San Beda University

San Beda University () is a private Catholic basic and higher education institution run by the Order of Saint Benedict in San Miguel, Manila, Philippines. It was founded by the Benedictines in 1901. The main campus is situated in Mendiola, San Miguel, Manila and provides tertiary education. It has a satellite campus that provides elementary and high school education in Taytay, Rizal.

San Beda was established in 1901 by monks of the Ordo Sancti Benedicti (OSB) or Order of St. Benedict, also known as the Benedictines. Its founder, St. Benedict, is acclaimed as the "Father of Western Monasticism" and the "Patron of Europe". It is attached to the Abbey of Our Lady of Montserrat, founded from the Abbey of Montserrat in Catalonia, Spain.

San Beda started as an all-boys grade school in Manila and given the name El Colegio de San Beda. It has since expanded to a full university with both undergraduate and post-graduate degree programs. The institution was given university status on February 6, 2018, making it the only Benedictine university found in the Asia-Pacific region.

History

Origin

thumb|left|Aerial view of San Beda College, taken December 28, 1932 at around 8 AM

In 1895, 14 Benedictine monks from the Abbey of Our Lady of Montserrat in Spain arrived in the Philippines. Their intent was to do mission work in Surigao. However, as the Americans began to colonize the Islands, the Benedictine monks, fearing the spread of Protestantism, began to contemplate the idea of establishing a school dedicated to propagate and defend the Catholic faith. This vision was realized in 1901 when the monks transferred to Manila and Spanish Benedictine monk Fr. Juan Sabater OSB founded the El Colegio de San Beda, so named after the Venerable St. Bede of England. It was located in Arlegui Street.

During the inauguration of San Beda on June 17, 1901, Fr. Silvestre Jofre, OSB said in his homily that, “The College of San Beda comes to the arena with the sole purpose of helping to defend the Catholic battlements in the field of education.” The school opened exclusively for young boys with 212 students taking primaria enseñanza and secundaria enseñanza, the equivalent of grade school and high school with the first two years of college.

The Integrated Basic Education Department is composed of the following: Grade School, Junior High School, and Senior High School. Their IBED Department also offers Pre-School and Kinder programs as prescribed by the Department of Educations K-12 Curriculum.

Undergraduate and graduate units

College of Arts and Sciences

The College of Arts and Sciences is the oldest college or tertiary level department in San Beda University. It was founded in the year 1910, making it the second oldest liberal arts college in the Philippine Isles. More fondly called by its acronym, "CAS," the Arts and Sciences department has brought many awards and achievements to San Beda University. The CAS was instrumental in San Beda University's being granted the Level III accreditation and reaccreditation in 2001, in 2003, and in 2014 respectively, by the PAASCU, as well as the autonomy status given by the Commission on Higher Education in 2003.

College of Nursing

The San Beda College of Nursing (CON) offers a Bachelor of Science in Nursing program. The CON began its operations 2003, in consortium with the Loyola Medical College Foundation chaired by Dr. Johnny Fong. The consortium with Loyola Foundation ended in 2008. The CON is now solely run by San Beda. The Nursing School of San Beda has been granted PAASCU Level I Accreditation.

College of Medicine

In addition to the Nursing department, the San Beda University administration put up another department to strengthen its health sciences program. The San Beda College of Medicine (SBCM) was formally established on March 9, 2002, with the task of offering a four-year course leading to the degree of Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) as its fifth unit. It has a faculty of over 70 medical lecturers, who come mostly from the University of the Philippines Manila.

The college occupies the St. Benedict's Hall. It uses several laboratories in St. Maur's Building along with other colleges and has a dedicated cadaver room on the third floor for its anatomy classes.

The CoM has sent examinees from its first class of graduates from the school year 2002–2003 to the August 2007 medical board exams.

College of Law

The San Beda College of Law (CoL) was founded in 1948 upon the initiative of former rector-president Fr. Sergio Martinez, OSB. Feliciano Jover Ledesma, an Ateneo graduate, was the first dean of the San Beda Law School. It sent bar candidates for the first time in 1952, who all passed the bar. From 1952 up to 1957, and 1960 to 1961, the San Beda Law School achieved the feat of attaining a 100 percent passing rate in the Bar Exams.

It has produced lawyers such as the 16th President of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte, former Senator Rene Saguisag, the late Senator Raul S. Roco, Senator Leila M. De Lima, Former Commission on Elections Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr., and twelve Justices of the Supreme Court – Florenz D. Regalado, the holder of the highest bar exam grade in the country, Justo P. Torres Jr., Antonio M. Martinez, Romeo J. Callejo Sr., Antonio Eduardo Nachura, Jose Catral Mendoza, Bienvenido Reyes, Samuel Martires, Noel Tijam, Ramon Paul Hernando, Mario Lopez, and Samuel Gaerlan.

Graduate Schools

Graduate School of Business
Graduate School of Law
Graduate School of Liturgy

Administration

The following is the list of people who have served as rector-presidents of San Beda University. All were monastics who are members of the Order of Saint Benedict.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center; font-size:90%; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border: none;"

|- align="center"

! style="background: #C91727; color: #FFFFFF;" colspan=3|RECTOR-PRESIDENTS

! colspan="3" |SAN BEDA COLLEGE

|- style="text-align:left;"

1901–03 – Silvestre Jofre

1903–06 – Arsenio Insausti

1906–09 – Silvestre Jofre

1909–14 – Anselmo Catalán

1914–18 – Fausto Ameijeiras

1918–23 – Rosendo Fernández

1923–24 – Ildefonso Sáez

1925–27 – Urbano Caseres

1927–37 – Bernardo López

1937–39 – Beda del Hoyo

1939–41 – Wilfrido Rojo

1941–47 – Boniface Axtman

1947–48 – Urbano Caseres

1948–49 – Sergio Martínez

1949–52 – Bernardo López

1952–55 – Wilfrido Rojo

1956–58 – Wilfrido Rojo

1958–61 – Bernardo López

1961–66 – Benigno Benabarre

1966–67 – Ildefonso Orígenes

1967–68 – Hildebrando Muñoz

1968–71 – Isidro Otazu

1971–74 – Bernardo Ma. Pérez

1974–77 – Emmanuel Ma. Balcruz

1977–83 – Bernardo Ma. Pérez

1983–85 – Silvestre Lacson

1985–2001 – Bernardo Ma. Pérez

2001–07 – Anscar J. Chupungco

2007–10 – Mateo Ma. J. De Jesus

2010–18 – Aloysius Ma. A. Maranan

| colspan="3" |SAN BEDA UNIVERSITY

|2018–22 - Aloysius Ma. A. Maranan

Architecture

Since its construction in Mendiola Street, majority of the buildings of San Beda University adapted the Neo-Gothic style of architecture. However, renovations have been made in some areas such as the tiles and gates. New structures were constructed such as the covered walk and pavilion near the entrance gate.

School traditions

San Beda University adopted the Red Lion emblem from the ancient Scottish/English heraldic symbol, the Red Lion Rampant.

The Bedan hymn

Before the beginning of the 1960s, Bedans were singing a different school hymn. In 1966, Senator Raul Roco, then a San Beda Magna Cum Laude law student; Arturo Montesa, wrote a new alma mater hymn which would capture the Bedan spirit.

After finishing the lyrics, Roco then gave the lyrics to Rev. Fr. Benildus Ma (Manuel) Maramba, OSB for its melody, arrangements, and orchestration. It took Fr. Maramba two days to finish the song composition.

It is sung at important events such as the NCAA basketball tournaments, the Bar exams, alumni gatherings, and at simple affairs such as seminars and small get-together of Bedans.

Red Lion and The Ancient Red Lion Rampant

frame|right|The Red Lion Rampant

The practice of adopting a school moniker became both fashionable and an imperative especially for Catholic schools named after saints during the 1940s in the Philippines.

American Catholic schools started the rage earlier when the clergy became wary of sports headlines such as “ St. Peter mauls St. Paul 80 – 40”. In the Philippines, headlines of whipping and trashing of schools named after saints drew mixed emotions among the clergy and devout Catholics. “Why would a Catholic saint whip another Catholic saint?”, they would ask.

On July 31, 1940, Fr. Sergio Martinez OSB, inspired by English tradition, coined the moniker “Red Lion” for the school. Red is the color of courage, of a warrior and a martyr. The lion, on the other hand, represents dominance as the king of the jungle.

Indian Yell

thumb|260px|right|The San Beda Red Army cheering the Indian Yell

The Cuerba brothers, both Bedans, composed the Indian Yell in 1947 after the liberation from the Japanese empire. The Indian Yell was initially solely performed on drums accompanied by cheers from the students. However, this made the cheer somewhat lacking in power and needed something to rejuvenate the audience. So they changed the sound of the yell and incorporated a horn section. Accompanied by the tomahawk chop, the Indian Yell became more lively, intimidating, and full of spirit. Bedans popularized this aboriginal Native American form of chanting in the Philippine collegiate league and has spawned variations now used by many other schools. Senator Leila de Lima, former senator Benigno S. Aquino Jr., former senator Raul S. Roco, former Speakers of the House of Representatives Ramon V. Mitra, business tycoon Dr. Manuel V. Pangilinan, Philippine basketball legend Carlos Loyzaga, actor Eddie Gutierrez, and 2004 Philippine presidential candidate & actor, Fernando Poe, Jr.