more remote areas, KCh in the school is more than just a learning tool. It has become a source of hope to the principals, the teachers, the students and the community. It is a catalyst to galvanize the community in supporting the school and their children's education even more. And when parents, teachers and the community work together, magic happens."
Department of Education Sec. Jesli Lapus attended the event and stressed that government alone cannot solve resource gaps in schools and that it is crucial to "reverse the deteriorating trend as soon as possible." He also said that this year he relaunched the Adopt-A-School program, which includes Knowledge Channel as one of the programs to be supported.
Philippine Consul General in New York, Cecilia Rebong also attended the meeting and rallied attendees and the organizations to take up education as a cause, with Knowledge Channel as one of the main interventions that could create a big impact in Philippine education.
Attendees were Metrobank general manager and first vice president, Alfred Madrid, Fil-Am Chamber of Commerce president Butch Meily, Philippine Independence Day Council president Gani Puertollaño, Philippine Fiesta Nanding and Mila Mendez, Joe Ramos of National Federation of Filipino-American Associations, NY Chapter (NaFFAA-NY), Lee Quimbo of Moneyfast Remittance Services and Robert Perez de Tagle.
View the Knowledge Channel website at http://www.knowledgechannel.com.ph/ or email knowledgechannel@sky.pinoycentral.com. Donors may contact them through telephone at 1-800-527-2820 or 650-508-6118 or use our online form and click on Pay Pal.