Colegio de San Juan de Letran

Beginnings

The name San Juan de Letran is derived from the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome, considered as the Mother Church of Christendom.^[4] Early in the history of Letran, its chapel was granted many of the privileges enjoyed by the major basilica. Saint John the Baptist, for whom the basilica is named, is the patron saint of Letran.^[1]

The college was founded by Don Juan Geromino Guerrero in 1620, a retired Spanish officer and one of the Knights of Malta,^[1] in Intramuros as Colegio de Niños Huerfanos de San Juan de Letran. The school was intended to educate and mold orphans to be good Christian citizens.^[1]

Around the same time, Fray Diego de Santa Maria, O.P. founded the Colegio de Huerfanos de San Pedro y San Pablo. As Don Guerrero grew old, the two schools were fused together, and in 1630, it simply became known as Colegio de San Juan de Letran.^[1][5]

18th century

In 1738, under the reign of King Philip V of Spain opened the Colegio de San Juan de Letran and University of Santo Tomas, and six scholarships were granted by the king for Chinese, Japanese, and Tonkinese students. Vicente Liem de la Paz, Letran's foremost alumnus, was among the students who enjoyed this scholarship taking up trivium and quadrivium along with four Tonkinese namely: Jose de Santo Tomas, Juan de Santo Domingo, Pedro Martir and Pedro de San Jacinto.^[6]

19th century

In May 1865, Letran was graded as a College of the First Class by royal decree ordered by Queen Isabella II and, as a result, the school population rose considerably.^[5]

In 1886, rector Fr. Bernardino Nozaleda re-organized the school's curriculum into the Lower, Middle, and Superior grades (Infima, Media y Superior) to conform to modern European and American teaching patterns.^[5]

20th century

Further expansion took place in 1894 and adjustments were made with the arrival of the Americans in 1900.^[6]

After celebrating its tricentennary, Letran was headed by the Rev. Fr. Martin Guillet O.P., who was tasked with replacing Letran's old infrastructure and constructing a new and modern building.^[7] The old school building of 1863 was knocked down in 1937 to build the present structure in commemoration of its tricentennial celebration.^[8]

The new tricentennial building, now called the St. John the Baptist Building, with elements inspired by the Bauhaus and Art Deco movement of the 1920s and 1930s, was inaugurated under the supervision of Engineer Alberto Guevarra y Sanchez and blessed by Fr. Guillet.^[8] It became the Colegio's main building and facade. These events were followed by the construction of the Elementary, High School and College buildings replacing the old structures respectively. The buildings were named after the Dominican founder and saints.

World War II

The growth of the Colegio was temporarily halted when the building was bombed in 1941 and turned into a garrison by the Japanese army in 1944. The Colegio was temporarily housed in the Dominican church and convent of San Juan del Monte. In school year 1942, classes were temporarily transferred to the Dominican Sanctuario of San Juan del Monte. After the war, Letran returned to its home in Intramuros and resumed operations in 1946. Several new construction projects were inaugurated to replace the old structures wrecked by the war.^[5]

Post-war period

In 1954, Letran admitted its first female students, albeit only in the course of Preparatory Medicine.^[9]

In 1961, the first Filipino rector of Letran, Fr. Isidoro D. Katigbak, O.P., was formally installed, and the first four-year course for the degree of Bachelor of Science was granted government recognition by the Department of Education.^[9]

In 1967, the college department fully admitted female students to all its courses.^[9]

Recent history

The basic education department started accepting first-year female enrollees in 2006.^[10][11]

In April 2007, Fr. Tamerlane Lana O.P. was elected rector and president of Letran, of the Intramuros and Abucay campuses, by the board of trustees to serve a four-year term until April 2011. Fr. Lana became the 80th rector of the Manila campus.^[12][13] Fr. Lana's administration has undertaken the task of changing and upgrading the Colegio's academic standards to meet those required to attain university status.^[12] This work also includes the revision of the vision and mission, research development, community service, and the 12-year strategic plan for 2008 until 2020.^[14]

Starting academic year 2007–08, Letran became a "wi-fi zone" to cater its students access to the internet.^[15]

In October 2007, two former Letran administrators were among the 498 Spanish martyrs beatified by Pope Benedict XVI. They are Fr. Jesus Villaverde Andres, OP, a former rector; and Fr. Antonio Varona Ortega, OP, a former professor and moderator of the NCAA Philippines.^[16]

On July 3, 2008, Fr. Lana formally launched the Letran Center for Intramuros Studies (LCIS).^[17] The initiative to establish the center sprang from the 12-year development plan as the school hopes to become a leader in cultural and historical studies, particularly on the subject of Intramuros.^[17] The day also marked the 435th anniversary of the signing of the royal decree by King Philip II in San Lorenzo, Spain on July 3, 1573, that prescribed the foundation of Hispanic colonial towns, which served as basis for the systematic layout for the establishment of Intramuros, which was known then as Spanish Manila.^[17] In 2012, the College of Engineering and Information Technology, the youngest higher education unit, was established.^[18]

In June 2015, Fr. Clarence Victor C. Marquez, O.P. was elected 81st Rector and President of Letran Manila and Bataan.^[19][20]

In July 2016, various Letran's academic programs were granted Level III status by PAASCU.^[3] The programs that were granted Level III Status are BS Entrepreneurship, BSBA Business Economics/ BSBA Economics, BSBA Human Resource Development and Management, BSBA Marketing Management/ BSBA Marketing, BSBA Operations Management, AB Advertising, AB Broadcasting, AB Communication, AB Political Science, AB Psychology, AB Philosophy, Bachelor of Secondary Education major in English and Mathematics.^[3]

On February 21, 2020, President Rodrigo Duterte signed Proclamation 908, declaring 2020 as the "Year for the Celebration of the Quadricentennial Anniversary of the Colegio de San Juan de Letran."^[21]

In July 2023, Fr. Raymund Fernando P. Jose, O.P. was elected 82nd Rector and President of Letran Manila and Bataan.

In September 2024, Letran was granted deregulated status by the Commission on Higher Education.^[22]

Starting academic year 2025–2026, Letran has officially merged the College of Education (COED)  and College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS)  into one, now called the  College of Education and Liberal Arts and Sciences (CELAS).^[23]

St. John the Baptist Building

The Letran Tricentennial building^[8], named the St. John the Baptist Building and also known as the administration building, houses the Office of the Rector and President. It houses the admission office, financial affairs office, the Letran Center for Intramuros Studies (LCIS) office, guidance counselor office, the information technology center, College of Business Administration and Accountancy, College of Education, and the Institute of Information Technology. The bookstore, lobby, and chapel are also in this building. The St. John Lateran convent of the Letran Dominican Fathers is located here.^[24]

The facade underwent a series of refurbishing in 2018. Lights and proper wirings are also added to lit Muralla and the building itself to add colors to the once grey structure at night.^[25]

Our Lady of Aranzazu Building

The former St. Antoninus Building is dedicated in honor of Our Lady of Aranzazu, where the Arch-confraternity of Nuestra Senora de Aranzazu was solemnly established in Letran on December 16, 1772, by virtue of a pontifical brief issued by Benedict XIV on September 18, 1748. It holds the promenade and Salon de Actos (student lounge).^[26]

The campus hosts a historical marker that the Philippines Historical Committee, now the National Historical Commission of the Philippines,^[27] installed in 1939 to denote the place of the establishment of the arch-confraternity.^[28]

St. Dominic de Guzman Building

The building named after the founder of the Order of Preachers (Dominicans). This building houses classrooms, Science and Psychology Laboratory, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and The Institute of Communication.^[24]

St. Thomas Aquinas Building

This building houses the Library and Media Center for Communication Arts students. The Media Center has two sections: Instructional Media and Broadcast Media. It provides human and material resources for instructional and broadcast purposes.^[24]

St. Raymond of Peñafort Building

The former High School Building, St. Raymond of Peñafort houses the Office of the Vice Rector for Religious Affairs. It includes the Accounting Stock Room, Lost and Found Office, Hospitality Management Facility, Auxiliary Services, Audit Services, Letran Alumni Association Office, and the Center for Community Development Office. The school clinic is in this building.^[24]

St. Albert the Great Building

This building is also known as the Student Center Building because it houses student facilities such as the canteens, a modern 400-seat auditorium, Office of the Student Affairs, Letran Student Council Office, the Graduate School faculty room and student lounge, six classrooms, Thesis Section, The Lance Publication Office, and the Office of the Dean in Graduate School.^[24]

St. Vincent Ferrer Building

This building serves the basic education department, the College of Engineering and Information Technology, the music room, and the speech laboratory.^[24]

Blessed Antonio Varona Gymnasium

The gymnasium-auditorium was the home of the Knights and Squires, Letran's collegiate and high school varsity teams that play in the NCAA and other sports tournaments, located right across the Student Center Building along Beaterio Street in Intramuros. The Letran Gym was opened on November 6, 1955, and was blessed by Archbishop Rufino J. Santos, then-Archbishop of Manila.^[9]

It has three physical education classrooms with a centralized air-conditioned unit. It houses the Letran Hall of Fame and the P.E. faculty. The Letran Gym is named in honor of Blessed Antonio Varona, O.P., former Letran Professor and Athletics Moderator.

The old gym was demolished in April 2019 and will be replaced by the Quadricentennial Building, a multi-purpose sports facility.^[29][30]

College of Business Administration and Accountancy

The College of Business Administration and Accountancy offers undergraduate programs in accountancy, business administration, entrepreneurship, accounting information systems, hospitality management, tourism management, and related fields.^[31]

College of Education and Liberal Arts and Sciences

The College of Education and Liberal Arts and Sciences (CELAS) officially began in the academic year 2025–2026, through the merger of the former College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS), and the College of Education (CoED). The merger marked a return to an earlier academic structure known as the College of Liberal Arts, Sciences, and Education (CLASED), which had previously existed from 2002 before the colleges were separated in 2006.^[32] The reorganization was implemented as part of the institution's academic recovery and restructuring strategy.^[23]

College of Engineering and Information Technology

The Colegio started to offer engineering programs in 2012. With the transfer of the Institute of Information Technology, Letran established its youngest college, the College of Engineering and Information Technology (CEIT). The CEIT currently offers four engineering programs and three specialization on the information technology program.^[18]

Graduate school

The Letran Graduate School was founded in 1974 by Director Ramon C. Reyes. The Letran Graduate School began with the Master in Business Administration (MBA) program. In 1980, under the leadership of Dean Theodoro T. Abrigo, the Master in Business Administration Special Management Program (MBA SMP) was introduced. In 1995, Dean Perfecto Panuelos launched the Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) program.^[35]

Basic Education

The Colegio de San Juan de Letran in Manila has a Basic Education department that has been in existence for almost four centuries.^[36] Letran started as an orphanage for boys, then began accepting female enrollees in the first year of the academic year 2006–07 for its basic education program.^[10][36]