Colegio de La Inmaculada Concepcion - Further Expansion

Further Expansion

1964 was a significant and historical year for Inmaculada. The Philippine congregation of the Daughters of Charity ceased to be a sub-province of Spain and became independent Province with its own Visitatrix, Sr. Felomena Zulueta, D.C.

With this came the appointment in 1966 of Sr. Paz San Buenaventura as the first Filipino Sister Servant of Colegio de la Inmaculada Concepción.

With the progress of the community, the residents appealed to the Sisters to open a school that could undertake the job of providing their children with a Christian education. The Superior of Colegio de la Inmaculada Concepción, Sr. Paz San Buenaventura, took the initial steps to open a CIC Branch in Mandaue. A permit was obtained, and it formally opened on July 7, 1969. Sr. Imelda Espiritu was by then the new Superior. Classes started with 49 children in kindergarten. Since 1969, the CIC Mandaue City branch gradually developed into a grade school, offering kindergarten, preparatory and primary classes from grades one to four. Grades five and six were opened consecutively in 1979 and 1980. With the opening of the intermediate grades, CIC Mandaue is now a complete elementary school. In school year 1999–2000, CIC Mandaue had its first high school graduation.

Expansion of Inmaculada's services to the community came hand in hand with the academics. In June 1968, the Sta. Luisa Social Action Center was opened to take charge of the material and spiritual needs of poor families living behind the school. Through the efforts of the CIC Alumnae Association, this small building expanded and was called the CIC Sta. Luisa Development Center, a two-storey building which houses the extensive school-community services. Inauguration date of CIC-SLDC was on September 27, 1967, feastday of St. Vincent de Paul, founder of the Daughters of Charity and patron of social work. At present, the center is called St. Louise de Marillac Foundation, Inc.

In 1975, the CIC Alumnae Association was formally registered as a juridical body with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) with Mrs. Felisa Yap Chiongbian as president. Since then, it has become Inmaculada's dependable arm and generous sponsor in its school and community projects. Musical presentations have been sponsored, such as the Piano Concert of Reynaldo Reyes in the earlier days of the Sta. Luisa Center, the Concert of Sr. Ester B. Peña, DC, pianist, with the Manila Symphony Orchestra in 1977 and the 1982 September Affair featuring the pianist Joselito S. Pascual. The beneficiary of such concerts has been the CIC-Sta. Luisa Development Center, an on-going project of the CIC Alumnae Association.

To assess the quality of instruction and amount of service to the community, Inmaculada applied for accreditation by the Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities (PAASCU) in 1974. Formal accreditation was started in 1975 for the high school department and its Certificate of Accreditation was received on March 14, 1977.

Mother Teresa of Calcutta visited Inmaculada on February 7, 1977.

March 15, 1979 ushered in Inmaculada's Centennial Year Celebration. The week-long activities from March 10 to 16, 1980 were simple and impressive and in keeping with the awareness of the Vincentian Mission permeating the school. The most concrete Vincentian service is the Night High School Department established during the centennial year in 1980 — a most fitting gift to the community for the less-fortunate girls of Cebu.

December 2005–December 2006 saw another year-long thanksgiving and celebration for the gift of 125 years. “CIC-Cebu: 125 Years of Spirited Presence” was the theme.

Colegio de la Inmaculada Concepcion today offers Basic Education (Nursery to Grade 10) with the College Department phased out in 1998. This was to concentrate on the Christian formation of the young clientele. As an institution of learning, CIC has been undergoing accreditation by PAASCU since 1977. The institution also underwent a Congregational Evaluation Visit (CEV) in 1987, the first of its kind in Region 7 and a Congregational Mission Audit (CMA) in 2007.

Cognizant of the special role expected of the Catholic schools, CIC-Cebu takes the responsibility of building up the new breed of Filipinos — disciplined, nourished with positive nationalism, proud of the country's cultural heritage, builders of peace, respectful of the dignity of life and creation and citizens of the Church and of the country for a sustainable future.