As part of the celebration of Earth Day and efforts to bolster the city’s learning recovery initiatives, the Quezon City government launched the first-ever permanent store for the “Kilo/s Kyusi: Kilo Store ng Bayan, Tulong para sa Kinabukasan” at the Quezon City Hall Park and Lagoon.
Spearheaded by the Small Business and Cooperatives Development and Promotions Office (SBCDPO), the Kilo/s Kyusi Kilo Store features preloved and brand new items, which are sold in two ways: either by kilo, in which the price is dependent on the weight of the pre-loved items, or individually, in which customers may find newer and higher quality items.
Mayor Joy Belmonte sounded the alarm on the need to reduce fast fashion waste, since 60 percent of clothes produced today are made out of synthetic and plastic fiber.
“Kung maaari, pakinabangan sana ulit ng iba ang mga damit na hindi ginagamit na kalaunan ay naluluma lang at nagiging basura. Uso ang fast fashion lalo na at mas mura ito, pero kapalit naman ay dagdag-kalat na hindi mabilis matunaw,” Belmonte said.
The mayor added that the city’s public school children will benefit most from the Kilo/s Store.
“Proceeds from the Kilo/s Kyusi Kilo Store are geared towards bolstering the city’s learning recovery initiatives through various tutoring programs focusing on the numeracy and literacy skills of the city’s youth,” Belmonte said.
In culmination of the Earth Day celebration, a fashion show by up and coming designers featuring garments made of recycled and upcycled textiles will be held on April 26 at SM Novaliches.
The city’s tutoring initiative, known as the “Zero Illiteracy sa QC” program, has been able to deploy a total of 137 capable tutors in 2023.
“It also helped 1,272 QC public school students from 25 schools, with each student receiving 50 hours of tutoring in a span of 25 sessions,” Belmonte added.
According to SBCDPO head Mona Celine Yap, the Kilo/s Kyusi Kilo Store was established as a means for QCitizens to donate their pre-loved items towards supporting the city’s educational initiatives.
The first Kilo/s Kyusi Store, launched on July 17–21, 2023, at the Inner Lobby of the High Rise Building, Quezon City Hall, was a huge success as it generated over P1 million in sales from the donated pre-loved items of QC government officials and employees, partner organizations, and other QCitizens.
The second, held from Dec. 15, 2023, until Jan. 1, 2024, at the POP QC Mercadillo, Quezon Memorial Circle, was also a success, as it raised ₱103,722 for the QC Learning Recovery Fund. POP QC Mercadillo’s co-organizer, Ace Events, donated an additional P500,000 for the cause.
“The QC Government hopes to continue the success of the Kilo/s Kyusi Kilo Store through its first-ever permanent store, helping expand the reach of the city’s learning recovery initiatives to more students in the city,” Yap said.