THE DE LA SALLE BROTHERS IN THE PHILIPPINES

The Brothers came to the Philippines in 1911 upon the order of the Pope. The first school was in Paco but when the student population grew, the Brothers decided to transfer in 1921 to what is now the present site of De La Salle University at Taft Avenue. Some of the first Brothers were Irish-Americans which explains the Green and White colors of La Salle Schools in the Philippines. The next years made De La Salle College at Taft Avenue excel in sports, academics, community extension programs and in social outreach projects.

The school was not spared from the horrors of World War II. In 1945, as the American forces were entering Manila, the Japanese went on a killing spree – the massacre at the school left 16 Brothers and two families (who sought sanctuary) dead.

The La Salle school in Bacolod opened in 1952 and is now known as the University of St. La Salle (USLS). From here we saw the birth of the hacienda schools – schools in the farms and supervised by the Brothers and lay associates. St Joseph’s High School in Villamonte was also started by the Brothers of USLS in 1960.

Other schools were also opened: De La Salle Green Hills (1959), La Salle Lipa (1962) and La Salle Iligan (1958). From these schools came other supervised schools: St. Francis School in Cavite, La Salle Antipolo (1986) and St. Benilde School (Mansilingan).

Other Supervised Schools are the following: ASMS Cebu (1965), ASJMS Masbate, JBS School in Bislig (1977), Palawan and in Cadiz City.

But the work is not done by Brothers alone – the lay associates play a major role as members of the Lasallian family. They are La Sallians who are Concerned, Confident, Christian, Committed, and Competent in any community they belong to.

This site and the pages hereafter is dedicated to the men who joined De La Salle as Brothers of Christian Schools for the work of Christian Education in the Philippines.