DE LA SALLE LIPA

COLLEGE OF INTERNATIONAL HOSPITALITY AND TOURISM MANAGEMENT TOURISM DEPARTMENT STUDENTS TOURISM SOCIETY DLSL CAMPUS GUIDESPEAK

Gather the group at the College Lobby and give an overview of De La Salle Lipa (Good morning, Good afternoon!) Welcome to our beloved school De La Salle Lipa. Hi I amand Ill be your Campus tour guide. To give you an overview of DLSL, lets trace first its history. Br. Hyacinth Gabriel, FSC (Patrick B. Connon) wrote to Msgr. Alejandro Olalia, Bishop of the Diocese of Lipa and later on elevated as the first Archbishop of Lipa declared by Pope Paul VI, asking permission to open a school and even a novitiate in Lipa sometime in 1960s. By the way Br. Hyancinth Gabriel was the 2nd president of De La Salle University Manila. His greatest achievement was when during his term the school was granted the university status on February 19, 1975. In addition, he opened different Lasallian schools such as: La Salle College Bacolod, La Salle Greenhills, La Salle Iligan, and of course De La Salle Lipa. In response to Br. Hyacinths letter, Msgr. Olalia, invited the LaSalle Brothers to come to Lipa in 1962. The school was built on a 5.9-hectare lot along the National Highway. It was financed by interest-free loans from Caltex and Shell Corporation, construction of three one-storey wings of classroom, a gymnasiumauditorium and the Brothers House began on January 29 1962. The 1st classes were held on June 6, 1962, Wednesday. Two hundred twenty boys were enrolled, 74 freshmen, 69 sophomores, 40 junior and 37 Senior. Most of the students came from Our Lady of the Rosary Academy run by the Maryknoll Sisters. The school on its 1st year was listed in the Bureau of Private School as the Boys Department of Our Lady of the Rosary Academy. Br. Henry Virgil was appointed as the 1st Director Principal of the School together with the 3 brothers and 7 lay teachers. Br. Virgil became the principal for only one year because he died of heart attack. There were even spooky or scary stories associated to him that

he would be seen talking with varsity students staying late at night at school for their practices. Well Im not telling this just to scare you but lets think of this in a positive outlook that his presence is just a reminder that he still cares for the school and its students. (OLRA is now known as the Canossa Academy, a school near Lasalle and is run by the Canossian Sisters.) 1st Graduation took place on March 20, 1963, Bishop Alejandro Olalia was the officiating priest, thirty boys graduated but still under the name of the Our Lady of Rosary Academy not La Salle. On the second year of the schools operation it was permitted to operate as Lasalle Highschool. Br. Hugh Damian was appointed as Br. Virgil's successor and held the position until 1965. In 1966, the school population more than doubled during its fourth year of operations, necessitating the construction of the two-storey St. Josephs Hall during the administration of Br. Frederick Martin (later known as Br. Raymond Bronowicz) in 1967. The Maryknoll nuns continued to send their boys to La Salle until the end of the 1960s, when a large percentage of students began to come from the various private and public elementary schools around Lipa City. To better prepare students for high school, the school began accepting elementary students in 1967, with Br. Vernon Mabile FSC as the first Principal. During the first few years of operation, LaSalle was just a school exclusive for boys but then in school year 1974-1975, girls were admitted, however, they were only limited to the first- and second-year high school levels only. During the term of Br. Antonio Narciso FSC, the school's incorporation papers and by-laws were amended; the school was then registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission as De La Salle Lipa, Inc. Up until the 1980s the school would undergo numerous changes, which included the construction of the Immaculate Conception Hall, enrollment reaching 1,200, the high school attaining PAASCU accreditation, and the establishment of a functional Board of Trustees, the Campus Ministry Office, the Religious Education Center, and the Educational Technology Center.

In schoolyear 1985-86, the College Department was formally opened, with Ms. Elsie Rabago as officer-in-charge. The College of Commerce: with major of Accountancy, Business Management and Agri Business Education were the courses offered during that academic year. The first College Graduation Day took place in March 31, 1989. Ms. Norma Blanco was appointed the school's first lay high school principal in 1989. Because of the growing school population, the 1st President of the institution was appointed, Br. Narciso Erquiza FSC. He was the president from 1974 -1995. Br. Erquiza decided to pursue graduate studies at the end of his second year in office; Br. Rafael Donato was requested by Br. Benildo, the Provincial, to become President of the school. Br. Donato accepted the position and was officially installed with ceremonies on May 15, 1995. Br. Rafael Donato, or Br. Rafe as we fondly call him, is very well remembered as the builder of schools. This is due to the massive physical plant development he initiated to every Lasallian Schools he have led such as Lasalle Greenhills and of course De La Salle Lipa. Expect that after three months there would be a building to be built on the campus. Included in the DLSLs physical development during Br. Rafes term were the construction of the famous landmarks: the Sentrum, the MTDC Building (now Sen. Diokno Building), The Chez Avenir (now Chez Rafael), the Hall of Lasallia n Saints (now St. Lasalle Building), Noli and El Fili Buildings, and the Centen Sports Plaza. He also spearheaded the integration of the elementary and secondary schools into what is now known as the Integrated School, and established the Home Learning Department for children aged 1 to 4 years to make Lasallian education available to students of a younger age group. In 1996, the school opened a graduate school, offering a Master in Management Technology. In 1997, the school became the first educational institution in Batangas to go online, with its web site launched in the same year the lasalipa.edu.ph

Degree programs in Accountancy, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Elementary and Secondary Education, Economics, Nursing, Tourism, Mathematics and Engineering were also offered, with pending applications at the Commission on Higher Education for more relevant degree programs. DLSL became one of the first schools around the world to launch an alumni registry web site. Called Umpokan, the web site has become fully interactive and is an online meeting place for graduates of the school. In 2002, Mr. Juan Lozano was appointed the school's first Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer. In 2003, Br. Rafe Donato retired from active service and was named President Emeritus by the school in special ceremonies held at the auditorium of the Sen. Jose Diokno Building. He became President Emeritus for his great contribution to the schools massive development. Br. Manuel Pajarillo of the south FSC was then appointed President. We fondly call him as Br. Mawel. He is a very intellectual man and a linguist, very fluent in French and Spanish languages and can also speak local Filipino Dialects. He is also a collector of different cultural artifacts. One of his greatest projects is the Book Mobile Reading Program. It is a special Community Involvement project of DLSL that would help in lifting the literacy rate of the public elementary school students of Lipa. The school changed its organizational structure in 2005. With Br. Mawel still the school's President, Mr. Juan P. Lozano was elevated to the position of Executive VicePresident. Mr. Rex Torrecampo was, meanwhile, appointed as the first Vice-President for Administration. The following year, Dr. Corazon Abansi became the school's first Vice-President for Academics and Research. In 2006, the school's corporation papers were amended to officially make it part of an umbrella corporation, De La Salle Philippines, which was formed to see to it that

the operation of De La Salle schools are in line with the mission of the De La Salle Brothers in the Philippines. In May 2007, in keeping with the standards set by De La Salle Philippines, the Executive Vice-President became known as the Chancellor, while the two VicePresidents became known as Vice-Chancellors. While in school year 2006-2007, Br. Mawel was president of three De La Salle schools (Lipa, Dasmarias and the Health Sciences College), in 2007 he was President solely of De La Salle Lipa. On May 2008, DLSL opened a new college named as the College of International Hospitality and Tourism Management. Under this are BS Tourism, BS Hotel and Restaurant Management, Certificate in Hotel and Restaurant Management and the Certificate in Culinary Arts. Today, LaSalle Lipa continues to improve with a wide range of facilities to cater to the needs of the students and add to the quality education and therefore to realize its dreams of teaching minds, touching hearts, and transforming lives. De La Salle-Lipa is divided into two areas: the Integrated School headed by the principal, Mr. Rene Villanueva, composed of the Primary Learning Community, Junior Learning Community, and the Senior Learning Community, and the College Department composed of 5 Colleges: the College of Business, Economics, Accountancy and Management headed by Dean Wilfreda Dimaano, the new College of International Hospitality and Tourism Management headed by Dean Joy Zapata, College of Information Technology and Engineering headed by Dean Alfredo Reodica, the College of Education, Arts, and Sciences headed by Dean Hermogenes Panganiban , and the College of Nursing headed by Dean Anita Urbi.

Tour begins at the Integrated School Complex. So lets begin our tour and get your feet ready for a very long walk. There would be lots of places we will be visiting to. We will first visit the Integrated School Complex.

Most of the buildings here were named after the LaSallian Saints and very wellremembered Brothers. First stop is the Claro M. Recto Building. It is named after Senator Claro M. Recto, a Batangueo politician, jurist, poet and one of the foremost statesmen of his generation. He is remembered mainly for his nationalism, for "the impact of his patriotic convictions on modern political thought and famous in the Hispanic world for mastering the Spanish Language. It is formerly known as Br. Miguel Building, it formerly houses the college courses but it was now occupied by level 6 pupils. On the upper ground is where the offices of the Human Resources, Finance and Purchasing are located. The ground floor is occupied by administrative offices like the admissions office where the student applicants for College may inquire. The registrars office is where the students can get their school records. The Institutional Lasallian Family Office is also here, they are responsible for catering to the students spiritual needs by managing and arranging recollections and retreats. They also facilitate the daily reading of the bible, prayer, mass and other religious activities of the institution. This office is headed by Br. Jun Estrellas, FSC. Next stop is the Saint Brother Miguel Building named after Saint Miguel Febres Cordero, FSC. He is distinguished as a very zealous person in the apostolate of education as well as by his religious qualities and intellectual gifts. This building houses the classrooms of the Grades 4 and 5 students of the school. The upper portion is occupied by the Grade 4 students and the lower ground is occupied by the Grade 5 students. Moving along is the Green Site. Why Greensite? Obviously, most of the things youll be purchasing here are Lasallian novelty items. It started to operate in year 2006. It is the official bookstore of the institution. It provides students, faculty, and staff with a convenient location to purchase textbooks, school uniforms, and other school supplies. You may also buy here some Lasallian goods such as shirts, bags, ID holder, and etc. exclusively made by UNIVERSIDAD.

Next stop is the Hasyenda. Do you have any idea why is it called Hasyenda? So this is the answer, actually it is not really an hacienda but it is just the shortened version of the original name of the place Halamanan Syetehan at Damahan. Why Halamanan? Obviously, because it surrounded by a garden. Why Syetehan and Damahan? This is for the reason that this is the venue for Indoor Board games such as Dama, Chess, Scrabbles and etc. It also serves as a hanging-out place for students during their free time and dismissal period. Students gather here to talk and laugh with friends. Thus it is a place where students build friendship with one another. Some students, with their packed lunch or baon, take their meals here. Adjacent to the Hasyenda is the Saint Brother Mutien Marie Building named after Saint Mutien Marie Wiaux. What makes this saint outstanding is that he was revered for his great humility, observance of the Brothers rule and his obedience to his superiors. On the lower portion is where the Home Economics/ Technology and Livelihood Education Simulation Rooms are located. Students who have this subject are Grades 46 Students who have their Practical Housekeeping and House chores Subjects such as: sewing, laundry, and cooking; and the High school students who have their Baking, Woodworking, Technical Drawing, and Basic Electronics Subjects. Before, these where located in the Br. Hugh Damian Hall, located along the lovers lane, however the building was demolished in order to give way to the construction of the Capilla. By the way Br. Hugh Damian was the one who took over Br. Virgils Place as Principal after his death. He is regarded as the schools second Principal. On the upper part of the Building is where the classrooms of the Grade 6 pupils are located. Lets proceed to the Br. Henry Virgil Old Gym. It was named after Br. Henry Virgil, FSC the first Principal and Director of De La Salle Lipa. This serves as a multifunctional hall for different occasions. This was named after Br.Henry Virgil primarily for the reason that he was the first principal and that this building was one of the first three buildings that were constructed in 1962. There was also a spooky story that varsity players, who were in the old gym, saw a ball dribbling itself. Because of that, they forgot

to bring their things with them and ran as fast as they could. They even borrowed money from each other just to go home. Some say the ghost was Br. VirgilScary isnt it? The Old Gym also serves as the entry point to the Saint La Salle Building. The Saint Lasalle building was formerly called the Hall of the Lasallian Saints. This edifice caters to the High School Students of the institution. As you enter this building, one will be amazed of the cross-stitched portraits of the Lasallian Saints and the magnificent mosaic photo of Saint John Baptist De La Salle. As you can see it is composed of a series of self-contained clusters deigned for its junior and senior learning communities. Each cluster is a modular component designed for expansion in any direction. This fourth cluster functions as the US applied science and audio visual learning laboratory. These computer labs have clusters of nine multi-limbed workstation modules so arranged such that users are facing one another and encourage natural group interaction during programming. We can also see here the previous students of De La Salle Lipa that have been a part of the integrated school; this is what we call the alumni walls. These are photographs of students way back the old times up to now. You may notice that some personalities and well known politicians of Lipa and other parts of Batangas were students of Lasalle before such as: Oscar Gozos, former Congressman of the 4th district of Batangas and current mayor of Lipa City; Boy Manguera, former player for the De La Salle Green Archers and former vice mayor of Lipa City; Br. Armin Luistro, FSC, current President of De La Salle-University Manila; and Dante Lantin, LTFRB Chief. Next stop is the Blessed Br.Scubillion Building where the second year high school students are taking their classes. This is one of the oldest structures in the institution. This is an extension of the high school area. Blessed Br. Scubillion taught young children and Catechism to the natives of the island of Reunion in France. It was through his efforts that the poor and outcasts of the society were able to get to know, love and glorify Jesus Christ.

Near this building is the Food Palace. It is being run by Vintage Food Services, Inc. This caters mostly to the students of the Integrated School. A proper schedule of going here is given to students in order to avoid congestion in the place since the population of the school is fast growing. The Food Palace can accommodate up to 400500 guests. This has also a fine dining area that can accept 175 guests. Moving along is the PLC Play Area. This is where the kids at the Primary Learning Community spend their spare time to enjoy the rides. This is another attraction to all kids who wanted to relax, play, have fun, and build friendship with other children. Next stop is the St. Br. Benilde Building where the Primary Learning Community pupils are taking their classes. Interiors of the classrooms are whimsically designed primarily for students to feel at home. Adjacent to this is the Br. Gregorio Refuerzo Building where the Grade 3 pupils are having their classes.Br. Greg Refuerzo is well remembered as the man with the green thumb. As you can see most of the gigantic trees and especially the Acacia Tree were planted by him. Other facilities of the Integrated School Complex are: the Br. Vernon Mabile Learning Resource Center, the library of the Integrated School. Before, this library was the Big Canteen or the Octagon Canteen. Br. Vernon Mabile was the third principal of the school. It was in his term that the schools population started to grow double in 1967. The Centen Sports Plaza is the gift of the school to the Centennial Celebration of Philippine Independence in 1998. 2 Volleyball Courts, 3 Basketball Courts, and the Oval for track and field events, baseball, are also the features of this area. We will now proceed to the Capilla, a newly constructed edifice in the school. The Capilla De San Juan Bautista de La Salle was designed as a gift by Architect Joselito Gutierrez and Engr. Antonio Gutierrez. This was constructed primarily to be a visible sign of Gods presence in the Campus. It was intentionally built in the center of the school so that the members of the DLSL Family would always remember to put Christ in the center of the community life. The Capilla was blessed and inaugurated by

his Eminence Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales, Archbishop of Manila, and Bishop Rey Evangelista of the Diocese of Boac on the feast day of St. Br. Miguel Febres Cordero on February 9. 20009. The design of the Capilla is unique and is based in a traditional Filipino architecture. Youll be amazed by the Bronze Statue of the kneeling St. John Baptist de La Salle wholl be welcoming you as you enter the chapel. This statue shows a powerful icon of the Founder consumed in prayerful remembrance of the Presence of God and in absolute recognition that De La Salle Lipa, upon where he stands, is a holy ground. The Altar has a beautiful tabernacle placed where the sun rises and at the center you may notice the stairs leading to the Stained Glass Portrait of Christs Cross. It is a symbol of the Lasallian Familys step towards becoming good followers of Christ. There are seventy seven pews present in this chapel handcrafted, wood-pegged and made from Philippines finest coppice such as ipil, yakal, kamagong, and molave. These are master woodworks of Agi G. Pagkatipunan. There would also be plans of putting an Adoration Chapel and Chapel of the Martyrs, for the Lasallian Saints and Blessed, at the back of the Altar. The Capilla can accommodate 700 persons. Our next stop will be the Sentrum. It is actually the main event center here inside LaSalle. This is where we usually gather for assemblies, parties, celebrations, and other events. This sentrum has a capacity of 889 in the lower box, 1,700 in the bleachers section, and another 1,000 seats can be accommodated in the playing court. A total of 3,589 people can be accommodated here inside the Sentrum. Actually, it is envisioned as the center for culture and sports here in the province of Batangas. Some sport fest has been already made here like the annual PRISAA and some major concerts and performances of well-known local and foreign artists. Outside the Sentrum, you will notice the Sentrum gate. It is a gift from the High school Batches of 1994-1995 and 1995-1996 to the school. In front of the Sentrum is a waiting area which we fondly call the airport simply because it resembles one. Tour at the College Complex

I know you are all hungry and a bit tired by now; good thing is that we will be visiting the Chez Rafael, named in honor of the late President Emeritus of the School, Bro. Rafael S. Donato, FSC. By the way he was the one who initiated the improvement of the school during his term as president. And this building was one of his major projects during his term. This building is formerly called Chez Avenir in English means House of things to come, it is the schools dining hall and the extension of it is the hotel where you can also check in. It was built in November 1996 and was reconstructed last 2007. It also serves as the training ground and has a laboratory for hotel and restaurant management and culinary arts students. The ground floor is especially designed as the training ground for them. The 2nd floor is the Caf le Barako, a coffee shop that can accommodate 30 to 50 persons. It serves breakfast, lunch, and varieties of coffee. Rooms are also available; there are single rooms, and suites. Another feature of this building is the DLSL Travel Desk Office. It is being operated by the Tourism Students of the school. We will now proceed in the Senator Jose Diokno Building, it is formerly known as MTDC or management training and development center. Sen. Jose Diokno is a famous DLSU- Manila Alumnus. He is a politician well remembered as a human rights advocate and a driving force behind the nationalist and democratic movement in the country during the Marcos dictatorship. It is a five story building consisting of different offices here in LaSalle. It also houses fledging school of higher education: masters in Management Technology Program, Hotel and Restaurant Management and future masters program. We will go upstairs and there you will find the audio visual rooms, it is used for film viewing and some presentations. There are also conference rooms here, and the library at the ground floor. Another feature is the Lipasalliana Archives, where we get pertinent information regarding the schools history, memorabilia, and artifacts. Here you can also see the cross-stitched portrait of St. John Baptist De La Salle. Actually, it was done for only three months. Imagine how painstakingly it was, finishing an artwork like this one. It was a donation from a mother of a student who is waiting for her child

We will now proceed to the Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo building. These building were also the gift of the school to the Philippine Centennial Celebration of Independence in 1998. It was also one of the massive physical plant projects of Br. Rafe during his term as president. As you can see, there are turnstiles here, every student is required to swipe their IDs before entering, and this is strictly implemented for safety purposes. We are now here in the south lounge where students usually stay when they have free time; this is also one of the WI-FI hot spots here if you want to connect to the internet. Now we are in front of the Noli and Fili building. These two building were named after the two novels written by our national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal. Actually, he can speak different languages such as Spanish, Latin, German, and, English etc. Each building is composed of two stories connected by an adjoining walkway or what we called ramp. The Noli Building is occupied by the CBEAM Faculty and the Fili Building is occupied by the CEAS Faculty. Each Classroom can accommodate 40-45 students. At the back of the Noli and Fili Building is the Students Park. It is a place where students gather and feel at home with nature. There are gazebos installed. It may also serve as a venue for various school activities and other special occasion. On your left side you will see the Gregorio Zara Building, formerly known as the IT Domain. The building was named after the famous Lipeo Scientist, Gregorio Zara. Dr. Zara's important achievements in the field of science and technology include: the invention of two-way television telephone, electrical kinetic resistance known as the Zara effect, airplane engine using alcohol as fuel which was first flown at the Manila Ninoy Aquino International Airport on September 30, 1954 and solar energy. It is the first building dedicated to Dr. Zara and serving the institutions computer nerve center. It houses state of the art computers with internet connections. If you want to activate your computers with our wi-fi connection, this is the best place for you; you just have to inquire inside the office of the Internet Service Provider Staff located inside the building.

Along the way is the north lounge which is also a WI-FI hot spot and waiting area for students. You will notice the tennis center; it is at the back of Sen Diokno hall. It features two rubberized courts and fenced with interlink wiring, gailey for spectators and dressing room facilities. The last stop would be the Apolinario Mabini Building. This is a seven storey building main features are the Campus Radio located at the Media Center in the 4th floor, The SMART Wireless Engineering Education Program (SWEEP) Smart Wireless Laboratory at the 6th floor, and the Advanced Contact Solutions (ACS) Ind. Speech Laboratory at the 2nd floor. So here we are the ground floor of Mabini Building, a beautiful spot here is the Rock garden. The stones used to design this garden have symbols. The formation of the star symbolizes Lasallian Faith. The big stones are the Lasallian Saints. You may also find here: CITE Deans Office and Faculty at the 2nd floor, the Students Activities Office and the Guidance Office at the 3rd floor. A plus feature is the Roof deck where Physical education classes are being held. This would also give you a breathtaking view of the City of Lipa. (Bring the students to the 6 th floor) As you look downward you might notice the spiral effect of the ramps or the walkways it somehow resembles the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain. That museum features both permanent and visiting exhibits featuring works of both Spanish and international artists. So this ends our campus tour, I hope you had a great time with me and I would be looking forward to be your tour guide again! Ciao for now! This guidespeak is prepared by the Students Tourism Society of DLSL.