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Dalubhasaan ng San Juan de Letran (Filipino) | |
 | |
| Latin:Ecclesiasticus Sancti Iohannis Lateranus Collegium Manilana | |
Former name | Colegio de Niños Huerfanos de San Juan de Letran (1620–1630) |
|---|---|
| Motto | Deus, Patria, Letran (Latin) |
Motto in English | God, Fatherland, Letran |
| Type | Private non-profit Basic and Higher education institution |
| Established | 1620; 406 years ago (1620) |
| Founder | Don Juan Alonso Geronimo Guerrero |
Religious affiliation | Roman Catholic (Dominican) |
Academic affiliations | Intramuros Consortium,PAASCU, CEAP |
| Chancellor | Very Rev. Fr.Gerard Timoner III, OP, SThL |
| Rector | Rev. Fr. Raymund Fernando Jose, OP |
| Location | 151 Muralla StreetIntramuros, Manila ,Philippines 14°35′36″N120°58′36″E / 14.5932°N 120.9766°E /14.5932; 120.9766 |
| Campus | Urban Main
|
| Alma Mater song | Himno del Colegio de Letran |
| Patron Saint | St. John the Baptist |
| Colors | Blue & red |
| Nickname | Letran Knights |
Sporting affiliations | NCAA (Philippines) |
| Website | letran.edu.ph |
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TheColegio de San Juan de Letran (transl. College of San Juan de Letran), also referred to by its acronymCSJL or simply, Letran, is a private Catholic coeducational basic and higher education institution owned and run by the friars of theOrder of Preachers inIntramuros,Manila,Philippines. It was founded in 1620. Colegio de San Juan de Letran has the distinction of being the oldest college in thePhilippines and the oldest secondary institution inAsia.[1][2]
The Colegio was given Level III accreditation by thePhilippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities in the Basic Education department, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS), and College of Business Administration and Accountancy (CBAA).[3]
Letran remains in its original campus inIntramuros,Manila, and is a member of theIntramuros Consortium. It is a long-time member of theNational Collegiate Athletic Association.
The name San Juan de Letran is derived from theBasilica of St. John Lateran inRome, considered as the Mother Church of Christendom.[4] Early in the history of Letran, its chapel was granted many of the privileges enjoyed by the major basilica.Saint John the Baptist, for whom the basilica is named, is the patron saint of Letran.[1]
The college was founded by Don Juan Geromino Guerrero in 1620, a retired Spanish officer and one of theKnights of Malta,[1] in Intramuros asColegio de Niños Huerfanos de San Juan de Letran. The school was intended to educate and mold orphans to be good Christian citizens.[1]
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Around the same time, Fray Diego de Santa Maria, O.P. founded theColegio de Huerfanos de San Pedro y San Pablo. As Don Guerrero grew old, the two schools were fused together, and in 1630, it simply became known asColegio de San Juan de Letran.[1][5]
In 1738, under the reign of King Philip V of Spain opened the Colegio de San Juan de Letran andUniversity of Santo Tomas, and six scholarships were granted by the king for Chinese, Japanese, andTonkinese students. Vicente Liem de la Paz, Letran's foremost alumnus, was among the students who enjoyed this scholarship taking uptrivium andquadrivium along with four Tonkinese namely: Jose de Santo Tomas, Juan de Santo Domingo, Pedro Martir and Pedro de San Jacinto.[6]
In May 1865, Letran was graded as a College of the First Class by royal decree ordered by Queen Isabella II and, as a result, the school population rose considerably.[5]
In 1886, rector Fr. Bernardino Nozaleda re-organized the school's curriculum into the Lower, Middle, and Superior grades (Infima, Media y Superior) to conform to modern European and American teaching patterns.[5]
Further expansion took place in 1894 and adjustments were made with the arrival of the Americans in 1900.[6]
After celebrating its tricentennial, Letran was headed by the Rev. Fr. Martin Guillet O.P., who was tasked with replacing Letran's old infrastructure and constructing a new and modern building.
The new facilities were inaugurated and blessed by Rev. Fr. Martin Guillet O.P.. The new St. John the Baptist Building became the Colegio's main building and facade. These events were followed by the construction of the Elementary, High School and College buildings replacing the old structures respectively. The buildings were named after theDominican founder andsaints.
The growth of the Colegio was temporarily halted when the building was bombed in 1941 and 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. In school year 1942, classes were temporarily transferred to the Dominican Sanctuario of San Juan del Monte. After the war, Letran returned to its home in Intramuros and resumed operations in 1946. Several new construction projects were inaugurated to replace the old structures wrecked by the war.[5]
The first Filipino rector and president of the Colegio de San Juan de Letran was Fr. Isidro Katigbak O.P., who served for four straight years. Letran has served by the majority of Spanish rectors and presidents for over 400 years.[citation needed]
The school began accepting female students in its college department in the 1970s[citation needed] while the basic education department started accepting first-year female enrollees in June 2005.[7]
In April 2007, Fr. Tamerlane Lana O.P. was elected rector and president of Letran, of the Intramuros and Abucay campuses, by the board of trustees to serve a four-year term until April 2011. Fr. Lana became the 80th rector of the Manila campus.[8][9] Fr. Lana's administration has undertaken the task of changing and upgrading the Colegio's academic standards to meet those required to attain university status.[8] This work also includes the revision of the vision and mission, research development, community service, and the 12-year strategic plan for 2008 until 2020.[10]
Starting academic year 2007–08, Letran became a "wi-fi zone" to cater its students access to the internet.[11]
In October 2007, two former Letran administrators were among the 498 Spanish martyrs beatified byPope Benedict XVI. They are Fr. Jesus Villaverde Andres, OP, a former rector; and Fr. Antonio Varona Ortega, OP, a former professor and moderator of theNCAA Philippines.[12]
On July 3, 2008, Fr. Lana formally launched the Letran Center for Intramuros Studies (LCIS).[13] The initiative to establish the center sprang from the 12-year development plan as the school hopes to become a leader in cultural and historical studies, particularly on the subject of Intramuros.[13] The day also marked the 435th anniversary of the signing of the royal decree byKing Philip II in San Lorenzo, Spain on July 3, 1573, that prescribed the foundation of Hispanic colonial towns, which served as basis for the systematic layout for the establishment of Intramuros, which was known then as Spanish Manila.[13] In 2012, the College of Engineering and Information Technology, the youngest higher education unit, was established.[14]
In June 2015, Fr. Clarence Victor C. Marquez, O.P. was elected 81st Rector and President of Letran Manila and Bataan.[15][16]
In July 2023, Fr. Raymund Fernando P. Jose, O.P. was elected 82nd Rector and President of Letran Manila and Bataan.
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Also known as the administration building, it houses the office of the rector and president. It houses the admission office, financial affairs office, the Letran Center for Intramuros Studies (LCIS) office, guidance counselor office, the information technology center, College of Business Administration and Accountancy, College of Education, and the Institute of Information Technology. The bookstore, lobby, and chapel are also in this building. The St. John Lateran convent of the Letran Dominican Fathers is located here.
The former St. Antoninus Building is dedicated in honor ofOur Lady of Aranzazu, where the Arch-confraternity of Nuestra Senora de Aranzazu was solemnly established in Letran on December 16, 1772, by virtue of a pontifical brief issued by Benedict XIV on September 18, 1748. It holds the promenade andSalon de Actos (student lounge).[17]
The campus hosts a historical marker that the Philippines Historical Committee, now theNational Historical Commission of the Philippines,[18] installed in 1939 to denote the place of the establishment of the arch-confraternity.[19]
The building who was named after the founder of the Order of Preachers (Dominicans). This building houses classrooms, Science and Psychology Laboratory, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and The Institute of Communication.
This building houses the Library and Media Center for Communication Arts students. The Media Center has two sections: Instructional Media and Broadcast Media. It provides human and material resources for instructional and broadcast purposes.
The former High School Building, St. Raymond of Peñafort houses the Office of the Vice Rector for Religious Affairs. It includes the Accounting Stock Room, Lost and Found Office, Hospitality Management Facility, Auxiliary Services, Audit Services, Letran Alumni Association Office, and the Center for Community Development Office. The school clinic is in this building.
This building is also known as the Student Center Building because it houses student facilities such as the canteens, a modern 400-seat auditorium, Office of the Student Affairs, Letran Student Council Office, the Graduate School faculty room and student lounge, six SC classrooms, Thesis Section, The Lance Publication Office, and the Office of the Dean in Graduate School.
This building serves the basic education department, the College of Engineering and Information Technology, the music room, and the speech laboratory.
It serves as the headquarters of maintenance and housekeeping of the Colegio.
It was the home of the Knights and Squires, Letran's collegiate and high school varsity teams that play in the NCAA and other sports tournaments, located right across the Student Center Building along Beaterio Street in Intramuros. Letran Gym has three physical education classrooms with a centralized air-conditioned unit. It houses the Letran Hall of Fame and the P.E. faculty. The Letran Gym is named in honor of Blessed Antonio Varona, OP, former Letran Professor and Athletics Moderator.
The old gym was demolished in April 2019 and will be replaced by the Quadricentennial Building, a multi-purpose sports facility.[20][21]
The College of Business Administration and Accountancy offers a wide range ofbusiness courses especially inmanagement. Letran's CBAA was known as the flagship college of the institution. The college produced many alumni and students who excelled in the field ofbusiness: one of these is the prominent Filipino businessmanEnrique Zobel de Ayala[citation needed] — the first patriarch of theZobel de Ayala family.
Same as the CBAA, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences or CLAS is the flagship college offering courses in the Colegio. Its Liberal Studies program offers required subjects in the Humanities, Social Sciences, Natural Sciences, Mathematics, Languages and Health, and Physical Education. It also offers majors in Communication Arts, Psychology, Political Science, AB Advertising, AB Public Relation, AB Journalism, and AB Broadcasting.
The College of Education began as an area in the College of the Liberal Arts, Sciences, and Education in 2002 with an initial enrollment of seventeen students and six teachers in its Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education program. In 2006, the education area separated to become an independent college.[22]
The Colegio started to offer engineering programs in 2012. With the transfer of the Institute of Information Technology, Letran established its youngest college, the College of Engineering and Information Technology (CEIT). The CEIT currently offers four engineering programs and three specialization on the information technology program.[14]
In 2003, Letran Manila was the first[23][24] school to partner withMicrosoft for the Microsoft IT Academy program in thePhilippines.[23][24] It is one of the academic institutions that offers a degree inInformation Technology mapped with the premier certification fromMicrosoft. It began as an area in the College of the Liberal Arts, Sciences, and Education. Starting A.Y. 2012–13, the Institute of Information Technology transferred to the College of Engineering.[14]
The Professional School for Continuing Education in Business of the Letran Graduate School is located at theSt. Albert the Great building.
The Colegio de San Juan de Letran in Manila has a Basic Education department that has been in existence for almost 400 years.[25] Letran started as an all-boys school, then began accepting female enrollees in the first year during the academic year 2005–06 for its basic education program.[25]
Letran is a member of theNational Collegiate Athletic Association from 1928 to 1932, and since 1936.[26]
The Colegio currently participates inbasketball,volleyball,football (soccer),track and field,taekwondo,Lawn Tennis, andtable tennis. The varsity teams are calledLetran Knights (for seniors division),Squires (for juniors division) andLady Knights (for women's division)[26]
The seniors basketball team is the second most successful team in the NCAA. Since joining in the 1928–29 season, the Knights have won a total of twenty titles.[26] The most recent championship came in the2022–2023 tournament.
Their most prominent rivals are theDe La Salle Green Archers (before the Green Archers left the NCAA),San Beda Red Lions,San Sebastian Stags and theMapua Cardinals, their neighbor in Intramuros.[26]
The persons affiliated with Letran are known asLetranites. Several Letranites include prominent figures in Philippine politics, religion, sports, business, and media.
In politics, Letran alumni include fourPhilippine presidents:Emilio Aguinaldo,Manuel Quezon,Sergio Osmeña, andJose P. Laurel.[27]
Letranites in religion includeSt. Vicente Liem de la Paz, BishopSocrates Villegas, andGregorio Aglipay.[28][29][30]
In sports, most especially in basketball, Letran alumni includeLauro Mumar,Samboy Lim, andKevin Alas[31][32][33]
Several roads and streets are named after Letranites. These includeOrtigas Avenue,Quezon Boulevard,Osmeña Highway,Honorio Lopez Boulevard,Quintin Paredes Street,Leon Guinto Street, andPablo Ocampo Street.[34][35]
Media related toColegio de San Juan de Letran at Wikimedia CommonsDominican colleges and universities in thePhilippines | |
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