Abada College
July 2007

Brightest Jewel of the Mindoro seas

HUMBLE BEGINNINGS

Named after the esteemed late Senator Esteban R. Abada who married a Mindoreňa named Purificacion Morente, the former Dean of Philippine Normal College dormitory, Abada College, formerly known as Abada Memorial College, has been setting the benchmark for genuine, selfless, and unrelenting services to the people of Oriental Mindoro for the past 57 years.

On April 26, 1950, a group of civic-spirited individuals conceived and put up the Abada Memorial College, an institution of higher learning in the heart of Pinamalayan. Abada College since then has been living up to its commitment of dedicated services to the people by continuously meeting the complex demands of the ever-changing time.

Among the forces behind the institution’s foundation were the late congressman Conrado Morente, Enrique Morente, Sr., Tomas Goco, Purificacion Morente-Abada, Dr. and Prisco de Joya, Lourdes Lavares-Goco, Pedro Caballero, and Pedro Nable.

In June 1950, Abada College offered elementary, secondary, and normal courses and conducted classes in a leased building near the Pinamalayan Park. Back then, there were only 57 elementary pupils, 385 high school students, and 31 college students. In December 1950 when typhoon “Wanda” destroyed the building, the school was transferred to another building leased by Purificacion Abada located on the corner of Morente and Mabini streets.

Since the place was a commercial center, there was not enough space for the students to hold outdoor activities such as Physical Education classes and CAT and ROTC courses. However, the much-needed space required for such activities was met through the resourcefulness of the management by seeking the permission of then municipal mayor to let Abada College students utilize the town park as playground and drills location. On special occasions and formal affairs like the graduation rites, the town’s sole theater served as the venue and this kind of set up lasted for twelve years.

In order to accommodate the growing number of students and to provide better educational facilities, Abada College purchased in 1962 a lot of 7,335 square meters from Mr. Juan Abarquez and another one hectare from Dr. and Mrs. Prisco de Joya who also donated half hectare of land at Marfrancisco, Pinamalayan. With the newly acquired school site, Abada College was not only able to erect buildings but also provided a spacious playground for her growing school community. Beginning school year 1964-1965, Abada College conducted classes in her own buildings in Marfrancisco. And though the classrooms then were made of light materials, the management saw to it that a new concrete building would be constructed each year. Since then, her progress has been steady.

Formeer Congressman Conrado Morente headed this institution of higher learning as president and concurrently Chairman of the Board of Trustees until 1972 when he was succeeded by Atty. Manuel Morente Sr. due to his untimely demise on April 5, 1972. Mr. Enrique Morente was the first Director of College until his death in December 30, 1969. Through a resolution by the Board of Trustees, the position for Director was abolished and in its stead was created the position for administrator with Atty. Armando D. Ansaldo occupying the position.

Atty. Manuel Morente Sr.’s presidency ended in 1986 when he was elected Municipal Mayor of Pinamalayan. His position has been occupied by Mrs. Natividad Morente de Joya who assumed the presidency for two years. In 1989, Atty. Miguel D. Ansaldo, Jr., a brilliant and a much sought-after trial lawyer in the region became the College President. With his vision for the school and his decisiveness plus the all-out support of the new Board of Trustees composed of young, dynamic and visionary men and women committed to continue the legacy passed on to them by their parents and grandparents, Atty. Ansaldo pushed Abada College as one of the leading higher institutions of learning in province, and the region.

Commitment, efficiency and loyalty are the key to Abada College academic excellence!

PRESENT TIMES

More than half a century after her foundation, Abada College has come a long way. Gone are the days when classes were conducted under cogon-roofed and slab-walled buildings. Classes being suspended just because of inclement weather, are things of the past. Inadequate facilities, flooded grounds, unsightly school premises, among others, are no longer bothering the college.

With Atty. Miguel D. Ansaldo, Jr. taking over the helm of administration as President of the College, the institution has embarked on a journey across seas of tremendous changes. Year after year, something new and better, both tangible and otherwise, is added to the feathers on the institution’s cap.

Since the physical milieu plays a significant role in the learning of the students, old and close-to-dilapidated school buildings were demolished and replaced by new and sturdy ones; some are even as high as three-storeys. The only remnants of the past are the old open stage that still serves its purpose for activities and programs, the Home Economics building which, unlike before, is now stuffed with the needed tools and sets of equipment, and the flat building that houses the high school library and the two typewriting rooms.

The college campus, which for a long time has been a wide pasteur land, is now surrounded with high-rise cemented fences thus ensuring the safety of its 1,669 students and 76 employees. The campus now occupies a 29, 760 square meter lot.

To provide students with a wholesome and conducive place to study and hang out while waiting for their next subjects, a Student Lounge costing P1.5 million was built.

On the northernmost part of the campus is the Abada College Gymnasium considered as the biggest gymnasium in the whole province of Oriental Mindoro. The gym was built at a cost of R8.1 million. The gym has been the venue of many intraschool activities and interschool competitions. Some important town and provincial events are also held there because of its much-admired space that can accommodate as many as 1,000 people.

Offices have also been renovated and made fully air-conditioned. In addition, the school takes pride with its two air-conditioned computer laboratories, the Midwifery Laboratory, the Chemistry, Physics, and Biology Laboratory, the Speech Laboratory, the Audio-Visual Room, and the Firing Range for the Criminology students.

The Speech Laboratory alone cost R250, 000. It is stuffed with state-of-the-art equipment which are used by students to develop fluency and communicative competence which is imperative in this era of globalization.

Just recently, the construction of more aboratories and renovation of rooms for the Household Services, Caregiving, and Health Care Services courses commenced.

More than the physical improvements which are tangible manifestations that the institution has grown by leaps and bounds, the changes in the field of academics have been remarkable. The institution offers complete elementary and secondary courses, and starting this school year, a kindergarten program is likewise offered.

Now, the college has a wide array of courses catering to the diverse educational needs of the students. These are Associate in Computer Secretarial (ACS), Associate in Computer Technology (ACT), Graduate in Midwifery (GM), Bachelor of Science in Public Administration (BSPA), Bachelor of Science in Computer Science (BSCS), Bachelor of Science in Criminology (BSCRIM), Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA) majors in Accounting Management and Banking and Finance, Bachelor of Arts (AB) in History, Bachelor of Secondary Education (BSED) and Bachelor of Elementary Education (BEED) with majors and areas of concentration in English, Mathematics, Social Studies, General Science, and Filipino. All these are CHED-approved courses. Furthermore, TESDA courses are set for their maiden offering this semester. These are Health Care Services NC II, Household Services, Caregiving, Computer Technician, Hardware Servicing NC II, Security Management, and Programming NC II. All these positive developments have transpired due to the tireless efforts of Dr. Iluminada M. Martin, the Dean of Academic Affairs and concurrently, the Elementary and High School Principal.

It is a reality that acquiring college education can be expensive. For this reason, the college offers and accepts a number of scholarship grants and other forms of financial assistance. Among these are: Honor Graduate Scholarship, Alumni Scholarship, PESFA Scholarship, SSP Scholarship, Academic Scholarship, Provincial and Municipal Scholarships, Veterans Scholarship, Alay Lakad Scholarship, Fr. German Mehler Scholarship, and Student Assistance.

Despite the seemingly ubiquitous schools and colleges sprouting here and there in the island, proudly Abada College has always been the intelligent choice of many. So great has been the number of graduates produced by the institution since 1950. It is, therefore, not surprising that majority, if not all of the offices, both private and public, in the province and in the region are efficiently and competently peopled by the institution’s alumni. Abada College is a thread intricately interwoven in the tapestry of Oriental Mindoro’s culture. Such is a validation of the line in her Alma mater song proclaiming that she is well indeed, the “brightest jewel of the Mindoro seas.”

FLAGSHIP COURSES

Abada College continues its commitment to be in the forefront in providing quality education to the youth of Oriental Mindoro and the rest of the region. It has never been complacent of the services she can and will extend to the people. Realizing that educational needs change with time, the institution strives and succeeds in offering courses which are not only in demand but also potent in ameliorating the lives of the people

Aside from the Education Courses, which produced the best supervisors, principals, and educators in the province for years, the college has been meritoriously lauded for her Bachelor of Science in Criminology (BSCRIM) and Graduate in Midwifery (GM) courses.

The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) granted Abada College the Government Recognition No. 001 s. 2004 on October 8, 2004 for the Bachelor of Science in Criminology. Surprisingly, a great number of students surged in and took the program during its first year of offering and it continues until today. In fact, it ranks first among the courses with the number of enrollees. The pioneer batch (C.Y. 2003-2004) was composed of 76 graduates. As of this semester, there are 306 criminology students taking the course.

Another young program is the Graduate in Midwifery with Government Recognition No. 008 s. 2004 dated October 8, 2004. Initially, there were only 36 students who enrolled in the course. But owing to its excellent performance rating in the recent board exams, more and more students are taking the course. To date, 102 future midwives are enrolled in the program.

These two programs may seem young but the graduates performed particularly well in their respective board examinations. In fact, they passed with flying colors outranking most of the colleges and universities offering the same. In the recent Board Examination for Criminology (May 4-6, 2007), the school obtained a passing percentage of 71 percent. For the past two consecutive years, Abada College has managed to garner 100 percent passing rate in the Midwifery Board Examination. Moreover, Mirasol Tan of the pioneer batch managed to get the 20th spot in the topnotch list while Michelle Lamonte of Batch 2005 landed on the 9th place in their respective board exams.

The success of these two flagship programs could never be realized if such courses were not handled by the competent hands – the instructors. It is a fact that the teaching force is the backbone of any course and, therefore, the failure to find qualified and competent instructors will spell debacle of the program. The Abada College is prudently tough and intelligently selective when it comes to the hiring of instructors. Rest assured, students at Abada College are handled by the best in the field.

It does not mean also that the other courses lack quality. It just so happened that the two mentioned flagship courses have board exams to qualify and evaluate the effectiveness of the program. Any course offered by the college, therefore, equip students with the knowledge and skills they will need in the future.

Abada College is commited to be of service to the people in the best ways possible. The institution will continuously be providing an education that is enabling, enlightening, and ennobling. Abada College remains the “gift of gold to the academe.”

A glimpse of Abada College’s community immersion

It is a truism that knowledge and wisdom can never reach their full glory unless they are utilized for the betterment of man’s life. Therefore, it is essentially imperative that one’s learning needs have a direct application. Such is, indeed, observed in a number of activities in Abada College.

Though set up primarily as a learning institution, Abada College refuses to box herself within the domains of academics. Aiming to develop her students holistically, the college has throughout the years since her establishment been involved in various community projects and programs.

The institution etches in the hearts and minds of her students the value of involvement and cooperation. As proof to that, Abada College has been a partner of the community in the various charity drives, anti-drug campaigns, clean and green programs, among others.

The offering of the National Service Training Program (NSTP) that substituted the ROTC has further paved the way for the birth of more community-involved Abadans. Under this program, students, in the duration of the course, are exposed directly to the community thus realizing the many problems and concerns in the locality. With such understanding and awareness, students are made to realize that as members of the community, they can do something and actually offer solution to some of these problems.

Most NSTP students are found cleaning up certain areas of the town. Overly-grown tree branches and tall grasses are cut off; drainage systems are unclogged; trashes and garbage are swept and disposed off properly. These not only maintains the cleanliness and attractiveness of the town but more so, such helps prevent the outbreak of a possible disease like dengue.

Others are more likely to be found offering medical assistance to the townsfolk. Midwifery students enrolled in the program are the ones assigned to such tasks. Aside from the regular taking of blood pressure, over-the-counter medicines are given to the people who can not afford them.

Literacy program is likewise extended by the students to the out-of-school youth and livelihood skills are taught to the adults. The Community Immersion and Integration subjects incorporated in the curricula of BSED and BEED students make such involvement possible. Some of these future teachers are deployed in the various Daycare institutions in the barangays where they lend their services; others launch their own informal classes and encourage OSYs to participate in such.

It has also been a commitment and tradition of Abada College to launch charity drives and feeding programs especially during Christmas Season. Underprivileged kids are given a foster brother or sister who genuinely makes them feel the holiday cheer and spirit as part of “Adopt a Kid” program launched by the College Student Council.

Moreover, the college has always been open-handedly supportive of the town people and the Mindorenos in general, especially in times of calamities. Not only once has the school been involved in giving relief goods and other aids to the victims of typhoons and floods that regularly ravage the province.

At Abada College, students are made to realize that each one is an integral part of the community and that it is their moral responsibility to help those who are in need.

Source: Manila Bulletin Online

 
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