Institutional and Community History

In answer to the clamor of the Tuburanons to have a Catholic school in the parish, His Eminence, Julio Cardinal Rosales, established St. Anthony’s Academy of Tuburan (SAAT) in 1964. Rev. M. Ma. Ignacia Magdalena, RVM, then Superior General, made this possible through the acceptance of the Religious of the Virgin Mary (RVM) Congregation. The first building was blessed on July 18, 1964, with Mrs. Guadalupe Montecillo, wife of the Mayor, Honorable Jesus Montecillo, who assisted in the ribbon cutting.

First and Second Year classes were opened in 1964. Third Year was opened in 1965 followed by the Fourth Year in 1966. In 1967, government recognition was granted and 27 students received their diplomas as the first batch of graduates. Enrolment was 253. The first Superior of SAAT was S. Ma. Rebecca Kuinisala and the first Principal was S. Ma. Teresa Duque, RVM. The first teachers were Miss Aniceta Tabotabo and Mr. Florentino Bandiola. After them were an array of Sisters, faculty and staff who came one after the other to mold those who sought Catholic education offered by the school. Worth mentioning, however, were Mr. Restituto Arias, who started in 1970 and never left the school until he died in 1991 and Mr. Daniel Omnus the maintenance staff who retired after 30 years of service in 2001.

All through the years, the school battled between financial crisis and giving quality education. However, despite odds and problems due to low enrollment, the school stood firm in its avowed mission to win souls for Christ while giving the best it could offer. This was made possible through the assistance of loyal parents, alumni, teachers, friends, civic-spirited Tuburanons and benefactors in the acquisition of books and references, audio-visual materials and laboratory apparatus, athletic equipments and their unstinted support in all projects and activities. Because of them and the dedicated faculty, the school topped the CAT-1 Tactical Inspection in 1978, the flagpole was constructed in 1982 and enrollment increased in 1989 which resulted in the construction of the one-story building called Our Lady’s Hall. These achievements added significance to the Silver Jubilee celebration in 1989 S. Ma. Mayflor Saluba, RVM was Principal.

In 1992, the school fence which was constructed with the help of the PTA was destroyed by typhoon Rufing, but was again reconstructed. In 1994, the Mother Ignacia building (Sisters’ Dormitory) was built with the Computer and Vocational-Technical rooms in the first floor. Computer literacy was opened in 1995 with the assistance of M-SET. Videocassettes, tapes and slides were acquired to upgrade the Science and Technology Curriculum. Again, typhoon Pepang was a catastrophe that devastated the library and the newly constructed fence. The enrollment also dropped from more than 600 to 500 due to the opening of public schools in the vicinity. Such trend continued every year since then because of the free public education offered by DECS.

God’s goodness cannot be outdone. Inspite of the dwindling enrolment the school was able to survive due to the subsidy given by the RVM congregation and the grant given by the government to poor but deserving students, the ESCS or Educational Students’ Contracting Scheme.

In February 2003, the stage was renovated and during the succeeding months, the Sisters’ convent was restructured. The H.E. room has become the Sisters’ refectory to have a larger space for the chapel. Also, the Computer Laboratory, Faculty Room, Girls’ CR and the CL Office were renovated. New computer tables were made. In August 2003, the old dilapidated convent was demolished and was replaced with a one-storey concrete building to house the lay partners and boarders and offices of the Guidance, Discipline and Student Activity Coordinators. It took more than a year before the building was completed due to lack of funds. During the middle of the school year of 2004-2005, the Principal’s Office and the newly-constructed building were infested with termites. This prompted the Sisters to have the said buildings treated first for it would require some amount of funds for the treatment of the whole compound. S. Ma. Rodina M. Bongoc, RVM, the Principal, occupied part of the Guidance Office while the repair was being done.

Ruby Jubilee was celebrated from December 2003-December 2004 headed by the Alumni President, Dr. Ma. Regina Lucia Monsanto and the Sisters. This was attended by the alumni, some of those came from abroad. It was during this period when the thought of having a project through the construction of a covered court came up. And so fund raising was started to materialize that dream.

In the year that followed, SAA availed of the internet served by CBCP and so the internet café was built adjoining the computer laboratory. This was made available to the students as well as to the outsiders who wanted to avail of its services until nine in the evening.

The visit of the RVM Visayas’ Schools Superintendent, S. Ma. Rufina Guillano, RVM and the DECS representatives highlighted areas that need to be improved aside from instruction. Consequently, in April 2005 and September 2005 the library and laboratory were renovated. Also the roofing of the faculty room and the adjoining classroom was repaired; the TLE Laboratory was improved to provide a bedroom and kitchen sink.

In May 2006, the government added another form of subsidy through FAPE called EVS or Educational Voucher System which is almost similar to ESC. Due to the limited time, only few were able to enjoy the said grant.

Also in 2006, the updated registration with Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) officially named the school as ST. ANTHONY’S ACADEMY OF TUBURAN, INC. from ST. ANTHONY ACADEMY.

During the school year 2006-2007, S. Ma. Ceferina Bodiongan, RVM, the new Regional Superior, requested S. Ma. Virginia Lape, RVM, the Local Superior of SAAT to make a proposal for construction after seeing its need during the Board of Trustees meeting early that school year. M. Ma. Evelyn Aguilar, RVM and her Council granted the proposal for construction of the covered court and major renovations of some areas of the school. The construction started on April 10, 2007.

With the construction major relocation and restructuring of offices and instructional facilities were undertaken. The old library was made into two classrooms for the Fourth Year students. Floors of the three-story building were tiled including the lobby of the annex building. A covered court was built at a strategic area of the campus grounds. The main gate was relocated to clear the entrance to the campus and a guard house was built close to it. The problem of grounded electrical outlets and wirings in the computer laboratory was solved when it underwent re-wiring. To stabilize the voltage of all electrical needs, a transformer device was installed for SAAT use alone. The deep well that was excavated in the process of the construction work supplied majority of the water consumption of the campus with the help of a pressure tank.

The Administrators worked hard to make St. Anthony’s Academy of Tuburan a conducive place for learning. S. Ma. Leah Zozobrado, RVM served the school as Principal from SY 2008-2009 to SY 2014-2015. On July 16, 2014 SAAT underwent its first FAPE (ESC) Certification Visit.

In SY 2015-2016 St. Anthony’s Academy of Tuburan was twined with St. Mary’s Academy of San Nicolas, Cebu City under the leadership of S. Ma. Fe Lagarto, RVM, the RVM Schools’ Superintendent in the Visayas, as School Directress. During that time, the school prepared for the roll-out of the Senior High School (SHS) as part of the K to 12 Curriculum implementation. The twinning of schools made possible the comprehensive improvement of the school system, policies and procedures as well as sharing of human and material resources of the SAAT and SMASN.

SAAT obtained government permit to offer Academic Track and Tech Voc Track. For the Academic Track, the school offered General Academic Strand (GAS) and Accountancy, Business and Management (ABM) and the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for the TVL Track when SHS opened in SY 2016-2017 with S. Ma. Zenaida Mayola, RVM, Superior, S. Ma. Gilda Valmoria, RVM, Principal and S. Ma. Erlinda Cruz, RVM, Christian Formation Coordinator as school administrators. Though closely monitored by the RVM Superintendent, SAAT ceased to be a twinned school with the presence of its own Principal and the designation of a lay Academic Coordinator, Mr. Eric Broniola. The school held its end of school year ceremonies as mandated by the Department of Education namely Completion Rites for Grade 10. The schools 85 Grade 10 students became the first batch of Grade 10 Completers under the K to 12 Program.

School Year 2017-2018 saw the dawning of an innovation in the RVM Education Ministry to meet the many needs of the schools for qualified administrators – the clustering of schools under one Cluster Directress. Though SAAT was not placed under a clustering, the school community was oriented on the changes in the RVM Education Ministry.

In SY 2017-2018 S. Ma. Vivien Ribot, RVM took over the post of the Christian Formation Coordinator. It is in this school year that the first batch of 76 Senior High School students graduated in Grade 12, completing the K to 12 transition.

In SY 2018-2019, S. Ma. Vivien Ribot, RVM was designated as Principal and St. Anthony’s Academy of Tuburan was included in the Basic Education Cluster with Saint Mary’s Academy of Capiz, Roxas City and St. Mary’s Academy of San Nicolas, Cebu City under the Cluster Directress S. Ma. Remy M. Villaraiz, RVM who is also the Education Ministry Commission (EMC) Member for Basic Education in the Visayas Region. A major decision was made to gradually phase out the SHS offering due to minimal enrolment and lack of qualified teachers that jeopardize the offering of quality service. Grade 11 was officially closed and the last batch of thirty (30) Grade 12 students graduated at the end of the school year.

As St. Anthony’s Academy of Tuburan faced many challenges and new innovations in the changing Philippine educational landscape, it also had its FAPE (ESC) Re-Certification Visit on February 18, 2019. The school received its recertified status for the next 3 years. Instruction was boosted with the strengthened implementation of the RVM Pedagogy and the installation of LED television in all classrooms for interactive learning. Philippine Catholic Schools Standards (PCSS) and RVM Quality Road Map (RVM-QRM) were launched institutionally. The BED Cluster also worked together to have a common Student Handbook revision and ratification. Common Grading and Awards System was also implemented in the clustered schools.

School Year 2019-2020 was an equally challenging school year for St. Anthony’s Academy of Tuburan which has returned to its status as a stand-alone Junior High School. Still belonging to the Basic Education Cluster with Saint Mary’s Academy of Capiz, Roxas City and St. Mary’s Academy of San Nicolas, Cebu City under the leadership of S. Ma. Remy M. Villaraiz, RVM as Cluster Directress and S. Ma. Vivien Ribot, RVM as Principal, SAAT embarked on the journey of evaluating and refining its processes and procedures through the RVM Quality Road Map (RVM-QRM). The school had two (2) internal validation activities within the school year. The 8 Defining Characteristics of the Philippine Catholic Schools Standards was used as guide for reflection and personnel recollection theme for the year. Activities for Justice and Peace, Ecological Integrity, Engaged Citizenship, Poverty Alleviation, Gender and Equality and Youth Empowerment (JEEPGY) were also integrated in the school programs and activities. Robotics was included in the school’s curricular offering for Grade 7 to 10. Talent Enhancement Program was offered to students.

The journey for SY 2019-2020 was cut short by the outbreak of the pandemic SARS-CoV-2 commonly known as COVID-19. Classes were terminated on March 13, 2020 before the final examinations of most students. For the first time the completion rites for Grade 10 was not held. Instead, SAAT prepared a virtual completion rites and recognition activities and posted it on the school’s official Face Book account.

Outward success means rising above past accomplishments to reach new levels of achievements. SAAT is determined to reach new heights as it continues to nurture Faith, build passion for Excellence and develop deep sense of Service.