De La Salle John Bosco College - Brief History

Brief History

DLSJBC was founded in the mid 50's as the Bislig Bay Elementary School was established exclusively for the dependents of the Bislig Bay Lumber Incorporated (BBLI - the forerunners of the Paper Industries Corporation of the Philippines or PICOP who's one of the biggest papermill companies in entire Asia that time). In 1961, the company turned over the management of the school to Fr. Alberto Grol, then-parish priest of Brgy. Mangagoy, Bislig City after the permission of Msgr. Charles Van den Ouewelant. Fr. Grol then converted the Bislig Bay Elementary School into a parochial school that allowed access of non-company dependents.

Later on in the years 1962-63, the parochial school was converted into an elementary school for girls under the name St. Margaret Mary School managed by the Augustian Recollect Missionary Sisters (ARM). Fr. Grol then envisioned the establishment of a school for boys with the blessing of the Bishop and the financial assistance of Don Andres Soriano (co-owner of BBLI) who readily gave up the idea on condition the proposed boys' high school be put up in Mangagoy where the BBLI of the Andres Soriano Corporation was located. About the same time, the Don Bosco School in Mandaluyong planned a pattern for a school supposedly for Davao City. Negotiations went fast and in 1963, the Salesian Fathers of Don Bosco agreed to manage the school and the company committed to subsidize its operations with focus on training young males who could answer the increasing demand for skilled workers at the company.

In 1964, a number of teachers from Don Bosco Mandaluyong assigned in Mangagoy became the pioneering staff of the St. John Bosco Technical High School. The school was located at the former parish convent at Mangagoy and used part of the church as classrooms. Fr. Grol was then replaced by Fr. Henry Raam. At the same year, the St. Margaret Mary School also opened its High School Department for girls. In 1967, St. John Bosco Technical High School and St. Margaret Mary School's first batch of high school students graduated. Meanwhile in 1968, the Augustian Recollect Missionary Sisters contract to manage the school expired and the Maryknoll Sisters were invited to turn over the management of St. Margaret Mary School. The following year (1969), High School girls of nearby St. Margaret Mary School were transferred and merged with St. John Bosco Technical High School, thus making it a co-educational institution. After the merging was completed, it was renamed as the John Bosco School (JBS) and was permanently transferred to La Salle Drive, John Bosco District, Barangay Mangagoy.

In 1974, the Jose Maria Soriano - Learning Center (JMS-LC), a La Salle-Supervised school in Coleto, also in Bislig, was established by PICOP (then BBLI) for the benefits of the children of the company employees living in Forest Drive Village which is 13 kilometers away from the company. The school was then appointed a Brother-Supervisor, Br. Thomas "Tom" Cannon, FSC as the first school director.

In 1977, as the Don Bosco Fathers were slowly departing away, the last batch of the Maryknoll Sisters also left Bislig and the administration and supervision of John Bosco School was formally turned over to the De La Salle Brothers in the Philippines. Br. Tom Cannon also became the Brother-Supervisor both in JBS and JMS-LC. In 1982, by the supervision of Br. Mifrando Obach, FSC (who replaced Br. Cannon), John Bosco School and the Jose M. Soriano - Learning Center were merged thus making it a school with 2 campuses, the Main campus located in Mangagoy and the JMS-LC campus located in Coleto, still bearing the name John Bosco School.

In 1997, the PICOP Resources, Inc. (PRI) withdraw its financial assistance to the school and the JMS-LC was then phased-out and all of its operations were transferred to JBS Main campus. Also in that year, JBS pre-school department was completed with the addition of a nursery school.

In 1999, John Bosco School became John Bosco College (JBC) with the opening of its College Department. Starting from that year onwards, the JBC was accredited by the La Salle Schools Supervision Office and in 2006, the school was officially accepted as a District School of De La Salle Philippines. With Ophelia S. Fugoso as the School President and Bro. Narciso "Jun" Erguiza, FSC as the LaSallian Brother representative and school supervisor, the acceptance ceremony was done on February 2007 making it as the 18th district school of the De La Salle Philippines thus renaming it now as the De La Salle John Bosco College.