Colegio de San Juan de Letran-Calamba - Featured Schools

Philippine Schools Online Directory - Featured Schools - School Profiles
HOME - A - B - C - D - E - F - G - H - I - J - K - L - M - N - O - P - Q - R - S - T - U - V - W - X - Y - Z

Submit your school / Alumni website

Colegio de San Juan de Letran-Calamba
March 2008

An education that is Filipino, Christian, and Dominican
Colegio de San Juan de Letran-Calamba

The lush foliage, the verdant expanse, the glorious riot of colors lend a curious mix of allure and mystery to this campus that sits at the quiet foothills of Mt. Makiling.

Situated in what was once the heart of the Dominican friar lands in 17th century Calamba, where the Rizal family’s leased farmlands lay, Colegio de San Juan de Letran-Calamba is a sight to behold.

The campus’ architecture is reminiscent of old Spanish designs, patterned after the San Lorenzo de El Escorial in Madrid, the great basilica-church and monastery built by King Philip II. Designed by restoration architect Felix Imperial, Letran-Calamba has been affectionately dubbed as “the Escorial of the South.” In fact, this subtle fusion of old Spanish charm and radiant nature has made the Letran-Calamba a favored location for TV commercials, photo shoots, movies, and teledramas.

Colegio de San Juan de Letran-Calamba was established in March 1979 by its mother-institution in Intramuros. It is the first institution of higher education founded by the Dominican Province of the Philippines, the rest having been established by the Spanish Dominicans.

When the Philippine government declared its policy of decongesting Metro Manila, the Philippine Dominicans, chose Calamba. Ever mindful of history and the legacy of their founder, St. Dominic de Guzman, the Philippine Dominicans wanted to give back to Calamba by educating its youth. The choice was made more significant by the thematic link of Letran being the alma mater of renowned men (Quezon, Osmeña, Mabini, Del Pilar, Balagtas, and Aguinaldo among them) and Calamba being the birthplace of our national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal.

Having gained its autonomy from Letran-Intramuros in 1986, Letran-Calamba has since become a respected institution of higher learning. At its educational core is the belief in the importance of an education that is Filipino, Dominican, and Christian in orientation. This guiding principle continues to aid in the preparation of students for transition into the global community. Equally important is the commitment to the growth of the students – intellectually, culturally, and socially.

Engaging Minds

Letran-Calamba has become an academic beacon in the south of Manila, where higher-achieving students want to go. It especially excels in engineering, having produced graduates who consistently surpass the national passing percentages in engineering board examinations.

The school’s teacher education program also boasts of high passing percentages, always surpassing the national passing rate. By virtue of such, it is the only institution accredited by CHED to offer Licensure Examination for Teachers review classes in the city.

Furthermore, its students get a wealth of hands-on, applied learning opportunities, which range from Communication and Engineering students running Knight 103.9 FM, the only NTC-licensed FM radio station for a private school in Laguna; HRM and Tourism students overseeing operations of the fully-equipped hotel in campus; complete resources for its nursing students; an Information Technology Computer Center with more than 700 state-of-the-art computer units for its Computer Science and IT students; international on-the-job-training programs for service-related courses; and so on. A dedicated 250-strong faculty, majority with graduate degrees, provides the impetus for academic pursuits.

Reaching Beyond

Letran-Calamba’s achievements and innovations in research and community work have had real impact on the lives of people in Laguna.

For instance, its Student Research Program was awarded regional first runner up by CHEd in January 2007.

In an effort to help its partner communities through sustainable development projects, Letran-Calamba helped put up Hayuma, an internationally-funded project employing sewers from Laguna communities to sew official Letran uniforms.

Letran Calamba Foundation, Inc. was also awarded the Gawad Oscar M. Florendo Award for the most outstanding NGO- Public Information Program/Project by the Public Relations Organization of the Philippines and the Public Information Agency for its innovative Science and Technology Network Program for Laguna and CARAGA.

Inspiring Passion

The transformative experience that Letran-Calamba provides begins with passion – passion for teaching, passion for learning, passion for supporting the individual needs of each student. It was passion for that pioneering spirit that prompted the college to become the founding institution of the Laguna Catholic Schools Association (LACASA) with 38 strong member schools and a founding member of the NCAA-South.

This sense of passion and discovery is an intentionally-built environment, ideal for inquisitive students. They enter a multi-disciplinary college campus where professors, administrators, and staff appreciate and embrace their individual interests, needs, and strengths.

Creative thinking is a pre-requisite for success in Letran-Calamba. Aside from the wide range of scholarships made available and its affordable tuition fees, the school moves beyond traditional curricular and co-curricular boundaries to give students solid foundations on academics, research, and community service.

The historical linkage of the school with our national hero’s birthplace is made even more unique with Dambana, a curriculum lauded by the National Historical Institute wherein students enrolled in the Rizal subject work hand-in-hand with the curators of the Rizal Shrine in Calamba.

Letran-Calamba has also incorporated service learning in its Sociology and Theology classes with its immersion program, Makipamuhay.

Redefining Opportunities

Letran-Calamba’s legacy of producing leaders, thinkers, and global citizens is getting stronger every year. With the excellent employability rates of its alumni through strong industry-academe linkage, Letran-Calamba graduates are now heads of major corporations, organizations, and government agencies.

The many opportunities afforded the students come in the form of an array of majors in the undergraduate and graduate schools; graduate-level research offerings for undergraduate students; enriched spiritual growth through yearly recollections, retreats, and other community-building activities; a natural environment unlike any other; a vast array of co-curricular and extra-curricular offerings through theater, music, and arts initiatives; and a spirit of innovation and discovery.

For almost 30 years, Letran-Calamba has maintained its character as a Catholic student-oriented institution, which offers a level of excellence in academic and student life programs. It has produced an alumni base approaching 18,000.

Today, the institution has many more programs, facilities, and students than the founders of the school could have foreseen in 1979. What has not changed in the course of the history of basic, higher, and graduate education at Colegio de San Juan de Letran-Calamba is a strong commitment to the principles of excellence in teaching and discipline in learning. Much like the diwata, Maria Makiling, whose foothills caress the campus, Letran-Calamba beckons and transports you to an enchanting world of opportunities and purpose, a rare combination, reminiscent of the past and suggestive of the future.

Source: Manila Bulletin Online