SCHOOL HISTORY
ST. PETER’S COLLEGE, Iligan City
THE BEGINNING AND EVOLUTION
By: Jose L. Zalsos, JD, Assistant to the President
THE BEGINNING:
In 1952, Iligan City was awakening from slumber, stretching its arms to grapple for opportunities that could spark economic activity and jumpstart its cityhood which was just bestowed on June 16, 1950 as a chartered city of Lanao del Norte by virtue of Republic Act 525. A municipio for quite a time, the Iligan populace could not as yet get accustomed to using the “City of Iligan” in their official communications.
Around this time, a visionary educator and native of barrio Sto. Cristo, in the then sleepy farming town of Malolos, Province of Bulacan, Escolastica A. Punongbayan–Paguio, together with her husband, Miguel D. Paguio, likewise a visionary educator from the same Morong, Bataan, came to Iligan City and, on their own initiative, meager resources and exploratory mission, founded St. Peter’s College (SPC) on February 10, 1952, a significant and momentous gift of love to Escolastica on her 37th birthday. SPC in Iligan City was the second school founded by the couple, a branch of the first St. Peter’s College that they started in Balingasag, Misamis Oriental in 1950.
Before that however, in their vigorous and genuine desire to help dispense education to the youth of Mindanao particularly in the years of massive disorder and confusion that followed after World War 2 in the mid-1940’s, the Paguio couple resigned from the respective works: Escolastica as a supervisor in the public school and Miguel, an alumnus of the University of the Philippines, as official in the Department of Education and journeyed to the southern end of the country that is Mindanao and embarked on their sincere mission to bring education to this part of the island of Mindanao. They first set foot in the town of Balingasag, Misamis Oriental and established the first St. Peter’s College in 1950 before moving further south to the province of undivided Lanao and set up the second St. Peter’s College in the newly minted cityhood of Iligan in 1952.
SPC: STRUGGLING IN INFANCY
Imbued with dynamism and conviction, and fired up with the golden opportunity of bringing to fruition their vision and mission of educating the youth of Iligan City and the undivided Lanao, the educator Paguio couple buckled down to work amid adversities of time and meager resources. The couple scouted for a particular place and space to lease and to set up their SPC that is proximate to their initial target populace of students to enroll in their school. They rented a semi-concrete two-storey structure along Mercado Street (now Gen. Aguinaldo Street) near the old public market, to accommodate 63 students who enrolled in Education, Liberal Arts, Commerce, and Secretarial courses. These are the pioneering students whose number dwindled before completion. The drop in the enrolment number posed as a challenge to the couple and has the more amplified the resolve of Escolastica, who essentially managed, operated and ran the school operation with her spouse, Miguel, giving academic and business advice on the side.
Sourcing out common fund from her Punongbayan siblings in Malolos, Bulacan, Escolastica was able to acquire substantial and adjoining properties along Sabayle Street, Iligan City from different private owners on which she constructed on mid-1950’s the two Punongbayan Buildings (one 2-storey (1954) and one 3-storey (1957)) that served then as the new administration building and school classrooms building, respectively, of St. Peter’s College. From then on, there was no stopping to the big plans and dreams of Escolastica to put up the first university of Iligan City when she purchased the 8 hectares vacant land at Barrio (now Barangay) Tubod, where Escolastica dreamt of locating the St. Peter’s University! In acquiring the property, she mortgaged the Sabayle campus lands and made collateral for the school to the then government-owned Philippine National Bank.
SPC’s maiden march to glory from then on was unstoppable, guided by a charted course and direction by a board of Directors that was already in place. Gradually yet certainly and prominently, the growth of SPC as a bastion of education in the locality of Iligan City, became a by-word that students from nearby places flocked to the school to seek enrolment.
The political turbulence in the late 1960’s at the national capital in Metro Manila was somehow transported to all over the country, including Iligan City. Students became restive and drew sympathetic revolutionary lines from local Maoist activists. The First Quarter Storm in the National Capital Region in Metro Manila began in the last days of January, 1970. It gained momentum nationwide, totally shattering the peaceful existence of the studentry nationwide.
St. Peter’s College was not spared from this political turmoil in the late 1960’s that, along with the domestic problems of the school’s financial status and the maturing bank obligations that the school was confronted with, the health of the school’s founder, Escolastica, was adversely affected. Nonetheless, in spite of her physical health condition, Escolastica was undaunted in her vigorous quest to pursue her dreams for St. Peter’s College and for the City of Iligan. She was at her prime age as the school administrator. She was full of dreams to realize but her health was failing until she succumbed to her ailment on July 31, 1969 at the age of 54.
SPC DARKEST DAYS: The Untold Story
After the untimely demise of Escolastica in 1969, her surviving husband Miguel continued to supervise the school with the assistance of nephews Perfecto G. Punongbayan, Jr. and Danilo G. Punongbayan. However, their harmonious working relationship was short-lived when the group of Miguel with some external help, unceremoniously and outwardly manifested acts to grab and totally control the school administration to the exclusion of the Punongbayan siblings, including nephews and nieces, of deceased Escolastica. This practically broke up and caused unhealthy or severed relationships within the family unity of what was before a close-knit family. There were relentless attempts by some people, outside of the family, to seize control of the school operation, administration and finally ownership of the school.
What followed were the acrimonious and tedious court litigations that further drew a wedge that strained and wrecked what was a close-knit family relations established by the school founder. When Miguel Paguio left the school in the early days of Martial Law in the Philippines, Perfecto G. Punongbayan, Jr. assumed the Presidency of the school with brother Danilo as Executive Vice President in 1973. A change of responsibility occurred in 1974 when Perfecto G. Punongbayan, Jr. decided to migrate to the United States leaving his brother, Danilo, the burden of confronting the enormous and multifarious problems and complications besetting the School then: Court cases involving school’s control, the maturing bank mortgage of the school property, the restive studentry instigated by local Maoist activists, the lack of school facilities for the demanding students and many other academic and non-academic trepidations that Danilo G. Punongbayan, must confront to defend the school from virtual extinction. Danilo took over the School Presidency in 1974.
THE AWAKENING OF A LEADER: The Realization
Danilo then understood the purpose why he was made to work at an early age by his aunt, Escolastica! He was destined to defend the school against any and all intruders. He was already undergoing training on the job working for the school. His Aunt, the school founder, Escolastica Punongbayan-Paguio probably saw in Danilo the grit and guts equated to her own perspective. Danilo accepted the challenge and defended the school from external aggressions, single-handedly!
Danilo G. Punongbayan, the youngest of Escolastica’s nephews, started working with St. Peter’s College, Iligan City, at the early age of 18 years old. In his young age, Danilo was practically trained by Escolastica to perform all facets of works inside the school campus. He was the janitor, messenger, security guard, all around errand boy of his aunt, Escolastica, the younger sister of his late father, Perfecto A. Punongbayan, Sr. who died ahead of Escolastica. After doing manual labor, Danilo was trained to perform clerical works. Later, Escolastica in her prime days, entrusted to Danilo, some delicate school works and important information of the school operational status.
When Escolastica passed away in 1969, Danilo was 27 years old, newly married to Carmelita Pagdanganan Punzalan, an Education graduate of Philippine Women’s University (PWU) who hails from Calumpit, Bulacan. Danilo was relatively ready to immerse himself in any form of school work and ready to defend SPC.
From the latter part of 1969 up to the early part of the 1970s, Danilo figured prominently in defending the school from the serious attempts by outsiders of power grab that could have dislodge the entire Punongbayan family from the ownership of SPC. The ugly confrontations almost turn physical and violent with Danilo standing by his lonesome to thwart and impede the force from outside. By standing guard to prevent intrusion to the campus, he virtually lived inside the school campus and stayed on the alert for six months without going home to his newly wedded wife, Carmelita.
School old timers will confirm school history that in these legal battles, Danilo was the last man standing to defend the rights of the entire Punongbayan family. The legal war simmered and resulted in victory for Danilo and the Punongbayan family.
SPC: FORECLOSED PROPERTIES
Spiked along the legal skirmishes that Danilo has to contend with, was the fact of PNB’s foreclosure on the school properties that was mortgaged by the late school founder and which mortgages already maturing. The school was so cash-strapped that it could not come up with the redemption money to pay the mortgage obligation.
Danilo, saddled by the heavy load of legal fees that necessarily come along with his defense of the school from external power grab, found extreme difficulty in raising the adequate funds to bail out the school from the bank’s foreclosure. The bank’s foreclosure and later on consolidation after one year redemption period was accordingly hastened by some interested persons to redeem the school property from PNB and thereafter take control of the school administration as the new owners.
The bank foreclosed the mortgaged properties of SPC and thereafter was consolidated after the failure of the school administration to redeem the same within the prescribed period by law. In effect, SPC lost all the school assets when PNB consolidated the mortgaged in the bank’s favor. For all intent and purposes, the SPC properties were now owned by PNB.
Undaunted and courageous, Danilo, again by his lonesome, was able to raise the redemption money borrowed from his well-meaning and concerned friends, of almost half a million pesos in 1974 and tendered the amount to PNB so he will be given the chance to still redeem SPC even beyond the redemption period. He was rebuked by the creditor bank and was informed that the redemption period has already lapsed and that the property was already consolidated and owned by the bank. Accordingly, it was already beyond redemption. The suspicion that the bank’s uncompromising position in foreclosing and consolidating the SPC mortgage properties was pressurized by interested persons again surfaced.
Danilo, in his lonesome, summoned enough courage and audacity to personally seek and was granted, a personal appointment with the President of PNB, Panfilo O. Domingo. Danilo pleaded his case on bended knees to convince PNB Pres. Domingo to allow him to redeem the SPC properties and the school. Moved by his genuine and sincere imploration, PNB Pres. Domingo softened and granted the persistent appeal of Danilo to redeem the SPC properties albeit already consolidated by the bank. SPC was finally and fully redeemed!
At this point in time, Danilo’s friends who never left him and who helped him raised the much needed redemption money, advised him to declare SPC as his own personal property since there was no help whatsoever from any member of the Punongbayan family and that he was alone in his fight to recover the school, and that SPC was already owned by the bank, when he, Danilo, made his forceful move!
Danilo’s reply to them was heartwarming and unequivocal!
He courteously rejected and said NO to their advice and told them that SPC belongs to the Punongbayan family. That he was just responding to his personal commitment to the school founder, his aunt Escolastica, to defend her founded school from any and all challenges that will try to dislodge the Punongbayan family from the ownership of St. Peter’s College, Iligan City.
The rest is history.
SPC: Its Renaissance and March to Glory!
The school’s resurgence and march to glory was persevering, with a functioning Board of Directors already in place. (The Board of Directors was replaced by the Board of Trustees, when SEC registered the school as a non-stock corporation in 1987 thru the initiative of President Danilo G. Punongbayan)
Iligan City was fast-growing into the stage of industrialization with several manufacturing plants like cement, flour, steel mills, vinyl products and other business companies locating their plant sites in Iligan City taking advantage of her natural resources that produces cheap hydroelectric power, SPC, under the leadership of President Danilo G. Punongbayan, grabbed the opportunity to offer Engineering courses which became its flagship courses. Expectedly, many students enrolled in the boom engineering courses with majors in Civil, Electrical and Mechanical Engineering. Consequently, the physical facilities also improved with the construction of a concrete three-storey Engineering building, machine shop, a three-storey Administration building which also accommodates the main library, medical dental clinic, speech laboratory, computer laboratories and academic offices; the Technology Building which houses the engineering laboratories and automation center. SPC then shifted its academic gears to automation courses to prepare students for the age of globalization.
SPC’s progressive development as an academic institution somehow was a bit affected with the advent of the intra-corporate disputes over the determination of who should be given the power and authority to manage and operate the school among the members of the Punongbayan family. It should be noted that the intra-corporate squabbles started only when SPC was already growing and progressing fast through the constructive innovations and initiatives pursued by the School President, Danilo G. Punongbayan, whose name has now become synonymous with St. Peter’s College!
In November, 1998, pending settlement of the issues at bar, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Manila, created a five-man Management Committee (MANCOM) with the following as members: Dr. Carmen Dormitorio, CHED Regional Director as chairperson, Mrs. Carmelita P. Punongbayan, Engr. Perfecto G. Punongbayan, Jr., Henie N. Punongbayan and Jose L. Zalsos, President, SPC Faculty and Staff Association, representing the SPC Faculty and Staff. They elected Mrs. Carmelita P. Punongbayan as the school’s officers-in-charge to succeed Danilo who tendered his retirement as president in March, 1999. Mrs. Punongbayan was later on appointed as interim president and as Chief Executive Officer in 2001.
On August 07, 2001, a group of the Punongbayan family enacted and passed the new By-Laws of St. Peter’s College, with the following as members of the Board of Trustees, viz:
Sotero A. Punongbayan – Trustee
Marilou P. Visitacion – Trustee
Perfecto G. Punongbayan, Jr. – Trustee
Henie N. Punongbayan – Trustee
Restituto G. Punongbayan – Trustee
Sotero A. Punongbayan
Trustee
Marilou P. Visitacion
Trustee
Perfecto G. Punongbayan, Jr.
Trustee
Henie N. Punongbayan
Trustee
Restituto G. Punongbayan
Trustee
Thereafter, on the basis of the new 2001 By-Laws of SPC and by the Orders of the Regional Trial Court having jurisdiction of the intra-corporate case, a series of leadership changes occurred in the school presidency that started in February, 2002 when Sotero A. Punongbayan was installed as the School President. However, on June 20, 2006, the Supreme Court in G.R. 157671, rendered Decision with finality in favor of Petitioner Danilo that restored the earlier RTC Order designating Carmelita P. Punongbayan as Chief Executive Officer of St. Peter’s College.
Thus, in September, 2007, Madam Carmelita P. Punongbayan was ordered by RTC, to assume the School’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) replacing Sotero. Sadly, the Court intra-corporate skirmishes continued. Later, the Corporate Court, issued Orders and Decisions that caused the changeover of school’s presidency or Chief Operating Officer/MANCOM Chairpersons several times from the person of Dr. Eufemio L. Calio to Dr. Araceli S. Garcia along with their respective court-appointed members of the MANCOM. Amidst these legal squabbles, SPC enrolment was affected along with the confused faculty and staff.
On January 24, 2014, the Corporate Court (RTC) issued an Order to convene the 3-man SPC Board of Trustees thereby appointing as members, Engr. Perfecto G. Punongbayan, Jr., Danilo G. Punongbayan and Henie N. Punongbayan, designating a succession of a 2-year term presidency starting with Perfecto as president in February, 2014 to February, 2016; Danilo as president in February, 2016 to February, 2018 and Henie as president in February, 2018 to February, 2020.
Return to Normalcy
On February 21, 2020, the Regional Trial Court, acting as the Corporate Court, Branch 05, Iligan City, issued an Order dissolving the court-appointed Board of Trustees effective February 28, 2020 and thereby ending the tenures of the School President, Vice President, Treasurer and declared of an impending “leadership vacuum” by March 1, 2020. The same court further declared that RTC 05, acting as a commercial court will lose its residual jurisdiction and will no longer have the power to intervene in the affairs of the school. The court, in conclusion of its February 21, 2020 Order, declared: “ To repeat, after February 28, 2020, will no longer be able to act in any matter in connection with the controversies in St. Peter’s College”.
Forthwith, acting with the Court’s serious declaration of a “leadership vacuum” in mind, and considering that the school is imbued with public interest that the “ leadership vacuum” could create chaos and confusion among school personnel, teachers, students and the general public, the existing Board of Trustees while still in its lifetime and in pursuance to the explicit provision of the Revised Corporation Code, convened on February 28, 2020, convened as a duly constituted board by the Revised Corporation Code of the Philippines and elected their new set of officers of the Board of Trustees and thereafter elected the new school executive officers to continue the operation and management of the school, thus prevented a hiatus perceived by the corporate court.
Thus, on February 28, 2020, the following were elected:
Dr. Zenaida Gersana – Chairperson
Danilo G. Punongbayan – Trustee/School President
Engr. Perfecto G. Punongbayan,Jr. – Trustee/Vice President
Henie N. Punongbayan – Trustee/Treasurer
Adelhuisa P. Abarro – Trustee / Corporate Secretary
Thus, on February 28, 2020, the following were elected:
Dr. Zenaida Gersana
Chairperson
Danilo G. Punongbayan
Trustee/School President
Engr. Perfecto G. Punongbayan,Jr.
Trustee/Vice President
Henie N. Punongbayan
Trustee/Treasurer
Adelhuisa P. Abarro
Trustee / Corporate Secretary
Except for the Vice President and the Corporate Secretary, the newly elected members of the SPC Board of Trustees and Executive Officers took their respective oaths of offices before the Honorable Judge Leonor S. Quiñones, Presiding Judge, Regional Trial Court Branch 06, Iligan City.
With President Danilo G. Punongbayan assuming again the school leadership, the direction of SPC was likewise installed on its rightful tracks.
The construction of the new 3-storey, 10-classroom & offices for the booming College of Criminology started its ground preparations. This project will address the critical shortage of classrooms for a growing SPC students’ population.
The construction of the concrete ramps at the side of the 3-storey Administration and Engineering buildings were also started to comply with the stringent requirement of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) for emergency exits/passage ways. The installation of the fire sprinklers in the buildings were likewise required by the BFP for the safety of the students and teachers. These CAPEX (Capital Expenditures) projects were vigorously pursued by President Danilo in his genuine desire to improve school facilities for the benefit of all school stakeholders.
The improvements of other school facilities such as the acquisition of state of the art laboratory equipment and other instructional materials, and the possible acquisitions of adjacent lands offered to the school were included in the progressive blueprints laid down by President Danilo and could have cause the second jumpstart to accelerate the school’s improvements and facilities upgrading programs thus a projection for a rerun of President Danilo’s leadership dynamism in the early days of SPC!
The construction of the new main building to connect the Administration and Engineering buildings was already in the planning mind of President Danilo to encapsulate the future expansion of SPC.
However, the onset of COVID 19 pandemic in early March, 2020, scuttled the plan as the pandemic derailed and stalled the construction works of the school’s CAPEX projects. Moreover, Classes in all levels were declared suspended starting March 13, 2020 creating chaos and confusions to the students, teachers, parents and other stakeholders nationwide. The situation aggravated fears and apprehensions to everyone. In the education sector, the Commission in Higher Education (CHED) and the Department of Education (DepEd), intensified their respective issuances of policies, rules and procedures to insure that the students and teachers will not be adversely affected by the suspension of face-to-face classes. Apparently, SPC was prepared for the conduct of virtual classes and the teachers continued handling classes on-line in the safety and comfort of their respective homes.
Nonetheless, amid the extreme difficulty of pursuing the people’s usual and customary activities, curtailed by the stringent imposition of health protocols to combat the spread of Covid 19 pandemic, SPC’s commitment to its mission to provide quality education to the youth, President Danilo, in whose fresh tenure as School President in March 1, 2020, run smack to the pandemic years from March, 2020 to the later part of 2023, was relentless and determined to proceed with the school’s CAPEX projects but was profound in observing the protocols imposed by the concerned public and private agencies. Construction works continued with a minimal workforce allowed by the COVID monitoring agencies. Essentially, SPC survived the 2 years pandemic with classes done virtually on-line.
Gradually, CHED and DepEd, allowed the schools to hold face-to-face classes in some situations, albeit adhering to the appropriate health protocols imposed.
While the school’s intra-corporate disputes continue in the local courts, this did not pose as a restrictive condition to dissuade President Danilo in his genuine desire to upgrade the laboratory equipment for the Criminology and Engineering students; the purchase of required books in the library, the improvement of the required facilities and more.
Under the leadership and management of President Danilo, the school’s enrollment population continued to rise after the pandemic. The school President is ably assisted by Madam Carmelita P. Punongbayan, MA, who assumed as Vice President for Academic Affairs (VPAA) and Acting School Registrar and Peter Dan P. Punongbayan, MM, Vice President for Administration and Acting Treasurer. Both have extensive training and experiences in their respective positions. Both were acknowledged and credited to have drawn up the marketing strategies, together with a vibrant Academic Council, presided by the VPAA that caused the increase in enrolment records.
Peter Dan P. Punongbayan, MM, assumed as OIC –President and Acting Chairman of the Board of Trustees in May, 2023, when President Danilo asked for a sick-leave of absence as school President and Chairman, BOT.
OIC President Peter Dan facilitated the completion of the 3-storey Criminology Building and the implementations of repairs and maintenance works for the school’s various facilities in preparation for the first semester of school year 2023-2024.
Indeed, the enormous challenges abound for OIC President Peter Dan to confront. Nevertheless, his educational preparations complemented by his hands-on experiences in managing and operating the school, in both academic and non-academic perspective, will come in handy in his decision makings for the good and betterment of the school.
The composition of the SPC Board of Trustees have expressed total support to OIC President Peter Dan in his school leadership. The BOT likewise expressed its trust and confidence to OIC President Peter Dan to continue the dynamism of President Danilo while the latter is on sick bay.
The present SPC Board of Trustees are as follows:
PETER DAN P. PUNONGBAYAN,MM – OIC-President/Acting BOT Chair
RESTITUTO G. PUNONGBAYAN – Trustee/OIC Treasurer/ Acting
Corporate Secretary
DANILO G. PUNONGBAYAN – Trustee/President/Chairman (On Sick Leave)
ATTY. IAN LEE P. PUNONGBAYAN – Trustee
DANILO P. PUNONGBAYAN, JR. – Trustee
The present SPC Board of Trustees are as follows:
PETER DAN P. PUNONGBAYAN,MM
OIC-President/Acting BOT Chair
RESTITUTO G. PUNONGBAYAN
Trustee/OIC Treasurer/ Acting
Corporate Secretary
DANILO G. PUNONGBAYAN
Trustee/President/Chairman
(On Sick Leave)
ATTY. IAN LEE P. PUNONGBAYAN
Trustee
DANILO P. PUNONGBAYAN, JR.
Trustee
The increase in the SPC students’ population for the First Semester, SY 2023 – 2024, is unprecedented in recent years. With almost 4,000 students enrolled in SPC, OIC President Peter Dan is entrusted with a real enormous problem, solving the critical shortage of classrooms! Prepared as he is in this concern, OIC President Peter Dan has drawn up his own blueprint of improving and upgrading the system and structure of the school’s facilities. Adopting the dynamism and drive handed down to him by President Danilo, for OIC President Peter Dan, optimism abounds in the vast horizon for St. Peter’s College!
The present set of executive officers of the school has marshaled the efficiency and effectiveness of their respective personnel. The Academic Council has become more vibrant in their academic responsibilities, and the Finance Office responded to the challenge of a more committed, accountable and honest disposition of the school’s financial resources. The student affairs and services have motivated students and student leaders to become more participatory and practically immerse themselves in school events.
Indeed, the SPC’S horizon has become vast and very encouraging, given the style of leadership manifested by the present crop of SPC Board of Trustees and the school’s executive officers to persistently and steadfastly pursue the realization and bring into fruition the academic dreams for St. Peter’s College of the school’s persuasive leader: past President Danilo G. Punongbayan.
The start of the school year 2023-2024 signals the march to the school’s vast horizon with the encouraging student population coming to the fold of SPC. The marketing strategies initiated by OIC President Peter Dan Punongbayan and all the hard work done by him with the support of the Academic and Management Councils prior to the opening of the new school year yielded very promising and reassuring outcomes.
Enrolment for the first semester, school year 2023-2024 recorded a high number at 3,740 students. This is unprecedented in our enrolment historical data particularly considering those years 2003-2007, when enrolment struggled with so much difficulty with ONLY ABOUT 1,700 student enrollees that adversely affected the prompt payment of teachers and staff salaries in those years. We need not refresh our minds to be reminded who were those people who operated the school in those 5 years (2003-2007), nonetheless, official school records on file will tell us that their performance was DISMAL and should not be allowed to return.
AN EPILOGUE: Moving On!
On October 9, 2023, the members of the SPCI Corporation were called to an annual meeting in consonance to the SPCI 2001 By-Laws to elect the new members of the Board of Trustees and thereafter elect the new corporate officers who will be tasked to continue the smooth operation of the school.
Officially, there are only seven (7) members of the SPCI Corporation, namely,
- Engr. Perfecto G. Punongbayan, Jr.;
- Danilo G. Punongbayan;
- Dr. Restituto G. Punongbayan, MD;
- Henie N. Punongbayan;
- Peter Dan P. Punongbayan, MM;
- Atty. Ian Lee P. Punongbayan, and;
- Danilo G. Punongbayan, Jr.
Majority of the members of corporation respondent to the call and attended the meeting of the members of the corporation on October 9, 2023, and majority of those members in attendance elected the following as the members of the SPCI Board of Trustees, as follows:
- Peter Dan P. Punongbayan, MM
- Restituto G. Punongbayan, MD
- Danilo P. Punongbayan, Jr.
The new Board of Trustees, thereafter, elected the following regular corporate officers, to wit:
- Peter Dan P. Punongbayan, MM – Chairman of the Board of Trustees and President and;
- Restituto G. Punongbayan, MD – Treasurer and Corp. Secretary
With the backdrop continue to remind us from where we take off, our dear St. Peter’s Colleges’ steady rise to become a bastion of a progressive academic institutions in the City of Iligan, has given us the prognosis of a brighter educational horizon toward the realization of our school’s Vision and Mission of providing quality education to our youth: Our school’s commitment to Excellence!
St. Peter College, a school founded in 1952 in Iligan City, envisions becoming a leading institution in providing quality education infused with technology, research, community extension, environmental preservation, and internationalization.
Our mission is to provide a holistic and transformative education that equips students with knowledge, skills, values, and strong character to become globally competitive individuals. We aim to nurture intellectual curiosity, critical thinking, social responsibility, and moral integrity through innovative teaching practices and collaborative partnerships with the community.
St. Peter’s College ENDEAVORS to the following:
1. Provide Quality Education: We strive to offer superior academic programs and ensure that our students receive a well-rounded education that prepares them for success in their chosen careers.
2. Embrace Technology: We commit to utilizing advanced educational technologies, such as interactive classrooms, online learning platforms, and digital resources, to enhance the teaching and learning experience.
3. Encourage Research: We encourage and support research activities and creative endeavors among faculty and students, fostering a culture of innovation and discovery.
4. Promote Community Extension: We actively engage in community extension programs to address societal needs, promote social responsibility, and instill a sense of compassion and empathy in our students.
5. Preserve the Environment: We endeavor to create a green and sustainable campus by implementing eco-friendly practices, promoting environmental awareness, and integrating environmental stewardship into our curriculum.
6. Foster Internationalization: We aim to provide our students with opportunities for cultural exchange, global perspectives, and diverse learning experiences. By fostering a global mindset, we seek to cultivate an inclusive and dynamic educational environment that prepares our students to thrive in a globalized society.
St. Peter’s College is guided by the founder’s ingrained principles in executing its philosophy of education with the following values:
- Excellence. Uphold high standards of performance in all areas of the academe.
- Commitment. Satisfy clients’ demands by prompt, enthusiastic, professional, responsive, and prestigious services regardless of personal wants.
- Leadership. Motivate and strengthen the constituents and feel responsible for identifying and accomplishing tasks.
- Accountability. Acknowledges and accepts responsibility for its actions in relation to established policies, procedures, and standards.
- Perseverance. The inner strength to remain constant to a purpose, idea, or task in the face of obstacles by means of dedication, consistency, and having a positive attitude.
- Honesty. Open and honest in all dealings and maintain the highest integrity at all times.
- Environmentalism. Advocate sustainable management and protection of natural resources through influencing individual behavior.
- Nationalism. Have the dedication and loyalty in serving the interest of the nation.
St. Peter’s College Hymn
Lyrics by: Renato Guzman
Musical Notation by Prof. Prospero G. Villacrusis
St. Peter’s College
Alma Mater Dear
Thy loyal children
Ever we will be
The SPC Spirit
We will always bear, though far and wide we’ll
Keep our faith in thee
Hail! Oh hail
Dear Alma Mater
Hail! Oh hail to thee
We loyal loving sons of thee
By your side we will ever stay
Beloved school where dreams and hopes come true
Where all are equal
And our thoughts are free
Our voices sing for
Thee a cheer that’ll grow
Through all the years like
A sweet memory
Hail! Oh hail
Dear Alma Mater
Hail! Oh hail to thee
We loyal loving sons of thee
By your side we will ever stay
Beloved school where
Dreams and hopes come true
Where all are equal
And our thoughts are free
Our voices sing for
Thee a cheer that’ll grow
Through all the years like
A sweet memory
Through all the years like
A sweet memory
Peter Dan P. Punongbayan, MM
School President
Carmelita P. Punongbayan, MM
Vice President for Academic Affairs
Reggie D. Punongbayan
Acting Vice President for Administration / OIC Registrar
Restituto G. Punongbayan, MD
Treasurer
Charlyn S. Janog, PhDCrim, SD (Cand.)
Dean, College of Criminology / Asst. to the VPAA for Accreditation / OIC – VPAA
The administration
St. Peter’s College Administrators are committed to upholding the SPC’s vision, mission, and objectives in establishing an inclusive and supportive learning environment and assisting students in becoming successful individuals and responsible citizens. They collaborate with the faculty, staff, students, and other stakeholders to ensure the institution’s long-term success and growth.
Awards and Achievements
Accreditation
St. Peter’s College, a leading educational institution renowned for its commitment to academic excellence, has achieved a significant milestone by receiving accreditation from the Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities Commission on Accreditation (PACUCOA).
The Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities Commission on Accreditation (PACUCOA) is a private accrediting agency which gives formal recognition to an educational institution by attesting that its academic program maintains excellent standards in its educational operations, in the context of its aims and objectives.
Objectives:
1. To Identify schools whose competence and performance in a particular field warrant public and professional recognition.
2. To guide students in the choice of quality schools, colleges and universities that will meet their individual needs.
3. To help institutions of learning and professional association in the mission of advancing the interest of education.
The PACUCOA recognition further solidifies St. Peter’s College’s reputation for delivering high-quality education and upholding rigorous standards. SPC continues to deliver quality education manifested with its accredited status in four of its programs such as:
- Business Administration: Level II Re-Accredited Status
- Bachelor of Elementary Education: Level II Re-Accredited Status
- Mechanical Engineering: Level I Accredited Status
- Bachelor of Secondary Education: Level I Accredited Status
Track Records
Community Service
St. Peter’s College, renowned for its commitment to academic excellence, also prides itself on fostering a strong sense of community and social responsibility. At the heart of this ethos lies the college’s community service program, which empowers students to make a positive impact on society. Through a diverse range of initiatives and partnerships, St. Peter’s College community service endeavors to create lasting change while instilling valuable life lessons in its students.
Education and Empowerment:
One of the core pillars of St. Peter’s College community service is education and empowerment. The college believes that knowledge is a powerful tool for social change. Faculty and students actively participate in various initiatives designed to enhance literacy and digital skills within the community.
Environmental Stewardship:
Recognizing the urgent need to address environmental challenges, St. Peter’s College community service program also emphasizes environmental stewardship. Students take part in initiatives such as tree planting drives, recycling campaigns, and clean-up efforts to protect and preserve the local ecosystem. By actively engaging with environmental issues, St. Peter’s College students develop a deep appreciation for sustainable practices and become advocates for a greener future.
