by Marcus Suner

Effective March 27, 2023, the Blue & Gold food provider for the Ateneo Senior High School (ASHS) and Junior High School’s (AJHS) cafeterias has ceased operations, according to an announcement made by the Assistant Principal for Administration, Maria Cecilia Dela Cruz-Lacson. 

When asked about the reasoning behind the move, Blue & Gold General Manager Rhowena Tolentino said that the catering service “committed minor deviations of the Ateneo Food Safety and Quality Assurance Mandates”.

However, Tolentino mentioned that they have addressed and “corrected” these deviations.

Further, they clarified in their response that they are “on hold at the ASHS and AJHS [cafeterias].”

Given the sudden announcement of this change, some students expressed their concerns about it. 

A Grade 11 HumSS student said that the cease of operations was “rather sudden”, and that “the admin announcing it [on] the day mismo did not help” with their situation.

Blue & Gold has been a staple of the ASHS and AJHS cafeterias, providing their services in day-to-day operations, salo-salo events, and other important functions of the High School since 2017. 

However, Tolentino said that their operations within Loyola Schools (LS) will still continue, with 2023 marking their 19th year in the university. 

In line with this development, the administration has requested for its other food providers, Obento and True Blends, to “increase” their serving capacity, as per their memo. 

Advisories were also given to each class, reminding students that the AJHS Cafeteria is “off-limits to all ASHS students throughout the day.”

This is because the food providers there only take into consideration the population of the AJHS when managing the food allotment for that specific day.

The administration has also reiterated that the “Bring Your Own Baon” policy is still in effect, and has strongly encouraged students to still “prepare and pack [their] own meals” when going to school.

Thumbnail from Asiel Owada