Holy Cross Crusaders
The Cor Jesu College traces its roots to June of 1959 when upon the request of Father Maurice Leveille P.M.E., then parish priest of Digos and on invitation of the late Bishop Clovis Thibault, P.M.E., three Brothers of the Sacred Heart, namely; Br. Jean Paul “Elric” Beaudet, S.C., Br. Clement Tranchemontagne, S.C. and Br. Guillaume McCabe, S.C. took over the management of the 2
20 boys of the Holy Cross Academy of Digos under the administration of the Religious of the Virgin Mary Sisters (RVM). In the administration of the new “Boys’ Department”, the Brothers partnered with six lay collaborators, namely; Mr. Rosalio Deloria, Mr. Diosdado Ypil, Mr. Teodosio Geyrozaga, Mr. Pedro Soriano, Mr. Rogelio Magdayao, and Mr. Alfredo Barrera.
In SY 1960-1961, the Boys’ Department was opened on a new campus. With its incorporation on November 9, 1962, the Boys’ Department became a college institution and was renamed the Holy Cross College of Digos (HCCD), with Fr. Maurice Michaud, P.M.E., as the first Chairman of the Board of Trustees and Br.. Elric Beaudet, S.C. as the first rector. The College offered programs leading to Liberal Arts and Commerce; subsequently, Bachelor of Science in Education, Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education, and a Secretarial Course, a non-degree program, were added. The Elementary Department of the Holy Cross Academy was also placed under the administration of HCCD.
In 1968, HCCD had its second rector when Br. Clement Tranchemontagne, S.C. was appointed by the Board of Trustees. During his tenure, HCCD was granted preliminary accreditation status for its collegiate programs, namely; BSC, AB, BSE and BSEED by the Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities (PAASCU) in December 1971. In the succeeding year, the College Department underwent the PAASCU formal survey and was granted the Level I accreditation status.
HCCD was blessed with another rector in person of Br. Christopher Patenaude, S.C. in 1972. It was also the year when Martial Law was declared in September 1972 which resulted in the suspension of classes. Upon resumption, the enrolment declined considerably. Consequently, the BSE and the BSEED programs were temporarily suspended.
The creation of the Planning and Development Office (PDO) in SY 1972-1973 paved the way for the visit of and tie up with the Fund for Assistance to Private Education (FAPE) in matters of strengthening quality education. In the same year, PAASCU resurveyed the accredited programs of the college for level II.
In 1975, Br. Roger Bouley, S.C. was appointed as rector of the school. During his first year in office, the HCCD Research Center was born. It was designed to complement the needs of the academic departments and the PDO, which was then coordinating and directing the planning activities at all levels. Intensive training sessions for school administrators were conducted. The greatest achievement of the college was the publication of its five-year development plan, entitled “An Educational Blueprint for the Holy Cross College of Digos”.
In 1976, the Community Service and Alumni Affairs Office was established and a full-time Director was appointed. As the center put premium thrust on peoples’ development in the countryside, the center became an institutional center and extended many educational, religious, socio-cultural and recreational projects and services to the needy. The center was complemented by the PDO that developed project proposals for funding. Moreover, Bachelor of Psychology was offered.
The school had its first Filipino president when Br. Raymond D. Legal, S.C., M.A was appointed by the Board of Trustees in 1978. He introduced new programs and services which helped the school attain recognition. During his tenure, he was chosen as one of the Ten Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) of the Philippines.
In SY 1978-79, BSED and BEED Programs were re-opened and Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering (BSCE) was offered to answer the needs of the time. The program has produced topnotchers in the Licensure Examination for Civil Engineers administered by the Philippine Regulation Commission (PRC). Among them was Engr. Hilario T. Alviar who was first placer in the 1995 Licensure Examination.
From 1978-1982 period, the Community Services Center made a headway when it implemented twelve projects and services that benefited a lot of people in the countryside. These included the Mobile Library Services, Kunsulta Program, Mobile Audio-Visual Services, Dressmaking, Tailoring, Embroidery, Livelihood Projects, Machine Shop Training, Automotive Course, Electronics and Health, Nutrition and Family Planning among others.
HCCD ventured on what was taboo for a College at that time when it opened its first business venture in 1980. It took over the management of a Shell Station and subsequently operated a Bookstore in the Poblacion of Digos. In the succeeding years, it expanded its business by opening another gasoline station in Padada, Davao del Sur and in Davao City. A bookstore was also established in Kidapawan City. These bookstores were eventually closed and gasoline stations outside Digos were turned over to other operators after several years of operation.
In SY 1981-82, Bachelor of Laws was offered. The Law School has already produced trial court lawyers, prosecutors and trial court judges. During this year also, Master in Business Administration, a graduate program, was opened as a consortium with Ateneo de Davao University.
Cor Jesians
The dynamism of the institution was expressed by its willingness to undergo an in-depth evaluation of its systems and resources. This gave impetus to the thrusts of the institution, the vision of the founders and the realities of the next millennium. The result of the evaluation facilitated the change of the institution’s corporate name to Cor Jesu College (CJC) in 1982.
In 1984, the Community Services Center, which was affiliated with the Christian Children’s Fund , gave birth to Cor Jesu Children’s Assistance Rehabilitation and Emancipation (CARE) Center. It implemented several projects that benefited a lot of children and families in Digos City and nearby municipalities.
Cor Jesu College had its second Filipino president when Br. Jesus M. Lape, S.C. was appointed by the Board of Trustees in 1985. During his tenure, Vocational Technology was opened. The new department was equipped with new facilities, courtesy of Misereor of Germany. These facilities were augmented by the donation of Mr. Joseph Idzu, a Japanese philanthropist, and other foreign donors. He maintained also a scholarship endowment for students interested to pursue Vocational Technology courses. The new department offered approved TESDA short courses in carpentry, automotive, electrical and driving.
In SY 1987-88, the Midwifery course was offered as a joint project of Cor Jesu College, San Pedro Hospital-Digos, and the Davao del Sur National Hospital. The school produced second and sixteenth placers in Midwifery Licensure Examinations. After 12 years of operation the management decided to suspend offering the Midwifery course in 2000.
The school gained national recognition when Genevieve Marie Brandares was chosen as one of the Ten Outstanding Students of the Philippines (TOSP) in 1989. This was boosted when Aristotle Erasmo won first runner up in the Asian Super Quiz Bee held in Manila in 1991.
After many years, CJC had its first lay top administrator in 1992 when Mr. Rolando A. Fabiaña, M.A. was appointed as Acting President after serving as Vice President and Planning Officer of the College. His appointment was seen as a realization of the spirit of Vatican II empowering the lay in the apostolic works of the Church particularly in the school.
In 1993, the school renamed the Community Service and Alumni Affairs Office to Institute for Community Services and Development (ICSD). In response to the needs of the community, the administration incorporated all services and projects of the center into six programs, namely; Social Welfare and Development, Entrepreneurial and Cooperative Development, Continuing Education/Non-Traditional Education Program, Advocacy, Capability Building program and Spiritual and Values Formation. A year after, the Office got one CIDA-funded project called Craft Village Development Program (CVDP) in partnership with DTI.
In 1990, the High School Boys Department became co-educational. Enrolment surged up significantly. To decongest the main campus, the Grade School Department was transferred to Sto. Rosario, Tres de Mayo in a new campus in January 1993. However in SY 2001-2002, the Elementary Department was returned to the main campus. Both were fused into Basic Education Department.
In 1994-1995, Cor Jesu College got a government recognition to offer its own Graduate Programs in Master in Business Administration, Master in Public Administration and Master of Arts in Education with various majors. The MBA program, a consortium agreement with Ateneo de Davao University, also ceased operation.
The College received its award as 4th placer among colleges and universities offering Library Science Program throughout the Philippines in the three year assessment period from 1995-1998 in the Professional Librarians Licensure Examinations conducted by PRC.
The pervasiveness use of computers as essential tools in government and in business operations led the college to obtain government recognition for Bachelor of Science in Computer Science. It was granted recognition by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) in SY 2000-2001, just in time for the completion of its first batch of BSCS graduates.
In 1997 the management felt the need to fix the date of the school’s celebration of the feast of the Sacred Heart. It was set on the last Friday of June. Since the feast is movable in the calendar of the Church, fixing the date can help in making better preparation for the celebration.
On the other hand, ICSD made an outstanding performance in Craft Village Development Program(CVDP) which was established by the Provincial Small and Medium Enterprises Development Council as Davao del Sur SME Center in 2001. Furthermore starting 2002, ICSD became the service provider of the Department of Education and the government of Australia on Basic Education Assistance for Mindanao (BEAM) projects, namely; Lumads Integrated Formal Education (LIFE), Harnessing Opportunities for Muslim Education (HOME), Providing Educational Access for Cultural Enhancement (PEACE). Presently, ICSD is serving 12 areas in Davao del Sur.
In 2002, the College gained another national recognition when it received an award as 7th placer nationwide for its passing percentage in the November 2002 Professional Librarians’ Board Examination. The award was given by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC).
As the College made an effort to rationalize its major activities, the management decided to move the date of the foundation from February 14 to September 30 every year. This is to coincide with the foundation of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart. The decision took effect in 2004.
In response to corporate needs, the College was re-structured in 2004-2005 paving the way for the creation of the offices of the Vice Presidents for Academic and the Administrative Affairs, the integration of the Institute of Vocational Technology, formerly called the Vocational Technology, with the Engineering Division, and the fusion of the Humanities and Social Science Division with the Teacher Education Division. This was done after the charism seminar-workshops which were the prelude to a reformulation of the new vision and mission statements of the College. Organizational Development (OD) and Appreciative Inquiry (AI) sessions were conducted to make the five-year strategic plan in preparation for the Golden Jubilee in 2009.
Furthermore in 2005-2006, Cor Jesu College offered Practical Nursing, a TESDA-UPTRAS short course, Bachelor of Library and Information Science (BLIS) and Sunday College Program. In SY 2006-2007, the school applied to offer the following programs: Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Bachelor of Science in Information Technology, Bachelor of Science in Information System, Bachelor of Science in Electronics and Communications Engineering, Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering. The applications were approved and offered starting SY 2007-2008
To provide continuing education to personnel, the school sent faculty members to Australia for graduate studies through the Philippine Australia Resource Development Facilities (PAHRDF). Mr. Kirt Anthony Diaz and Mrs. Rubie Gepitulan in 2006; Mrs. Venice Sumlajag and Mrs. Analiza Cerbo in 2007; Engr. Kaiser Lariosa and Mr. Josefino Hapitan in 2008, and Mr. Carlos Carado in 2009.
The College received a distinctive recognition in 2006 when the BSCE Program ranked number 11 in the passing percentage of the Licensure Examination for Civil Engineering among the 170 Engineering schools with 10-25 examinees nationwide conducted by PRC in May 2006. In the same month, the BSA Program ranked number 8 nationwide in the passing percentage of board examination for Certified Public Accountants among the 70 schools with 10-25 examinees. Niezl C. Delica, 2005 graduate was top 18th nationwide.
The ICSD made another impressive performance in the BEAM Access Program. In 2006, it was awarded as the service provider of the BEAM-LIFE access programs in Sito Tambulang, San Isidro, Sat. Maria; Barangay Anonang, Bansalan; and Igpit, Digos City. Furthermore, it was allowed to hold a school ALS-AE class and review. ICSD became a foundation in 2010 with the name CJC-Br. Polycarp Institute for Community Development Foundation.
In the business operation, the College constructed the Sacred Heart Gas Station located at Cogon, Digos City. It was officially operated on March 23, 2007. It is envisioned to provide quality services to the vehicle owners passing the area. The Sacred Heart Gas Station became a corporation
in 2007. It received the Gold Retailer Award in 2008 for attaining the quota.
In school year 2007-2008, the Board of Trustees has appointed Br. Edgardo S. Escuril, SC as new President. With the revision of the articles of incorporation of the College, the corporation has elected lay members in the Board of Trustees. The first elected lay members were Dr. Sergio Opeňa and Ms Nenita Malbas, CPA, MBA. In answer to present needs, the administration initiated re-structuring of the college which eliminated the two vice-presidents.
The school celebrated the Golden Jubilee of its foundation on September 30, 2009 attended by Superior General, Provincial Superior of the New York Province and Superior General of Brothers of the Sacred Heart in India. Among the various activities, it was highlighted by a stage play composed by Br. Carlito Gaspar, CSsR performed by selected brothers, administrators, faculty, staff choreographed by the “Kaliwat Theater Collective.”
With the thrusts of serving the needs of the people of Davao del Sur, Cor Jesu College applied new collegiate programs. In 2009 Bachelor of Science in Accounting Technology (BSAcT), Bachelor of Science in Hotel restaurant Management (BSHRM), and Bachelor of Science in Midwifery (BSW) were offered. The offering of Bachelor of Science in Criminology, Autobody Repairing (NCII), Driving (NC II), Welding (NC II) and Master of Arts in Nursing in consortium with Ateneo De Davao University were also added in June 2010. For the first time, it scheduled evening classes.
To decongest the campus, the Basic Educational Department was moved to a newly bought land by the brothers. Provided with two new buildings for classrooms, another building for administration and students services and additional for a canteen, services are expected to improve providing convenience to all stakeholders.
To address the growing number of college enrolment, Cor Jesu College also constructed a four-storey building last school year 2011-2012. The building is expected to be operational and ready for use by school year 2012-2013.
Today, the obscure walls of the past have paved the way for concrete edifices. From a 1.4-hectare campus, the College now occupies close to 20-hectares of land serving the educational needs of the country through its programs and services. Its dynamic linkages with non-government organizations and government agencies manifest its commitment as the College strives to fulfill its vision, mission and goals. With realistic optimism, it is ever determined to cope with the challenges that loom ahead.