Of course, you'd find me at the LEGO opening, are you kidding me? I've had my eyes on those interlocking block toys since forever and since my family couldn't even afford to get me into a popular fast food chain's kiddie crew program (backlink!), how much more getting me a box of LEGO in days of old, no?

That said, they've postponed this opening since December of last year and I thought I wouldn't get a slot for the next one but thankfully, my fingers were fast enough to warrant a slot. I registered and whoa-la, got in!

That said, let's take you to my LEGO journey for a day.



I got inside and was greeted by a delightful set-up of LEGO play tables which took every inch of control on my part to not join in with the kids. Saya siguro makipagbanggaan ng LEGO creations. That's how we used to play with these kinds of toys back then. We'd make kickass vehicles at nagbabanggaan kami.

Krispy Kreme provided the snacks. And Ninjago took part in the ribbon cutting! Worth. Every. Minute.


The Brick that Keeps on Building

While it may not be obvious to a majority of the people I hang out with, I actually have the biggest heart for socially-responsible companies. I was more than ecstatic to find out that one of the brands I admire, LEGO, actually supports UNICEF!


During the store opening, LEGO issued a cheque worth Php500,000 as part of the fundraising drive to raise a total of Php10 million for the construction of the first National Centre for Children with Disabilities in Philippine General Hospital.

You can pitch in too and help build the center! Here are two ways:

1. Buy LEGO toys at the LEGO-Certified store. Until May 22, for a minimum single receipt purchase of P5,999.75 on any LEGO item/s from the LEGO Certifed Store Abreeza, Php1000 of the sale proceeds will go to UNICEF to help build the Centre.

2. Purchase poly bags at the LEGO-Certified store: You can also buy LEGO poly bags at the LEGO store in support of this cause.  They're Php100 each. 100% of the proceeds from the sale of each poly bag will be donated to the project. They come in four different designs: LEGO Super Heroes, LEGO Star Wars, LEGO Friends and LEGO City lines.

Inspire and Develop the Builders of Tomorrow

I'm also very impressed that LEGO allows kids to play inside. They have an interactive play area that's prominently positioned in the centre of the store. The idea is to give kids a hands-on, minds-on experience.


Incidentally, a few weeks before I saw an episode of Tawag ng Tanghaland and one of the contestants was from Davao. When asked what he'd like Vice Ganda to give him, he said he'd love to have a LEGO toy. And I instantly thought how he must've been to the local store and wanted to get a few items but knowing how these prices go, possibly couldn't have gotten one. Dili ta magplinastik, medyo mahal jud siya.

Looking at the play area during the quick tour at the opening, I thought to myself how cool it is for the store to give these kids the chance to play--it's sort of like creating an equal opportunity for everyone, no? That being said, I wonder if there might be a few adults who'd randomly go inside the LEGO-store and just buy stuff for some of these kids with the Pay-It-Forward mindset. Pure bliss. That'd be a sight!

Just being random. Moving on...

What else can you find at the LEGO-Certified Store?

Pick-a-Bring wall (PAB) - a custom-built fixture filled with LEGO brick and elements where shoppers can hand-pick and select what they need to build, something based on their own design and imagination.


Fully-assembled LEGO sets around the circumference of the store to inspire LEGO fans.

Exclusive LEGO sets! For all the comic fans out there, you can look forward to the exciting and innovative LEGO Brickheadz line. Batman, Batgirl, Joker, Robin, Captain America, Iron-Man, Black Widow and Hulk will be at your very fingertips in brick form and you can expect more new character releases in the coming week.





First in Mindanao

LEGO-certified store opened in 22 April 2017 and it's the first here in Mindanao. The fact that they opened on my bEarthday - my birthday which happens to be Earth Day also, make it even more memorable. We got some treats from LEGO too--which my pamangkin was all too thankful for when I handed him that pristine white shopping bag. (Thank you, LEGO!) The biggest treat for me though is the free play and the UNICEF donation.



The LEGO-store in Abreeza is the fifth in a series of stores that will open from Manila to Davao in the country under LEGO's "Better With Every Brick" campaign.

Hope to see you and your favorite little rascal there every now and then! And how about that Pay-It-Forward program? *wink*