Valenzuela builds 3 kids’ learning centers

Working toward their goal of becoming a “reading city,” the Valenzuela local government broke ground for three learning centers to give children access to libraries and also serve as schools. These are called the Valenzuela City Academic Center for Excellence (ValACE) and will be erected with the barangays of Gen. T. De Leon, Marulas and Mapulang Lupa. According to the local government, the soon-to-rise academic buildings will house a mini library, a study hall with self-study cubicles and a communal review lounge, a computer laboratory, 50-seating capacity training rooms, an 80 to 100 person capacity multi-purpose hall, a cafeteria, an administrative office and a parking area. This follows the first ValACE building located in barangay Malinta, which was done in response to the city’s demand for more public learning facilities. The local government also boasted that their learning programs have yielded good results as shown by how their city library attracted 440,883 visitors from in and out of the city last 2023. The city library was also awarded the Gawad Pampublikong Aklatan (Most Inclusive and Innovative Programs) by the National Library of the Philippines. —JACOB LAZARO