A HISTORY OF THE SYSTEM OF EDUCATION IN THE

PHILIPPINES

Introduction of the Western or European System of Education

With the coming of Spain, the European system of education

was introduced to the archipelago. Primary schools, colleges and universities
were established in our country by the missionaries.

The principal aim of Spain in the Philippines during their regime

was to make the native Filipinos obedient and God-fearing Christians. For this
reason, religion was a compulsory subject at all levels – from the primary
schools to the universities.

The first schools were the parochial schools opened by the

missionaries in their parishes. In addition to religion, the native children in
these schools were taught reading, writing, arithmetic and some vocational
and practical arts subjects.

Later on, colleges for boys and girls were opened by the
missionaries. These colleges were the equivalent of our high schools today.
The subjects taught to the students included history, Latin, geography,
mathematics and philosophy.

What the Philippines needs is a realistic educational system adaptable

to local conditions. There was no co-education during the Spanish times.
Boys and girls studied in separate schools.

University education was started in the Philippines during the early part
of the 17th century. Originally, the colleges and universities were open only to
the Spaniards and those with Spanish blood (mestizos). It was only during the
19th century that these universities began accepting native Filipinos.

It is interesting to note that for nearly 300 years, education in the

Philippines was the primary responsibility of the Catholic Church. The
missionaries established the schools, provided the teachers and facilities and
decided what should be taught. It was only in the last half of the 19th century
that the government took an active part in promoting education in the colony.
In 1863, a royal decree called for the establishment of a public school system
in the colony.

Education under the Americans

The United States had a different approach dictated by what the

Americans considered to be their principal goal in coming to the Philippines –
“to educate and to train in the science of self-government.”

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 Consequently, it was not surprising that the United States considered
educating the Filipinos as one of its top priorities in the Philippines. Even while
US troops were consolidating their foothold in Manila in 1898, schools were
already opened in the city. But unlike the Spaniards who neglected to
propagate their language, the Americans made it a point to teach English to
the Filipinos. The American soldiers were the first teachers of the Filipinos.

In January 1901, free primary education was provided and a school for
Filipino teachers was established. It called for the recruitment of trained
teachers in America. It abolished compulsory religious instruction.

The Americans gave bright young Filipino students opportunity to take

up higher education in American colleges and universities. These Filipinos
came to be known as “pensionados” for their education in the United States
was financed by the government in the Philippines. Hundreds of Filipino
pensionados were able to study in the US until 1928. From the ranks of these
pensionados came the future civic, business and political leaders of our
country.

Hungry for education, the Filipinos flocked to public and private schools
in large numbers.

Education under the Commonwealth

Education continued to receive from the Commonwealth government

the same attention that the Americans gave it. President Quezon created the
National Council of Education in 1936 as an advisory body on educational
matters. The council made important recommendations to further improve the
educational system in the Philippines. Most of these recommendations were
accepted and carried out by the government.

Under the Commonwealth, vocational and adult education were given

emphasis.

It was also during the Commonwealth regime that an organized effort

to develop a common national language was stared in compliance with
the mandate of the 1935 constitution.

To help counteract the American cultural influence among the Filipinos,

President Quezon greatly encouraged the revival of native culture as well as
desirable Filipino values.

And to help strengthen the moral fibers of the Filipinos and to foster
love of country especially among the youth, President Quezon issued his
famous Code of Ethics which was required to be taught in all schools.

In 1940, several changes were made in the Philippine educational

system by virtue of the Educational Act of 1940. Under this law, the
elementary course was reduced from 7 years to 6 years. The minimum age
for admission to Grade I was raised to 7. The school calendar was also

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changed so instead of the school year from June to March, it was changed to
July to April.

Education under the Japanese

Schools and churches were also used as propaganda tools of the

Japanese. Nippon-go, the Japanese language, was made a compulsory
subject in all schools. In government and private offices, classes in Nippon-go
were opened to propagate the Japanese language and culture. Japanese
Catholic priests were sent to the Philippines to help promote the idea that
Japan, being an Asian country, was a friend of all Asian people’s including the
Filipinos.

The Iloilo Experiment

In 1948. Dr. Jose V. Aguilar, the Superintendent of the Iloilo school

division initiated a six year experiment with vernacular instruction in his school
division. The experiment involved seven control schools where English was
used as the medium of instruction in Grades 1 and 2 and seven
experimental schools where the vernacular, Hiligaynon, was used as the
instructional medium. This was controversial. As late as 1963, the Dean of the
College of Education, Xavier University on the island of Mindanao, observed
that the vernacular instruction was not producing maximum results. It
was curtailing full instructional benefit. Instead of narrowing the regional gaps
of the country, it was widening it and was producing dangerous trends
towards regional and cultural imbalance.

Educational Thrust of the New Society and Today

It was assumed that the most fundamental objective of

education is the development of an individual’s potential which will
simultaneously improve society. Educational policies have been geared to the
accomplishment of better manpower production through the
understanding by the students of land reform, taxation, economic production,
anti-drug and anti-pollution and conservation education. To accomplish these
goals, the value and work oriented curricula were encouraged. However,
many parents and teachers were still confused because they did not
understand the philosophy, operations, and evaluations of this innovation in
education. The concept of an average layman or teacher in the “new society”
was always associated with the advent of Martial Law. This must be
redirected to a functional definition of wholesome integration of our economic,
social and moral lives for a progressive Philippines. The direction of education
as envisioned by our educators can be best described by the following
changes:

1. A relevant and flexible curriculum. Educational content is focused on

the need of society which is for sound economy. This means better
knowledge in skills and food production, conservation of natural
resources, technical knowledge in harnessing mineral deposits and less

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 emphasis on white collar jobs which result only in producing the
“educated unemployed.”
2. Productive-coordinated technocrats. The inevitable reorganization of
the Department of Education (DepEd) was a response to these needs.
For centuries, our educational system generally operated on a system of
isolation where the Bureau of Public, Private and Vocational Education
worked almost independently and promoted secrecy and privacy instead
of attaining harmony for the good of our country.
3. A quality teacher with effective methods of teaching. To teach
effectively, the teacher must have the solid foundations in terms of
educational training from reputable institutions, update his method of
teaching by reading and attending conferences, and should have the
courage of trying out various means or ways of maximizing learner. To
do this, it becomes necessary to understand the psychology of pupils
and to be able to communicate with them in teaching-learning situations.
The increase in teachers’ pay should be a strong justification for the
better policy on the recruitment and retention of teachers.

Every time changes in our educational system occur to search for the
solution for our educational ills, some pressure groups interfere and say it is
“unrealistic and expensive,” which is not a valid reason. Courage and
energy for action should be sustained to invigorate the lives of the citizenry.

After four centuries and a half of being a colony of Spain, America and
Japan, the concern of the Filipino educators and policy makers is the
Filipinization of the Filipinos and Filipino institutions. Alejandro Roces, while
holding office as the Secretary of Education, voiced this concern thus:

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 Fred Atkinson
He was an American Director of Education in the Philippines
from 1900 up to 1902. During his time, he gave emphasis in providing
Filipinos with vocational training.

Sergio Osmeña, Sr., PLH

(9 September 1878 – 19 October 1961) was a Filipino

politician who served as the fourth President of the
Philippines from 1944 to 1946. He was Vice President under
Manuel L. Quezon, and succeeded as President upon
Quezon's sudden death in 1944, becoming the second oldest
officeholder at age 65 behind Rodrigo Duterte in 2016. A
founder of the Nacionalista Party, he was also the first
Visayan to become President of the Philippines.

Prior to his accession in 1944, Osmeña served as

Governor of Cebu from 1906 to 1907, Member and first
Speaker of the Philippine House of Representatives from
1907 to 1922, and Senator from the 10th Senatorial District
for thirteen years, in which capacity he served as Senate
President pro tempore. In 1935, he was nominated to be the
running-mate of Senate PresidentManuel L. Quezon for the presidential
election that year. The duo were overwhelmingly re-elected in 1941.

He was patriarch of the prominent Osmeña family, which includes his son,
former Senator Sergio Osmeña Jr., and his grandsons, senators Sergio
Osmeña III and John Henry Osmeña), ex-governor Lito Osmeña, and current
Cebu City mayor Tomas Osmeña.

Osmeña was born in Cebu City to Juana Osmeña y Suico, who was
reportedly only 14 years of age at the time. Owing to the circumstances of his
birth, the identity of his father had been a closely guarded family secret.
Although carrying the stigma of being an illegitimate child – Juana never
married his father – he did not allow this aspect to affect his standing in
society. The Osmeña family, a rich and prominent clan of Chinese Filipino
heritage with vast business Interests in Cebu, warmed to him as he
established himself as a prominent figure in local society.

Osmeña received his elementary education at the Colegio de San

Carlos and graduated in 1892. Osmeña continued his education in Manila,

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studying in San Juan de Letran College where he first met Manuel L. Quezon,
a classmate of his, as well as Juan Sumulong and Emilio Jacinto. He took up
law at the University of Santo Tomas and was second place in the bar
examination in 1903. He served on the war staff of General Emilio Aguinaldo
as a courier and journalist. In 1900, he founded the Cebu newspaper, El
Nuevo Día [English: 'The New Day'] which lasted for three years.

Dr. Jorge Bocobo

(1886-1965) was a renowned Philippine
scholar, lawyer, journalist, leader, and educator. He
was the fifth president of the University of the
Philippines from 1934-1939. Known to be moralist
and disciplinarian, he was influential in the
development of education in the Philippines.

He was married to Felisa de Castro and they

were gifted with seven children: Elvira, Florante,
Celia, Ariel, Dalisay, Israel and Malaya.

He died on July 23, 1965.

Bocobo was born on October 19, 1886 in Gerona, Tarlac to Don

Tranquilino Bocobo and Doña Rita Teodora Tabago. His first teachers were
his parents. His mother taught him the alphabet and his father taught him how
to write. He started his formal education in Gerona where he had to work as
an apprentice in the municipal government. He went to Manila in 1903 to
attend school on Padre Faura Street. On the same year, through the initiative
of Governor William Howard Taft, the Philippine Commission was able to
send Jorge and other Filipino pensionados to the United States for four years
of study in American schools. Jorge and his group took up special summer
classes at Santa Barbara, California before proceeding to their destinations.
Bocobo was able to attend Puss High School in San, Diego. After finishing
high school, he proceeded to Indiana University to study law, and received his
bachelor's degree in June 1907.

A few days after receiving his college diploma, Bocobo went back to
Manila. He worked as a law clerk in the Executive Bureau in 1907. Three
years later, he took the bar examination and obtained an almost perfect score
in Civil Law.

In 1911, he began teaching at the University of the Philippines College

of Law. He was made assistant professor of Civil Law in 1914 and associate
professor two years later. In July 1917, he was appointed full professor and
acting dean of the college.

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 He was awarded a Doctor of Laws (honoris causa) by the
University of Southern California in 1931. The same was done by
Indiana University in 1951 and so did the University of the Philippines
in 1952.

He retired as UP president in 1939 and became the Secretary of Public

Instruction during the term of President Manuel Quezon. He worked to instill
nationalism in the youth and to promote more Filipino sources in education, as
well pushing the observance of historical events.

Dr. Jorge Bocobo’s Philosophies on Education:

Jorge Bocobo’s expression, "made the failure of any work which I

undertake my own failure, its success my own success." He was known to be
a moralist and a disciplinarian, urging the students to strive for basic virtues.
He implemented improvement of the teaching method, student guidance, a
reading period before the final examinations, and the formation of the alumni
institute. He was also devoutly religious, urging students to always go to
church. He was very strict and as a result, he expelled a student for printing a
poem that was deemed to be immoral and even suspended a whole batch of
students for violating the dance regulations. He wanted teaching to be not
only about doling out knowledge or moral principles but to inspire the students
to live up to those principles. He was also a firm believer in the importance of
education for women. As an educator, he was strict in implementing rules and
always insisted on the highest standard of training. He worked to instill
nationalism in the youth and to promote more Filipino sources in education, as
well pushing the observance of historical events. He asserted that "there is a
need of shifting the tendency of your young people from frivolous social
gatherings toward serious patriotic commemorations when they may ponder
upon the past endeavors." He also believed that "the observance of historical
events especially those which led the foundation for the Filipino nation, is an
effective way of inculcating nationalism among the children and the youth.
While a great deal had been done in recent years along this line in the public
schools, still there should be greater emphasis upon patriotism."

Dr. Jorge Bocobo’s Contributions Education:

Bocobo was a writer, an essayist, and a dramatist. He translated the
Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo of Jose Rizal into English. He also
translated the Code of Kalantiao, the Philippine National Hymn, and the
Bonifacio Decalogue. He wrote legal publications including outlines of the
laws on property, obligations and court decisions from 1924-1944.

General Carlos P. Romulo

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 He was born on Jan. 14, 1899, in Manila; but his well-to-do parents
lived in Camiling, Tarlac. His father, Gregorio, was a Filipino guerrilla fighter
with the Philippine revolutionary government of Emilio Aguinaldo during the
Filipino-American War. Rómulo claimed to have witnessed his grandfather
tortured by the water cure administered by American soldiers. After early
schooling in Tarlac, Rómulo entered the University of the Philippines, where
he received a bachelor’s degree in 1918. After getting a master of arts from
Columbia University in 1921, he returned to work as professor of English and
chairman of the English department of the University of the Philippines (1923-
1928).
After serving as president of the University of the Philippines and
secretary of education (1963-1968), Rómulo was appointed by President
Marcos to the post of secretary of foreign affairs. Rómulo was the recipient of
more than a hundred honorary doctorates, awards, and medals, given by
American and Asian universities, organizations, and foreign governments.

Carlos P. Romulo’s Philosophies on Education

“Let us teach our people again to be proud that they are Filipinos. Let
us teach them to realize anew that being a Filipino means having as rich and
noble a heritage of language, culture, patriotism and heroic deeds as any
nation on earth. Let us teach a steadfast faith in Divine Providence, a stable
family institution, the unhampered enjoyment of civil liberties, the advantages
of constitutional government, and the potentials of a rich and spacious land.”
-Carlos P. Romulo

“There should be no inferiors and no superiors for true world friendship.

-Carlos P. Romulo

Carlos P. Romulo’s Contributions on Education:

Co-founder, Boy Scouts of the Philippines

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 Camilo Osías

(March 23, 1889 Balaoan, La Union – May 20, 1976

Manila) was a Filipino politician, twice for a short time
President of the Senate of the Philippines.

He attended school in Balaoan, Vigan and San

Fernando, and was appointed government student to the
United States in 1905. He studied at the University of
Chicago in 1906 and 1907. He graduated from the Western
Illinois State Teachers College at Macomb, Illinois in 1908,
and from the Teachers College of Columbia University in
New York City in 1910. He returned to the Philippine Islands
and taught school. Here he entered education politics,
becoming successively the first Filipino Superintendent of Schools (1915 to
1916), Assistant Director of Education (1917 to 1921), a member of the first
Philippine mission to the United States (1919 to 1920), a lecturer at the
University of the Philippines (1919 to 1921), President of National University
(1921–1936). In 1939 he was a member of the Economic Mission to the
United States, and chairman of the Educational Mission between 1938 and
1941. Back in the Philippines he became chairman of the National Council of
Education in 1941, Director of Publicity and Propaganda until January 1942,
chairman of the National Cooperative Administration in 1941, later Assistant
Commissioner of the Department of Education, Health, and Public Welfare,
then Secretary of Education until 1945. He was also Chancellor of Osías
Colleges. He was elected again to the Philippine Senate in 1947 for a term
expiring in 1953. He was President of the Senate of the Philippines twice for a
short time in 1952 and in 1953. He was the Philippines' representative to the
Interparliamentary Union in Rome and to the International Trade Conference
in Genoa in 1948. He was an unsuccessful candidate for the Nationalist Party
nomination for President of the Philippines in 1953, losing to Ramon
Magsaysay. He was again elected, this time as a Liberal to the Philippine
Senate (1961–1967), and served as president pro tempore. He was a resident
of Mandaluyong, Rizal, Philippines, until his death.

Dr. Camilo Osias’ Philosophies on Education:

His philosophy centered on what he called the tayo concept (we) as
distinguished from the ako ( individual) kivta (dual) and kami ( we exclusive)
concepts.  Dr. Osias belives that education mus secure for every filipino the
fullest measure of efficiency, freedom, and happiness.  The school system
must contribute its share in achieving the goals of education by inculcating in
the hearts and minds of the young the values of preserving the patrimony of
the nation.

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 He suggested that all schools must preserve the solidarity of the
Filipinos; work out for proper equilibrium in the economic order; develop social
justice; preserve the merit system in government service , promote peace and
national defense; uphold the inalienable rights of life, property, liberty, and
happiness of each citizen; preserve and respect all the fundamental freedoms
guaranteed in the constitution; conserve the principle of equality; keep over
aloft the torch of education; and make democracy a living reality.
He believed that education should secure for every person the fullest
measure of freedom, efficiency, and happiness. Efficiency, he demands that
one must be able to cooperate with the other members of the society to
promote common good. He also advocated that the educational system must
contribute towards the achievement of the goals of education by inculcating
their minds and hearts of the youth the value of preserving the patrimony of
the country promoting the general welfare of the people. Make democracy a
living and functional reality.

Dr. Camilo Osias’ Contributions on Education:

He edited the series Philippine Readers (known as Osias Readers) for
primary intermediate schools.
He translated in English Rizal’s famous novels Noli Me Tangere (1956)
and El Filibusterismo (1957)
He also wrote numerous books and essays on Rizal, education,
religion, and the Filipino Way of Life.
School has an important role in the development of dynamic
nationalism and internationalism in relation to democracy in the education of
the youth

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Maximo Maguiat Kalaw

He was the Secretaries of Instruction from

February 27, 1945 to May 4, 1945 under President
Sergio Osmeña Commonwealth (restored)

He is a renowned writer from Lipa,Batangas.

He studied at the Philippine Normal School and the
University of the Philippines wherein he became the
editor of Collegio Folio, the first school paper in UP.
He also obtained a Bachelor of Laws from
Georgetown University in 1915 and Ph.D. in
Philosophy from the University of Michigan in 1924.

He became an associate editor of the Manila Times, a professor of

political science at the University of the Philippines, an exchange professor at
the University of Michigan, becoming the first Filipino to teach in an American
university.

He was also a private secretary in the office of Manuel L. Quezon and

a representative of the 3rd district of Batangas in the first legislature of the
Commonwealth.

His published works include Usapin ng mga Pilipino (1915), The

Development of Philippine Politics (1926), The Filipino Rebel: A Romance of
the American Occupation of the Philippines (1930), The Philippine Question:
An Analysis (1931), An Introduction to Philippine Social Science (1933), and
Materials for the Constitution (1934).
He died on March 23, 1955.

Maximo M. Kalaw’s Philosophies on Education:

Educators and university administrators must now and then pause in
their work and indulge in a speculative idealism. The routine of administration
and the monotony of the classroom must at times be forgotten to see whether
or not we are marching towards the ideal. A campus rich in the
instrumentalities of knowledge, replete with association with the great minds
of all nations yet inviting to the fellowship and the sports of the present; a
student body in reverent attitude toward the past yet eagerly enthusiastic and
willing to try new avenues in the future, wedded to the national ideals of the
country without  losing that cosmopolitanism which fits them to become
citizens of the world; a faculty enjoying the bounties of academic freedom yet

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fully conscious of their moral responsibilities toward their students and their
country, an inspiration in the classroom and on the campus yet researchers
and scholars within their laboratories and their libraries - these and the
hundred more elements complete the picture of an ideal university
The ideal university will not be content with merely conducting efficient
instruction in the classroom, with having an up-to-date laboratory, or with
merely forth men efficient in their respective trades. Two other activities must
be added to the functions of modern society: the task of helping enlarge the
stock of human knowledge and the duty of serving with technical help its own
people and its own country. In fact, the ideal university will not be found
simply of the campus or in the city where buildings are located. It will be found
wherever its benevolent influence is felt, in the farthest plantation where its
professors may be experimenting on the sugar cane, in the factories, which its
chemists and engineers helped establish, in every town which its publications
or lectures may reach, and in every home which opens its doors to its
correspondence courses or to its radio messages.

Francisco F. Benitez
(1887-1951)
 
Francisco F. Benitez, one of the country's foremost educators, was
born in Pagsanjan, Laguna on June 4, 1887 to Don Higinio Benitez, a signer
of Malolos Constitution, and Soledad Francia. He had four brothers: Ceferino,
Teofilo, Conrado, and Eulogio, and a sister, Antonia. His brother Conrado was
an economist, historian, and a business leader, while Eulogio was a
congressman of Laguna and the first to use English in the sessions of the
Philippine House of Representatives.
After his graduation from the Philippine Normal School in 1904, he
started his educational career. He served as principal of a school in Pakil,
Laguna, before being sent as a government pensionado to the United States
in 1905. He graduated three years later from the Western Illinois State Normal
School. Back in the Philippines, he was appointed assistant supervising
teacher in Bacoor, Cavite.
On July i, 1918, the U.P. Board of Regents passed a resolution
transforming the School of Education into the College of Education Francisco
Benitez was appointed its dean and thus started his strong influence on
education.
Preparatory to the establishment of the commonwealth government,
Quezon appointed in 1935 a committee, called the Quezon Educational
Survey Committee, to study and recommend changes in the educational

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system. As a member of the committee, Dean Benitez was appointed
chairman of the subcommittee on teacher training.
On August 13, 1945, President Sergio Osmeña revived the National
Council of Education created by Quezon shortly before the war. Dean Benitez
was made chairman of this council.
After the war, in January, 1946, Osmeña apointed Benitez Secretary of
Public Instruction until May, 1946, with Florentino Cayco as his
undersecretary.
Francisco F.Benitez’s Philosophies on Education:

As an educator, Benitez believed that education could make the

country stable and progressive and that every Filipino child should have the
right to an education in order to develop his potentials to the full. He also
strongly advocated the development of the spirit of nationalism, particularly in
the youth, the development of internationalism, and of the national language.
As director of the Office of Private Education, he advocated the idea of having
social studies taught exclusively by Filipino teachers. A strong advocate of
democratic ideas in classroom management and supervision, he batted for an
educational system geared toward the needs of the people.

Francisco F. Benitez’s Contributions on Education:

He also distinguished himself as a writer and editor when he published
"Educational Progress in the Philippines," "Stories of Great Filipinos," and
several other essays and articles here and abroad. He was editor of the
Philippine Journal of Education. He conducted courses in education: "The
Social and Economic Status of Our Teachers" and "A Study in Individual
Differences."

Pablo Lorenzo
He was the Secretary of Education from September 14, 1950 to April
3, 1951 under the presidency of Elpidio Quirino.

Lorenzo was born on March 1, 1887. He was the son of a Spanish

sergeant, Pablo Lorenzo, who at that time was serving in the Southern
Philippines. His mother was Manuela Rojas from Cavite. Young Pablo grew
up in Zamboanga but the family later moved to Manila where he received his
early formal education at the Ateneo Municipal de Manila. After finishing his
high school, he enrolled at the Philippine University College of Law. Among
his contemporaries were Elpidio Quirino, who later became the Second
President of the Philippines, and Jose Yulo, who was to become the Speaker
of the House. Pablo graduated from his law course in 1914, and returned to
Zamboanga to practice law after becoming a full-pledged lawyer.

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 At that time, Zamboanga was the capital of the Moro Province under
the American regime. The American Circuit Court was stationed in
Zamboanga, and it was the perfect setting for the young and brilliant lawyer to
make his mark among the legal luminaries of the time. Eloquent and
dedicated, Lorenzo became well known as a trial and corporate attorney who
traveled to practically all parts of Mindanao to defend cases. His clients came
from all walks of life.

Don Pablo met a beautiful lady from Cebu by the name of Luisa Rafols.
After a period of courtship, Don Pablo proposed to and married Miss Rafols.
He brought his beautiful wife to Zamboanga where they started a family,
having five children. Don Pablo and Doña Luisa had three girls in a row-
Isabel, Maria Clara, who would one day become the congresswoman and
later mayor of Zamboanga, and Maria Luisa, who was to become a professor
at the University of the Philippines. Don Pablo and Doña Luisa also had two
sons, Pablo, Jr., who would become a lawyer like his father, and Luis, who
became a prominent business executive managing several corporations in
Bukidnon, Cagayan and Davao.

Don Pablo’s first experience as a public servant was when he was

elected as the representative of Zamboanga to the first Philippine Legislative
Assembly, which was the lawmaking body of the Philippine government at
that time. This was in preparation for the Commonwealth Government, which
would eventually lead to the granting of Philippine Independence.

The Commonwealth Government was to train the Filipinos to be self-

governing people. Don Pablo was also elected as a delegate to the
Constitutional Convention of 1934, representing Zamboanga City. In 1939,
President Manuel L. Quezon appointed him Zamboanga Mayor, a position he
held until 1940.

Don Pablo had to let go of his position as mayor of Zamboanga when,

on the request of President Quezon, he and his family transferred to Manila
after he was appointed Immigration Commissioner. He was to hold this
position until the outbreak of World War II.

Pablo Lorenzo’s Contributions on Education:

Don Pablo had the honor of serving under two other presidents of the
Philippines aside from Quezon. He served as Secretary of Education during
the term of President Quirino, in which post he was credited for the elevation
of the Vocational High School in Nueva Ecija to a State University.

Teodoro Evangelista

Known as an eloquent speaker and gifted writer, he was captain of the

team that defeated the visiting team from the University of Oregon in 1927.
Prior to that, after winning the individual medal in the annual debate of the

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Ateneo de Manila in 1924, he graduated with his liberal arts degree. From
Bulacan, he served as editor of the Ateneo Monthly, a magazine well-known
in high and prep schools of the United States, as well as in the Philippine.

Cecilio Putong

Cecilio Kapirig Putong (February 1, 1891 –

January 26, 1980) was a Filipino educator, writer,
Boy Scout leader, UNESCO fellow, author, and later
became the Secretary of Education of the
Philippines in 1952. His parents were Apolinario
Putong and Gregoria Kapirig, both of Tagbilaran,
Bohol His father was an asst. band conductor and
his mother was a housewife who, upon the death of
her husband at an early age, had to be a vendor to
raise two children, Cirilo and Cecilio.

Early Education: Dr. Putong studied in the

Tagbilaran Spanish Public School and the
Tagbilaran School later established by the first
American teachers in the Philippines (called Thomasites). After passing
corresponding examinations, he obtained the primary course in March, 1906
and the intermediate course certificate in June, 1906.

As a Gov't. Pensionado: Diploma for Normal Course (Phil. Normal

School, Manila, 1908-1912, graduating as Class Valedictorian)

Three degrees obtained in the USA as gov't. Pensionado: BSE -

Western Illinois State Teachers College, 1920; M. A. - Columbia University,
NYC, 1921; and Ph.D. - University of Chicago, Illinois, 1937

José E. Romero

(Born March 3, 1897) was a politician in the

Philippines. From 1931, he served as a member of
the Philippine House of Representatives for the
second district of Negros Oriental. When the
National Assembly of the Philippines effectively
replaced the Senate and the House of
Representatives in 1935, he continued as an
Assemblyman until 1941. After the war he served in
various government posts as Secretary of the
Department of Education, Philippine Ambassador

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to the Court of St. James's in England, and chairman of the Rizal Centennial
Commission.

Alejandro Reyes Roces

(13 July 1924 – 23 May 2011) was a Filipino

author, essayist, dramatist and a National Artist of
the Philippines for literature. He served as Secretary
of Education from 1961 to 1965, during the term of
Philippine President Diosdado Macapagal.

Noted for his short stories, the Manila-born

Roces was married to Irene Yorston Viola
(granddaughter of Maximo Viola), with whom he had
a daughter, Elizabeth Roces-Pedrosa. Anding
attended elementary and high school at the Ateneo
de Manila University, before moving to the University
of Arizona and then Arizona State University for his
tertiary education. He graduated with a B.A. in Fine Arts and, not long after,
attained his M.A. from Far Eastern University back in the Philippines. He has
since received honorary doctorates from Tokyo University, Baguio's St. Louis
University, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, and the Ateneo de Manila
University. Roces was a captain in the Marking’s Guerilla during World War II
and a columnist in Philippine dailies such as the Manila Chronicle and the
Manila Times. He was previously President of the Manila Bulletin and of the
CAP College Foundation.

In 2001, Roces was appointed as Chairman of the Movie and

Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB). Roces also became a
member of the Board of Trustees of GSIS (Government Service Insurance
System) and maintained a column in the Philippine Star called Roses and
Thorns.

Dr. Onofre Dizon Corpuz

(December 1, 1926 – March 23, 2013 [2]) was

a Filipino academic, economist, and historian.
He served as the Secretary of Education of the
Philippines from 1968 to 1971 and was the 13th
president of the University of the Philippines
System from 1975 to 1979. Dr. Corpuz was later

16
named Minister of Education under the parliamentary system wherein he
was also member of the now defunct Batasang Pambansa (National
Assembly) from 1979 to 1983.

Being the first one to come up with the idea of establishing the Career
Executive Service (CES) in the Philippines based on existent bureaucratic
structures in other countries, Corpuz served as the first chairman of the
Career Executive Service Board (CESB) from 1973 to 1978.

In 2004, he was named National Scientist of the Philippines for his

contributions to Filipino scholarship particularly in areas of economics, history,
political science, and public administration. [4] At the time of his death, he was
a Professor Emeritus at the School of Economics of the University of the
Philippines Diliman.

Early life

Dr. Onofre Dizon Corpuz was born on December 1, 1926 at Taft Street,
Poblacion, Camiling, Tarlac to Remigio Corpuz, a school teacher and Isabel
Dizon. He finished his primary and secondary education in his hometown
Tarlac, Philippines. He was salutatorian of Camiling Elementary School in
1938 and of Tarlac High School in 1944 before he took up his B.A. degree at
the University of the Philippines from 1946 to 1950 wherein he graduated
magna cum laude.

Corpuz obtained his master's degree at the University of Illinois in the

United States in 1953. He later finished a Master of Public Administration
(MPA) degree in 1955 and a Ph.D. in Political Economy & Government in
1956 from Harvard University.

In 1976, the Royal Chulalongkorn University in Thailand awarded him a

Ph.D., honoris causa in 1976.

17
Dr. Lourdes Reynes Quisumbing

She is an educator par excellence who has

been the first women Secretary of Education,
Culture and Sports. She is the President of the
Asia-Pacific Network for International Education
and Values Education (APNIEVE).

Was raised as an only child. Her mother

died when she was only eleven years old so she
was sent to a boarding school. A high school
valedictorian, she was a product of Catholic
schools. She completed a degree in Bachelor of
Science in Education as summa cum laude at
Saint Theresa's College and her Master of Arts in
Education again as summa cum laude from the University of San Carlos,
Cebu City. Dr. Lourdes R. Quisumbing gained her Ph.D. benemeritus from the
University of Santo Tomas, Manila while devoting herself to her family, her
husband and their nine children. She was sent as a Scholar of the National
Science Foundation of America to the University Of Colorado Summer
Institute Of Anthropology.

In August 1987, she received the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters,

honoris causa, from the University of Southern Carolina, U.S.A. in recognition
of her contributions to education and the behavioral sciences, especially in the
field of family life, women studies, and values education. She has likewise
received a Doctor in Philippine Studies honoris causa, from the Mindanao
State University, Marawi City (1992), a Doctor in Humanities, honoris causa,
from the Far Eastern University, Manila (1999) and another Doctor in
Humanities, honoris causa, from the San Beda College, Manila (2003).

Dr. Lourdes Reynes Quisumbing’s Philosophies on Education:

This calls for a paradigm shift in our educational philosophy and

practice. Instead of a rigid and compartmentalized knowledge-based
curriculum, we should adopt a more holistic view of education which aims at
the development of the faculties and powers of the whole person- cognitive,
affective, emotional, aesthetic, volitional, behavioral; a teaching-learning
approach which does not stop at knowledge and information at developing
skills and competence, but proceeds to understanding and gaining insights,
that educates the heart and the emotions and develops the ability to choose
freely and to value, to make decisions and to translate knowledge and values
into action. The heart of education is the education of the heart.

But by values education we do not mean merely teaching about values

but rather learning how to value, how to bring knowledge into the deeper level
of understandings and insights; into the affective realm of our feelings and
emotions, our cherished choices and priorities into loving and appreciating,

18
and how to internalize and translate them into our behavior. Truly, values
education is a holistic process and a total learning experiences.

Dr. Lourdes Reynes Quisumbing’s Contributions on Education:

Under her leadership the following selected Department of education

Order had been passed:

 DO 53, s. 1985 - Implementation of National Sports Programs and

Projects
 DO 25, s. 1986 - Upgrading Standard and Quality of Education in
Barangay High Schools
 DO 81, s. 1987 - Paggamit ng Katagang “Filipino” sa Pagtukoy sa
Wikang ng Pilipinas
 DO 61, s. 1987 - Inclusion of the Study of Human Rights and
Accompanying Responsibilities in the School Curricula
 DO 60, s, 1987 - Guidelines Governing the Publication of High
School Newspapers
 DO 44, s. 1988 - Rules And Regulations Governing The
Implementation Of The Free Public Secondary Education Act Of
1988
 DO 4, s. 1989 - Competency-Based Instruction (CBI) in Technical
and Vocational Education
 DO 11, s. 1989 - Implementation of the New Secondary Education
Curriculum under the 1989 Secondary Development Program
 DECS Order No. 28, s. 1989 (Private Education Student Financial
Assistance (PESFA) Program)

Isidro D. Cariño

The former secretary of the Department of Education, Culture and

Sports (DECS), which name has been transformed to as the Department of
Education (DepEd) on August 2001.

Aside from being the former Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP)

National President, he also assumed the position as Dean of the College of
Commerce (1974-1977) at the University of the East. In 1976, he introduced
the BSBA Special Degree Program (BBM Program for executives without
College Degree).

In 1989, Dr. Cariño conceived and initiated the Search for the Ten
Outstanding Boy Scouts of the Philippines (TOBSP) which aims to give due
recognition to the most outstanding Scouts who epitomize sterling qualities of

19
school and community leadership, academic excellence and good moral
conduct, thereby serving as role models to the youth. He considered it a vital
avenue to propagate the Department of Education’s Values Education
Program.

Isidro D. Cariño’s Philosophies on Education:

Isidro D. Cariño’s Contributions on Education:

Under his leadership the following selected Department of

education Order had been passed:

 DO 61, s. 1990 - The Creation of Calamity and Disaster Control

Groups
 DO 30, s. 1990 - Bayan Muna, Bago Ang Sarili: Education
Commitment
 DO 98, s. 1991 - Guidelines on Student Fare Discounts
 DO 21, s. 1991 - Automatic Grant of Civil Service Eligibility
Pursuant to the Provisions of RA No. 1080
 DO 90, s. 1991 - Good Manners and Right Conduct (GMRC) at
the Elementary Level

Armand V. Fabella

(1930 – 27 November 2008) is a noted

educator, former Secretary of Education, prominent
businessman, and chairman of the board of Jose
Rizal University.

He was born in Paris and was baptized at the

Cathedral of Notre Dame. He has had a very diverse
educational background, attending more than nine
schools, a German kindergarten, a parochial school,
a military academy, Harvard University where he

20
graduated with a degree in economics, cum laude. He took his masters in
economics at Jose Rizal College, and his post-graduate studies in London
School of Economics.

At various times he was trustee of College of the Holy Spirit and

Eisenhower Exchange Fellowships, director of Philippine Commercial and
Industrial Bank and Philippine Trust Company. Currently he is chairman of the
boards of Jose Rizal University, Bellcat Corp. and Private Education
Retirement Annuity Association He is also a member of the boards of Lyceum
of the Philippines, Sky Foundation, Allways Corp. Vicarel Realty Corp., and
Arbortowne Development Corp.

He also served in public offices as the Assistant Executive Secretary

and Secretary of Education and as a Consultant for World Bank, Asian
Development Bank and Central Bank of the Philippines. And in 1962 he was
one of the recipient for the TOYM Awardees.

Ricardo T. Gloria

(3 April 1940-13 August 2006) was the

secretary Department of Science and Technology
(DOST) from 1992 to 1994 and the secretary of the
Department of Education, Culture, and Sports (DECS)
from 1994 to 1997.

Gloria died due to complications from

diabetes at Philippine Heart Center, Quezon
City in 13 August 2006.

Ricardo T. Gloria’s Philosophies on Education:

Provide for a broad general education that will

assist individuals in society to:

 attain their potential as human being

 enhance the range and quality of individuals and the
group participation in the basic functions of the society
 acquire the essential educational foundations for their
development into productive and versatile citizens;

Train the nation’s citizens in the middle-level skills required for national
development;

Develop the high professions that will provide leadership for the
nation, advance knowledge through research, and apply new knowledge for
improving the quality of human life and

21
 Respond effectively to changing needs and conditions of the national
through a system of educational planning and evaluation.

To achieve efficiency and responsiveness to trends and challenges of

the next millennium, there is an imperative need to strengthening and
streamline the internal management of the educational institution. Among the
areas that would merit attention are:

1. Decentralization/deconcentrating decision-making authority

2. Reviewing staff and personal policies
3. Developing the school as initiator of innovation and improvement
4. Liberalizing policies to ensure competiveness, autonomy and
responsiveness
5. Streamlining processes for delivery of inputs and services

Ricardo T. Gloria’s Contributions on Education:

As DECS Secretary, Gloria focused on access to basic education and

the improvement of the quality of education. He implemented tree planting
and greening projects, School Inside a Garden (SIGA), and the War on Waste
(WOW). He also introduced the Adopt-a-School Program and the National
School Enrollment Day.

Gloria also institutionalized measures to support the establishment of

teacher cooperatives, construction of WOW DECS canteen, the organization
of Parent-Teacher-Community Associations, he also helped to establish the
DECS Socialized Housing Project in Antipolo, Rizal.

Under his leadership the following selected Department of education

Order had been passed:

 DO 7, s. 1996 - 1996 Desk/Armchair Project

 DO 47, s. 1997 - "Balik-Paaralan Para sa Out-Of-School Adult
(OSA)" Program
 DO 37, s. 1997 - Computer Literacy as a Basic Requirement
for New Teachers

Erlinda C. Pefianco

She was the Secretary of the Philippine

Department of Education, Culture and Sports
(DECS) in 1998. She is currently the appointment
Center Director of SEAMEO INNOTECH by the
Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Council
President and is a Commissioner of UNESCO of
the Philippines.

22
 Before she became the Secretary of DECS, she was its
Undersecretary for Programs from 1990 to 1997. She also served as Vice
President for Finance and Business Enterprises, Dean of the College of
Business Administration and member of the faculty of the University of the
East.

Public Accountant with specialization in business education; a

Baccalaureate (Cum Laude) and a Master’s degree in Business
Administration; and a Doctor of Education degree (Honoris Causa) conferred
by the Wonkwang University of Korea, she is a member of the Philippine
Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA) and the Association of
Certified Public Accountants in Education (ACPAE) where she once served as
PICPA vice president and ACPAE president. She holds the highest rank of
Career Executive Service Officer I (CESO I) in the Philippine Government.

As a Commissioner of UNESCO of the Philippines, she serves as

chairperson of the education committee. She is a member of the advisory
council of the Summer Institute of Linguistics and also serves as member of
the board of trustees of Angeles University Foundation and St. Paul University
System in the Philippines. She also is a professorial lecturer at the Philippine
Normal University, the country's leading teacher education institution. The
Center Director of SEAMEO INNOTECH, she has made contributions in
strengthening relations between France and SEAMEO member countries.
She is a member of various international professional and academic
organizations including the Phi Lambda Theta Honor Society of Women
Leaders in Education. She is currently chief editor of the Southeast Asia
Journal of Education. She has written a number of scholarly articles and
papers in the fields of education, accounting and business administration.
Among her major publications are textbooks in basic accounting and in theory
of accounts.

Br. Andrew Gonzalez FSC

(29 February 1940 – 29 January 2006) was a

linguist, writer, educator, and a De La Salle Brother.
He served as president of De La Salle University
from 1979 to 1991 and from 1994 to 1998. From
1998 to 2001 he served as Secretary of the
Department of Education, Culture and Sports under
the presidency of Joseph Estrada. After his term
ended, he returned to De La Salle University as Vice
President for Academics and Research from 2001 to
2003 and as Presidential Adviser for Academics and
Research from 2003 to 2005.

He earned his Ph.D. in linguistics from the

University of California, Berkeley.

23
 Gonzalez was born as Macario Diosdado Arnedo Gonzalez "in
Manila to Augusto Gonzalez, a prominent businessman, wealthy landowner,
and the son of Dr. Joaquin Gonzalez; and Rosario Arnedo, daughter of
Pampanga Governor Macario Arnedo.

Gonzalez attended and completed grade school at De La Salle College

in Manila. He was a consistent honor student and graduated as salutatorian.
He also finished his High School at De La Salle College in 1955 as
Valedictorian. His love for teaching made him decide to become a De La Salle
Christian Brother. He finished his novitiate at the De La Salle Retreat House
in Baguio City on November 20, 1955 and made his initial vows the year after.
He joined the Scholasticate of the De La Salle Christian Brothers in Winona,
Minnesota, U.S.A. on December 10, 1956. He studied at Saint Mary's
University of Minnesota, a Christian Brother-run college in Winona and earned
his Bachelor of Arts degree at the top of his class at the age of 19. He
obtained his Master of Arts in English Literature from The Catholic University
of America in Washington, D.C. the year after.

He returned to the Philippines in 1960 and began teaching English

Language and Literature at the high school department of La Salle College in
Bacolod City, Negros Occidental. He served in several administrative
positions at De La Salle College in Manila from 1964 to 1967 and made his
final vows as a De La Salle Brother on May 30, 1965. He took up graduate
courses in linguistics in the Philippine Normal College. He was admitted to the
doctoral program in linguistics at the University of California, Berkeley as a
Regent's Fellow in Linguistics and as a Stanley Tasheira Scholar in 1967 and
completed the PhD degree in 1970.

Br. Andrew Gonzalez’s Contributions on Education:

Under his leadership the following selected Department of

education Order had been passed:

 DO 53, s. 1999 - Project Dish (Digital Satellite Highway)

 DO 71, s. 1999 - Appointment of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW)
Teacher-Applicants
 DO 10, s. 2000 - Implementation of the Journalism Program as an
Integral Part of Communication Arts (English and Filipino) Effective
SY 2000-2001

Raul Sagarbarria Roco

(October 26, 1941 – August 5, 2005) was a

political figure in the Philippines. He was the
standard-bearer of Aksyon Demokratiko, which he
founded in 1997 as a vehicle for his presidential

24
bids in 1998 and 2004. He was a former senator and the Secretary of the
Department of Education under the presidency of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
He had a strong following among young voters in the Philippines, due to his
efforts to promote honesty and good governance.

Raúl Roco was born in Naga City in the Philippine province of

Camarines Sur, the son of farmer Sulpicio Azuela Roco and public school
teacher Rosario Orlanda Sagarbarria.

Roco finished elementary school at age 10 from Naga Parochial

School, and high school at age 14 from Ateneo de Naga. He graduated
magna cum laude from San Beda College in Manila with a degree in English
at the age of 18. Then, he was also the Editor-in-Chief of The Bedan working
with the likes of Rene Saguisag and Jaime Licauco. Later, Roco received a
Bachelor of Laws degree (also at San Beda College) and was the college's
Abbott Awardee for Over-All Excellence. In the United States, he studied
Comparative Law as a University Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania,
while also enrolled at the Wharton School for Multinational Studies.

He was the president of the National Union of Students of the

Philippines in 1961 and was named one of the Ten Outstanding Students of
the Philippines in 1964. His wife Sonia was the Most Outstanding Student that
same year.

As a result of his various other achievements, he had been awarded

seven honorary doctorates.

As Secretary of Education

Roco took over as education secretary of the Philippines in 2001, at a

time when the Philippines had not only one of the ten most corrupt
governments in the world (according to Transparency International), but its
Department of Education was also the fourth-most corrupt of its agencies (as
named by the Asia Foundation - Social Weather Stations Survey of
Enterprises on Public Sector Corruption). To combat this corruption, Roco
imposed a department-wide transparency policy which also held employees
accountable for the purchase of textbooks, which had been a major source of
the department's corruption. This allowed the department to purchase
textbooks for a much lower price, and after just eight months under Roco's
leadership, the Department of Education gained a 73% public approval rating
and became the most trusted government agency in the Philippines.

During his tenure in that position, Roco allowed free public education
(through high school) as required by the Philippine Constitution. He also
enacted a reform of basic education curriculum in order that children would
focus their studies on reading, writing, arithmetic, science, and Makabayan. In
addition, he made sure that teachers were paid promptly and ended the 3%
"service fee" that the department had long been deducting from teachers' pay

Raul Sagarbarria Roco’s Philosophies on Education:

25
 Old mindsets cannot solve the old problems they caused. A new mind
set, a renewed heart must break the old patterns and old habits.

Raul Sagarbarria Roco’s Contributions on Education:

He was also a prime mover in the creation of the teachers’

cooperatives as well as the increment mandated by the Magna Carta for
Public School Teachers for retiring teachers.

For students, he pioneered at the Senate the computerization program

for state universities and colleges and public schools.

Roco, who took over as education secretary in 2001, introduced drastic

changes in the department to weed out graft and corrupt practices by
imposing a department-wide transparency, notably in the purchase of
textbooks for schoolchildren. This allowed the department to procure
textbooks at a much lower price, and after just eight months under Roco's
leadership, the Department of Education gained a 73 percent public approval
rating and became the most trusted government agency in the Philippines.

Roco also allowed free public education (through high school) as

required by the Philippine Constitution.

Under his leadership the following selected Department of education

Order had been passed:

 DO 25, s. 2002 - Implementation of the 2002 Basic Education

Curriculum

Edilberto C. de Jesus

He is the incumbent President of the Asian Institute of

Management in Makati, Philippines. He was appointed
Secretary of Education on 16 September 2002 by then-
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo

Education

 A.B., Ateneo de Manila University

 M.Phil., Yale University
 Ph.D., Yale University
 Doctor of Humanities, Honoris Causa,
Ateneo de Manila University

 Doctor of Humanities, Honoris Causa, Xavier

University

26
  Doctor of Humanities, Honoris Causa, Far Eastern University

Previous positions

 President, University of the Cordilleras, Baguio, 2008

 Secretariat Director, Southeast Asian Ministers of Education
Organization, 2005-2007
 Far Eastern University, Manila, 1995-2002
 Associate Dean and Chairman, AIM Policy Forum, Asian Institute of
Management, 1994-1995
 Associate Dean, Enterprise Project Research, Asian Institute of
Management, 1992-1993
 Presidential Adviser on Rural Development, Office of the President,
1988-1992
 Deputy Commissioner, Presidential Office of the Peace
Commission, 1987-1992
 Chair, Rural Development Management Program, Asian Institute of
Management, 1986-1987
 Faculty, Rural Development Management Program, Asian Institute
of Management, 1980-1986.

Edilberto C. de Jesus Contributions on Education:

Under his leadership the following selected Department of education Order

had been passed:

DO 72, s. 2003 - Establishment of the Youth for Environment in Schools

(YES) Organization

Florencio Abad

Florencio Barsana Abad (born July 13, 1954) is a Filipino

lawyer and politician. Having held many cabinet-level ranks in the
past, he was appointed by President Benigno Aquino III as
Secretary of the Philippine Department of Budget and
Management.[1] Abad held various cabinet-level positions in the
past, particularly as Secretary of the Department of Education and
Secretary of the Department of Agrarian Reform.

He spent his elementary years at Lourdes School Quezon

City. He finished his High School and Bachelor of Science in
Business Management and Bachelor of Laws at the Ateneo de
Manila University. He passed the Bar Examination in 1985. He
completed his studies with Masters in Public Administration at the
John F. Kennedy School of Government in Harvard University in

27
Cambridge, Massachusetts as a student of the Edward Mason Program in Public
Policy and Management.

Abad is married to former Ateneo School of Government director and now

Batanes Rep. Henedina Razon-Abad and is father to four: Presidential Management
Staff (PMS) chief Sec. Julia Abad, Pio Emmanuel Abad, Luis Andres Abad, and
Cecilia Paz Abad. He is the brother of painter Pacita Abad.

Ramon C. Bacani

He is the Department of Education (DepEd)

Underscretary for Regional Operations. He has been an
official at DepEd for many years and has held key positions,
especially in the implementation of important projects, in the
department.

He finished his elementary and high school studies at

the Lourdes School of Quezon City. He earned a BS in
Industrial Management Engineering from the De La Salle
University (DLSU) in Manila. He obtained a Master’s in
Business Administration (MBA) from the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology (MIT)-Sloan School of Management
under a National Economic and Development Authority
(NEDA) scholarship.

Prior to his appointment as undersecretary for regional operations,

Bacani also served as undersecretary for programs and projects, assistant
secretary for planning, administration and human resources; deputy project
director of the Third Elementary Education Project (TEEP); and chairman of
the steering committee for the implementation of the UNICEF-funded Country
Programs for Children-Education-for-All (CPC-EFA) of DepEd.

Fe A. Hidalgo

She is a retired Officer-in-Charge of the

Department of Education in her capacity as
undersecretary. She is a Career Service
Executive Officer (CESO) Rank II.

A Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) major in

Curriculum Development and Instructional
Psychology or the Education Process, she was a
consistent scholar--from her Bachelor’s Degree in
Elementary Education at the Philippine Normal
University to her Master’s in Education majors in
Curriculum Evaluation and Teacher Education at

28
the Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. Her thesis for her Ph.D. was a
"Study of the Value Orientations of Filipino Teachers". She further trained at
the Asian Institute of Management (AIM), Philippines and at the Australian
National University (ANU) on Human Resource Management and
Development

She started her teaching career in Batanes in 1956 and has been in
the field of education up to the present, first as a classroom teacher; a head
teacher; and as part time graduate faculty of the Philippine Normal University
and Miriam College; a senior researcher and textbook writer; then to the
Department of Education.

She was the DepEd OIC designated by Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in

2005, also Technical Assistant to the DECS Undersecretary for Educational
Programs and Projects (1986–1988). She also became the Regional
Representative for the World Council for Curriculum and Instruction, as
member of the Scholarship Advisory Council of the National Economic and
Development Authority (NEDA), chairperson of ASEAN Sub-Committee on
Education (ASCOE) and member of the Board for Professional Teachers of
the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC).

Fe A. Hidalgo’s Philosophies on Education:

A woman in the field of education, she is an advocate of gender

sensitivity and development, human rights education, peace education and
values education.

Fe A. Hidalgo’s Contributions on Education:

An author, she has written a number of publications such as,

“Emerging Curriculum Designs in Teacher Education”; “Reading in the
Information Age”; “Critical Thinking Perspectives”; published in the Philippine
Journal of Education. She also co-authored books on Values and
Management.

Jesli Aquino-Lapus

He was born on September 12, 1949 in Tarlac

City. He attended the Little Flower Academy (Holy
Spirit Academy) in Tarlac for his elementary and
secondary education. In 1969, he earned a BS in
accountancy from the Philippine School of Business
Administration / St. Louis University in Baguio City,
finishing college in three years and subsequently
passing the accountancy board exams. He obtained
a Master’s in Business Management (MBM) from the
Asian Institute of Management (AIM), graduating in
1973. In 1998, Lapus was conferred a doctorate in
public administration (Honoris Causa) by the
Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP).

29
 The management career of Lapus started at a very young age. This
earned for him the title, “Management Whiz Kid in the ASEAN,” given by
Asian Finance international magazine. At 20, he worked as an auditor and
consultant at SyCip, Gorres, Velayo & Company (SGV & Co.). He then
became the chief financial officer (CFO) of the Ramcar Group of Companies
at age 23. From 1979 to 1986, Lapus worked as managing director and chief
operating officer (COO) of Triumph International (Philippines), Inc. He also
worked in the banking sector, serving as director of Union Bank of the
Philippines from 1988 to 1992.

Lapus was among the original core faculty members of AIM's Masters
in Development Management program and has taught at the Ateneo de
Manila University (ADMU) and Maryknoll College (now Miriam College). He
has also conducted executive training courses in Indonesia and Malaysia.

Jesli Aquino-Lapus Philosophy on Education:

"education is a societal responsibility, a responsibility of

everyone," and not just the DepEd alone.

Jesli Aquino-Lapus Contributions on Education:

Under his leadership the following selected Department of

education Order had been passed:

 DO 6, s. 2010 - Creation of the Department of Education Media

Literacy Task Force (DepEd-MLTF)
 DO 24, s. 2010 - Basic Education Research Fund

Mona D. Valisno

Has been in the education sector for more

than three decades. She was a classroom teacher,
former Executive Director of the National Educational
Testing and Research Center from 1975 to 1991,
Director IV of the Bureau of Higher Education,
Department of Education, Culture and Sports
(DECS) from 1991 to 1994, a Commissioner of the
Commission on Higher Education from 1994 to 2001
and DepEd Undersecretary in 2004.

In her 16 years of service at the National

Educational Testing and Research Center, Dr.
Valisno developed standardized testing instruments and several evaluation

30
systems. She managed large-scale testing and research programs both in the
local and international scenes, and has directed approximately 50 educational
research projects here and abroad.

Secretary Valisno finished her Bachelor of Science in Elementary

Education at the Philippine Normal College in 1955. As college scholar, she
pursued her Master of Education with concentration on Administration and
Supervision and Public Administration at the University of the Philippines. For
her doctoral degree, she majored in Measurement and Evaluation at the
University of Toronto, Canada as Colombo Plan Scholar.

Mona D. Valismo’s Contributions on Education:

Under her leadership the following selected Department of education

Order had been passed:

 DO 43, s. 2010 - Creation of National Quality Management

Team (QMT)

Brother Armin Luistro, FSC

He was born December 24, 1961 in Lipa,

Batangas, Philippines) is a Filipino Lasallian Brother
who served as secretary of the Department of
Education of the Philippines under President
Benigno Aquino III. Luistro entered De La Salle
Scholasticate (the center for academic training of De
La Salle Brothers) in Manila on April 1979 while he
was studying in De La Salle University (DLSU). He
received the religious habit of the congregation on
October 1981 at the La Salle Novitiate in Lipa. He
professed his first religious vows on October 1982,
and his final vows on May 1988.

He started teaching as a religion teacher at

De La Salle Lipa in 1983. He was made provincial of the De La Salle Brothers
Philippine District on April 1997, a post he held until 2003. On August 26,
2000, Luistro co-founded the De La Salle Catholic University of Manado,
currently known as De La Salle University, in Indonesia with Josef Suwatan,
Roman Catholic Bishop of Manado.

On April 2004, he succeeded Andrew Gonzalez as the president of De

La Salle University System, consequently making him the president of eight
De La Salle institutions. He worked into establishing De La Salle Philippines
(DLSP) which replaced the system. The DLSP National Mission Council

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appointed him DLSP President and Chief Executive Officer on November 29,
2005.

He was appointed as the Secretary of Education of the Philippines on

June 30, 2010, becoming the second De La Salle brother to hold the post—
the other was Gonzalez who was in office from 1998 to 2001.

The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) have expressed skepticism

over Luistro's stand on sex education citing his religious background.
Nevertheless, the Department of Education has included sex education in its
curriculum for grade 5 to fourth year high school. Roman Catholic groups
have criticized it for allegedly not covering the emotional, psychological and
spiritual dimensions of sexuality.

Brother Armin Luistro’s Philosophies on Education:

Our country needs graduates who will commit to uphold and enhance
the best of what it has to offer—citizens who are as patriotic as they are
competent, highly-skilled and innovative.

“The problem really is of congestion, zoning, and lack of urban

planning. They cannot be solved by building, but by an innovation in the
curriculum itself.”

“College should not be a requirement for a high salary,” says the

secretary. Rather, those who take basic education should be equipped with
the skills and professional competence to work in their chosen field”

Brother Armin Luistro’s Contributions on Education:

He is a major proponent of the K+12 Basic Education Program in the

Philippines. The program seeks to add two years to the current 10-year basic
education curriculum. Numerous parties have opposed the plan including
Ateneo de Manila University President Bienvenido Nebres and progressive
groups of students, teachers and parents

Under his leadership the following selected Department of education

Order had been passed:

 DO 101, s. 2010 - The Alternative Learning System (ALS)

Curriculum for Indigenous Peoples (IPs) Education
 DO 68, s. 2011 - Implementing Guidelines on the Operation of
the Enhanced-Basic Education Information System (E-BEIS)

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  DO 50, s. 2011 - Creation of Disaster Risk Reduction and
Management Office (DRRMO)
 DO 73, s. 2011 - Creation of Task Force on Autonomous Region
in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) on Economic Recovery and
Development
 DO 26, s. 2013 - Implementing Guidelines on the Allocation and
Utilization of the Indigenous Peoples Education (IPEd) Program
Support Fund
 DO 51, s. 2016 - Implementation of the School-Based Feeding
Program for School Year 2016-2017

Leonor Magtolis Briones

(Born October 16, 1940) is the incumbent

Secretary of the Philippine Department of
Education. Succeeding former De La Salle
University president ArminLuistro,her appointment
was announced by President Rodrigo Duterte on
31 May 2016.

She is also a Professor Emerita of Public

Administration at the National College of Public
Administration & Governance (NCPAG) of the
University of the Philippines Diliman. She was a
former Presidential Adviser for Social
Development with Secretary/Cabinet Rank and is
best known for her stint as National Treasurer of
the Philippines from August 1998 to February
2001.

Briones obtained her Bachelor of Business Administration with a major

in Accounting from Silliman University and her Master of Public Administration
with a major in Local Government and Fiscal Administration from the
University of the Philippines Diliman. She proceeded to complete further
studies in the United States where she was granted a Post Graduate Diploma
in Development Administration from the Harvard Institute for International
Development at Harvard University.

Briones has served in various capacities. Her stints include serving as

Lead Convenor of Social Watch Philippines, Inc.; as Director for Policy and
Executive Development at the National College of Public Administration and
Governance at the University of the Philippines Diliman; as Vice-President for
Finance in the same university; and as Secretary to the Commission of the
Commission on Audit. Briones also served as Chairman of the Board of
Trustees of Silliman University. In 2010, Briones was nominated for the

33
Presidency of the University of the Philippines but fell short of
getting a majority vote from the university's Board of Regents.

Presently, she is active in the private sector serving as Director of

AgriNurture, Inc., and an office she has been holding since 2008 and as an
Independent Director of Megawide Construction Corp. since July 19 of 2010.

MY PERSONAL CREDO

I think of my learner’s welfare as my primary concern in mentoring

them.

To make productive citizens out of them.

To equip them witj the 21st century skills.

To let them uphold their good values.

I work well within a group

and I am always willing to join hands my colleagues for the betterment

of the educational institution.

I am always open-minded to the trends and changes of the educational

system.

I regard the parents as partners in education.

I always try my best to develop rapport with them for the success of
education.

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I have the greatest ideal of helping the country rise up from its present
state in my own little way.

And I will never say “no” to a challenge provided that teaching is a

great responsibility.

REFERENCES:

Manuel L. Quezon- Presidential Museum and Library

Panitan.com

Cullinane, Michael, Illustrado Politics: Filipino Elite REspones to American

Rule, 1896-1908, ateneo de ManilaUniversity

Zaide Gregorio F. (1984). Philippine History and Government. National

ookstore Printing Press

The Story of Methodolism in the Philippines (Accessd on 15, July 2009)

http:/www.quezon.ph/thecolumn.php?which=9

United States Congress. “Camilo Osias”

The Filipino Mind

National Historical Institute. Historical Markers: Region I-IV and CAR.

Manila National Historical institute, 1993

Carlos P. Romulo Foundation. Copyright 2009 Carlos P. Romulo Foundation

“Memorabelia Room, Associate Justices’ List” August 28, 2007

“Jose Romero Government of the Philippines, Retrieved 17 October 2010

The Quisumbing Family: HTTP:/ www.sancarloscity

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36