The Divine Word College of San Jose is a private, Catholic, coeducational basic and higher education institution run by the Philippine Central Province of the Society of the Divine Word or SVD in San Jose, Occidental Mindoro, Philippines. It holds the distinction of being the first and oldest educational institution in Mindoro island, even predating the island-province's separation in 1950 into two provinces by five years.
Established as Southern Mindoro Academy in the middle of 1945 by Gabriel Fabrero Fabella, a lawyer and prominent historian, the secondary school became exclusive to boys upon its incorporation into the Society of Divine Word (SVD) in 1960. It was renamed to Divine Word Academy a year after its acquisition by the SVD, and again to Divine Word College in 1966, and has since offered complete academic courses from basic to tertiary education and postgraduate and vocational programs. Its patron saints are St. Arnold Janssen, the founder of the Society of the Divine Word, and St. Joseph Freinademetz, a missionary priest in China.
History
The history of Divine Word College of San Jose (DWCSJ) traces its roots to Atty. Gabriel F. Fabella, a UP history professor from Romblon, who envisioned establishing a private secondary school in the town of San Jose towards the end of the Second World War. This led to the founding of Southern Mindoro Academy (SMA) on August 8, 1945, with 30 freshmen and 8 sophomores. The school operated as a non-sectarian institution, with original incorporators including Fabella and other local figures.
In 1946, as San Jose saw growth due to the construction of an American airstrip, SMA moved to a new location, purchased from the Soldevilla family. However, in 1960, due to financial constraints, SMA was sold to the Society of the Divine Word (SVD) in May of that year after 15 years of operation, with Rev. Fr. Carlos Brendel representing the SVD and Mena Quinto facilitating the buyout. The secondary department became an all-boys school, while St. Joseph became exclusive for girls.
DWCSJ began expanding its academic portfolio in the following decades, gaining government recognition for various programs that include Junior Secretarial Diploma (1978), Accountancy (1993), and Computer Science courses (1997). The school also introduced graduate programs such as Master of Arts in Education on March 15, 1995 and Master of Business Administration on June 29, 1993 independent of Divine Word College of Calapan (DWCC).
In the late 1990s and 2000s, DWCSJ introduced new undergraduate programs, including Communications, Hotel and Restaurant Management, Tourism, Nursing, Accounting Technology, and Information Technology. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the school transitioned to online distance learning to ensure the safety of its students and staff.
Academic profile Continuing Professional Development Divine Word College of San Jose is an accredited "Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Provider for Professional Teachers" granted by the Professional Regulation Commission in 2017 as one of its regulated programs. A CPD provider refers to a natural or juridical person accredited by the CPD Council to conduct Continuing Professional Development Programs as defined by Republic Act (R.A.) 10912, "An Act mandating and strengthening the Continuing Professional Development Program for all regulated professions, creating the Continuing Professional Development Council, and appropriating funds therefor, and for other related purposes".
Divine Word College of San Jose is duly accredited by Commission on Higher Education (CHED No. 04022) and the Department of Education (DepEd No. 403421). The school is also a member of Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities (PAASCU), with accreditations from the body to operate basic education and business administration programs. It is also an institutional member of the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP) and the Divine Word Educational Apostolate (DWEA).
Rankings and reputation The table below shows the school's performance in the past four licensure exams for each listed professional licensing board, encompassing both first timers and repeaters: Examination Passing Rates Rank in thePhilippines 2023 Licensure Exam for Secondary Teacher 2023 Licensure Exam for Elementary Teacher 2016 CPA Licensure Exam 2012 Nursing Licensure Exam
Scholarship programs In response to tuition hikes and concessions made by the board, the student body and other stakeholders, the school implements a socialized tuition program categorized into basic components such as Subsidized Education, Scholarship Grants, and Student Assistantships with the help of various sectors and partner agencies such as the Department of Education (DepEd) through the PEAC Fund, Commission on Higher Education (CHED), local government units (LGUs), charitable institutions, and stipend allowances for part-time working students and other financial assistance and student loan programs. These assistance programs are listed as follows: Academic scholars Alay-Lakad scholars Ayala-Yuchengco Foundation Bishop Vicente Manuel Foundation Inc. CHED StuFAP (Student Financial Assistance Program) CHED UniFAST (Unified Student Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education) DOLE - SPES (Department of Labor and Employment - Special Program for the Employment of Students) DWCSJ Working Scholars Private Education Assistance Committee: Educational Service Contracting (ESC) Provincial scholars/Congressional scholars San Jose Municipal Scholarship Program
Organization Presidents of the Divine Word College of San Jose Name Tenure of office Fr. Federico Limon 1960–1967 Fr. Albert Cook 1967–1970 Fr. John Patrick McSherry 1970–1975 Fr. Ernesto Lagura 1975–1979 Fr. Joel Maribao 1979–1982 1988-1990 Fr. Bonifacio Guanlao 1982–1985 Fr. Gregorio Buenavista 1985–1988 Fr. Virgilio Bartolome 1988 Fr. Eleuterio Lacaron 1990–2005 Fr. Ernesto Vitor 2005–2011 Fr. Glenn Paul Gomez 2011–2017 Fr. Renato A. Tampol 2017–2023 Fr. Felino B. Javines Jr 2023–2026 Fr. Crispin A. Cordero Incumbent Assistant Director Name Tenure of office Fr. Erasio Flores 1960-1967 References
Presidents of the Divine Word College of San Jose The President of the Divine Word College of San Jose is elected by the Board of Trustees for a three-year term and may be re-elected. The longest serving president was Rev. Fr. Eleuterio Lacaron who held the office for five consecutive terms for a total of fifteen (15) years from 1990 to 2005, while Rev. Fr. Virgilio Bartolome served the shortest term of a single interim year in 1988.
. Rev. Fr. Erasio Flores served as Assistant Director to Rev. Fr. Limon during his single term from 1960 to 1967. Rev. Fr. Joel Maribao served two non-consecutive terms, first was in 1979 to 1982 and again in 1988 to 1990.
The current and 15th president is Rev. Fr. Crispin A. Cordero , an MBA graduate of Saint Louis University in Baguio City and held the same role at Divine Word College of Legazpi from 2008 to 2017 and Divine Word College of Calapan from 2017 to 2026. He did missionary works in Togo and Benin in the 90s and also served as Vice President for Administration at Saint Jude Catholic School. His installation as president took place at an investiture ceremony held on August 25, 2026 and has assumed office since then.
Student government The College Student Council (CSC) is the highest student governing body, encompassing all presidents and student leaders from different college departments and organizations. The council conducts various activities and forums such as symposiums on anti-bullying, anti-harassment and anti-drug, and leadership trainings to help raise awareness to students.
Guided by Ms. Ana Mae Tividad, Directress of Office of Student Affairs, the student council is a delegate to the 2014 National Congress of College Councils (NCCC) held at UP Diliman on March 7, 2014, through its president acting as Regional Ambassador for MIMAROPA region, and as such, a member of the National Alliance of Youth Leaders (NAYL). The council is also a delegate to the 10th PAPSAS (Philippine Association of Practitioners of Student Affairs and Services, Inc.) Interactive Youth Forum and Workshop for student leaders held on September 20, 2018, at Dauis, Bohol. The student council yearly conducts its election through a computerized system that started in July 2014.
Student newspaper The Pioneer Editorial Board (2018–2019) Editor-in-chief Leonila D. Laab Associate editor Rica Mae S. Diosay Managing editors Maricoe Venn C. PaclibarKhryss T. Gayo Staff writers The Pioneer is DWCSJ's official school paper with a news and editorial board comprising 22 contributors and writers in current affairs, literary, sports and opinion pieces, holding its office inside Fr. McSherry gymnasium. It publishes yearly between June and November in tabloid format and is written in both English and Filipino. Standing in a Unified Voice as Witnesses to the Word. Its contributors also participate in division and regional campus journalism contests, winning second place in column writing qualifying for the national level and fourth place in newswriting at the 2018 Regional Schools Press Conference held in Tagaytay City in November of that year.
Academic programs Divine Word College of San Jose offers 11 undergraduate and 4 postgraduate degree programs since its inception as a Higher Education Institution (HEI). The school offers tertiary programs in the fields of Business, Tourism, Information Technology, and Arts and Sciences. Starting school year 2018-2019, Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering was added to its roster of degree course offerings. Accreditation to operate basic education level from preparatory to senior high school were likewise granted by the government.
Postgraduate The school was granted full autonomy to operate Master of Business Administration and Master of Arts in Education by the government in 1993 and 1995 respectively, independent of Divine Word College of Calapan. The school also offers a doctorate degree in Philosophy as an extension of Divine Word College of Calapan (DWCC) Graduate School.
Graduate Course Founded Dean Notes Master in Business Administration M.B.A. 1993 Rev. Fr. Joel Sagdullas Prof. Maybelle Paulino Master of Arts in Education M.A.Ed. 1995 M.A. Major in Administration and Supervision M.S.Ed. Major in Science Education Doctor of Philosophy Ph.D. Major in Educational Management 1997 Dr. Corazon S. Morilla
Undergraduate The Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering is offered through an extension program by Divine Word College of Calapan Department of Engineering. The school also offers a non-diploma program for foreign language studies through its International Language Center, including several European (Spanish, French, Italian) and Asian (Mandarin Chinese) language courses that started in 2016.