The aroma of freshly baked bread will once again symbolize a nationwide gesture of generosity as the public is invited to celebrate the annual “World Pandesal Day” on October 16, 2025. The event, to be held at the historic 86-year-old Kamuning Bakery Café in Quezon City, aims to give away 100,000 pieces of the iconic Filipino bread roll.
This year’s celebration will see Vice President Sara Duterte as the guest of honor, helping to distribute packs of pandesal to the public. The event is strategically held to coincide with the United Nations’ “World Food Day,” using the beloved breakfast staple to raise awareness about hunger and food security issues in the country.
The brainchild of bakery owner and entrepreneur Wilson Lee Flores, World Pandesal Day was inspired by the biblical miracle of the five loaves and two fishes. “Our goal is twofold: to honor the humble yet great pandesal as our national bread, and to highlight the urgent need to solve the age-old problems of hunger and poverty,” Flores stated.
A Slice of Filipino Life: How the Nation Loves Its Pandesal
Beyond its role in addressing hunger, the event celebrates the deep cultural significance of pandesal, a food that evokes powerful nostalgia across generations. From Presidents to artists, the ways of enjoying pandesal are as diverse as the Filipinos who love it.
The event organizers shared a glimpse into the breakfast habits of the nation’s celebrities:
- Vilma Santos-Recto and Manila Mayor Isko Moreno prefer theirs with cheese.
- National Artist Ryan Cayabyab enjoys his pan-warmed with hardened butter and dunked in hot tablea.
- Jose Mari Chan favors peanut butter or guava jelly, while Matteo Guidicelli enjoys his plain.
- For stars like Ruffa Gutierrez, Iza Calzado, and Albert Martinez, the perfect combination involves kesong puti (white cheese), butter, and a hot cup of coffee or chocolate.
Beyond Bread: A Growing Legacy of Social Responsibility
Building on its annual bread-giving, Kamuning Bakery Café is expanding its civic footprint with two major initiatives focused on health and education.
First, a Free Medical and Dental Mission will be held on October 26, 2025, in partnership with volunteer doctors from the Chinese General Hospital and Medical Center.
Second, and more ambitiously, the bakery’s social enterprise arm is in the process of donating 12 new public school buildings to underserved rural areas nationwide over the next three years. This project is done in partnership with the Federation of Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (FFCCCII). Two school buildings in Pangasinan and Tarlac have already been completed and turned over, with ten more planned for other regions.
The event continues to draw widespread support from national leaders and is backed by a coalition of corporate partners, including San Miguel Mills, Mondelez Philippines, and Mega Sardines, proving that the humble pandesal can indeed be a vehicle for profound national unity and change.#
