COLEGIO DE SAN JUAN DE LETRAN emerged from the fusion of two similar institutions both located in Intramuros. The first was founded in 1620 by Don Juan Geronimo Guerrero, a retired Spanish officer, who transformed his hermitage home into an orphanage called the Colegio de Ninos Huerfanos de San Juan de Letran. Its purpose was to educate and to mold orphans into good Christian citizens. At about the same time, another institution by the name of Colegio de Huerfanos de San Pedro y San Pablo was established by the Dominican brother Diego de Santa Maria at the Convent of Santo Domingo.
The name San Juan de Letran was inspired by the major basilica of Saint John Lateran in Rome, the mother of all Christian churches. Early in the history of the College, its chapel was granted many of the privileges enjoyed by the major Basilica. Saint John the Baptist for whom the Basilica is named, is also the patron saint of the Colegio.
After almost six decades upon its establishment, Letran was declared as an ecclesiastical college.
In 1738, six scholarships were granted by the King of Spain for Chinese, Japanese, and Tongkinese (Vietnamese) students. Vicente Liem de la Paz, now a saint, was among the students who enjoyed this scholarship.
A royal decree in May 1865 pronounced Letran as a "College of the First Class." The school’s curriculum was reviewed and revised according to European and American patterns in 1886. Further expansion took place in 1894 and adjustments were made with the arrival of the Americans in 1900.
In 1937, a three-storey building replaced the old structure. The growth of the Colegio was temporarily arrested when the building was bombed in 1941 and then turned into a garrison by the Japanese army in 1944. The Colegio was temporarily housed in the Dominican church and Convent of San Juan del Monte. After the war in 1946, Letran returned to its home in Intramuros.
In a span of more than three centuries, Letran produced alumni who became builders of the Filipino nation. The names of Manuel Quezon, Sergio Osmena, Apolinario Mabini, Marcelo del Pilar, Padre Mariano Gomez, Francisco Baltazar, Emilio Aguinaldo, and many others are enshrined in the hearts of every Filipino.
PRESENT TIMES
ike a few of the structures in Intramuros, the old capital of Manila that was built in 1571, Letran rose from the shambles of World War II. Others include the Manila Cathedral and St. Augustine Church and Fort Santiago. Fort Santiago was the seat of the colonial powers of both Spain and the U.S. However, it was turned into a prison under the Spanish regime.
This ability to "rise from the ashes" proves the Letranista’s resilience.
Conscious of their rich history and the providential location of the Colegio, the student body and the faculty, as well as the non-academic staff, are guided by Rector and President Fr. Edwin A. Lao, O.P. In the institutional development plan that he formulated, Father Lao includes as objectives the building of a Christo-centric community, committed to the apostolic work of quality integral Christian formation and evangelization through education; the achievement of academic recognition of different programs of study; the opening and offering of new courses responsive to the needs of the 21st century; the development of students and graduates who have the passion for truth and compassion for others, are leaders of the industry and of the country, and agents of social change, progress and development; and the periodic improvement of facilities for quality instruction and learning. Gradually, the Letran community has met these objectives.
Members of the Letran community this year can count their blessings again. Students got the good news that the Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities (PAASCU) had accredited the College of Business Administration and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The elementary department has been accredited since the past two years and now enjoying the benefits and privileges granted to all accredited schools. The high school department has passed the preliminary survey last year and is now preparing for the formal visit.
Yet they are not about to sigh in relief; they are not about to rest, as much is to be done. Their aim is to distinguish the Colegio "in a broad area of academic discipline and enjoy prestige and authority comparable to that of international universities," to borrow from the PAASCU.
One of the Colegio’s flagship programs in the collegiate department, information technology, saw a milestone at the start of the school year, as the first batch of Bachelor of Science in Information Technology (BSIT) students received their Microsoft Certificate of Achievement (MCA), signed by the President and CEO of Microsoft, Steve Ballmer.
The BSIT students received two MCAs showing that they completed and passed the Microsoft approved courses, which are part of their curriculum, as Letran is the first and only Microsoft IT Academy in the country.
Meanwhile, Communication Arts majors have consistently reaped honors from the Student Catholic Mass Media Awards. These future mass media practitioners have won in the short film and public service announcement categories. Moreover, they have also received honors in intercollegiate competitions. In addition, video documentaries that they produced have been aired on national television. CA students have the honor of having some of the top media practitioners as their mentors and instructors.
Letran media facilities are considered as one of the best in the education industry. Editing suites, viewing rooms, production and recording studios are all provided for hands-on training of the students.
At the Accountancy Area, continuous revisions of the syllabi and curriculum are being done—for this to be responsive to the current demands of the industry. For this purpose, a consultant has been hired to supervise the endeavor. Likewise, practitioners had been hired to teach in the program. The steady improvement in the graduates’ performance in the board examination for accountants has proven this to be fruitful.
Honoring San Vicente Liem de la Paz, saint-alumnus of Letran, is a foundation named after him, its 15 development programs being finalized in 2000. The programs include the Administrators’ Development Fund, the Foundation Loan Fun, Extension Program Development Fund, External Affairs Development Fund, Faculty Development Fund, Information Technology Development Fund, Library Development Fund, Dominican Fathers’ Development Fund, Missions of the Philippine Dominican Province Development Fund, Non-academic Personnel Development Fund, Philippine Dominican Center of Institutional Studies Development Fund, Physical Development Fund, Research and Publication Development Fund, Sports Development Fund, and Student Development.
To date, there are a total of seven administrators, eight faculty members and three non-academic staff benefited from the different development programs of the Foundation. This is again in line with one of the major objectives of the development plan which is to attain a human resource driven by excellence and commitment to service adherent to on-going formation and continuing education in every discipline.
Beginning school year 2006-2007, Letran in Bataan will open to form the mind of students, the Dominican way. A Letranite, who envisions "a model Christ-centered Colegio de San Juan de Letran acknowledged for her academic excellence and being responsive to the needs of the 21st century," thought of bringing Dominican education to Bataan.
The former Rector and President of the Colegio, Rev. Fr. Rogelio B. Alarcon, O.P., himself a Letranite, proposed the idea of Letran-Bataan. He was backed by the then governor of Bataan and a Letranite himself, Leonardo Roman, then Rep. Felicito Payumo and other leaders since it is in line with development programs of the province to increase the economic opportunities of residents through excellent education.
Mayor Liberator Santiago of Abucay, with the support of the provincial government, offered to host the school with a fifteen-hectare former pastureland donated by Mayor and Mrs. Santiago, Mr. and Mrs. Nicanor Soriano and Governor Roman. "I personally see this as an act of Divine Providence because aside from the fact that Bataan was evangelized by the Dominicans, Abucay has St. Dominic as its patron saint," said Fr. Edwin Lao, O.P., at the turnover and groundbreaking ceremonies.
Letran-Bataan is established to meet the needs of the province’s educational sector for excellent, diversified, and Christian education. Capitalizing on the expertise and resources of Letran-Manila, the school is seen to bring to Bataan the kind of education that is at par with universities and colleges in the National Capital Region.
It is envisioned to be the center of academic excellence in Region III specializing in business management, engineering and information technology, and producing technically-skilled and globally-competitive professional who will contribute to the country’s economic growth.
Letran-Bataan commits itself "to the quality formation of an integral human person in the hallowed tradition of Deus, Patria, Letran."
Hence, the curricula for Letran-Bataan are designed to mould students to become responsible, productive, and God-loving citizens through a formative process that integrates the development of reason, the deepening of faith, and the appreciation and living of Christian values.
For the first year of operation, Letran-Bataan will open the colleges of Business Administration and Accountancy (CBAA) and College of Education (CoE). The CBAA will offer courses in management, financial management, marketing, human resource management, economics, hospitality management, information technology and accountancy while the CoE will offer course in secondary education majoring in Mathematics, Science, English and Physical Education.
In the second year, a graduate course in business administration will be offered. Also, the College of Nursing (CN) and College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) will operate to include courses on psychology, communication arts and political science.
For the third and fourth year, courses on engineering will be added in its program of studies.
The campus sits on a sprawling land at Barangay Gabon in Abucay, now known as Dominican Hills, about eight kilometers from the center of town, and accessible through the Roman highway. It is over four kilometers away from Balanga, the province’s capital, which is considered a special economic zone. Thus, graduates of Letran-Bataan have employment opportunities in many industries that operate in town.
With St. Dominic de Guzman as their patron, the Roman Catholic faithful of Abucay are in effect embracing the Dominican Philosophy of Education with the establishment of Letran-Bataan.
