HISTORY OF LCPC

It was the dream of Lipa City Government under the former Mayor Ruben L. Umali to have a government school that could cater to the poor but deserving students. The dream came true with the help of SIPAGLAKAS movement, with one of its goals as quality education. The movement paved the way for the establishment of Lipa City Public College.

The idea was to have an institution to be called Lipa City Public Colleges with three components: a science high school as a feeder school to the country’s engineering and science colleges and universities; a general high school for the students of poblacion so that they would not have to go to far away barangay high schools; a technical vocational school for high school graduates who could not afford the cost of studying at private technical-vocational school.

During the time that the idea was conceived, there were already the Lipa City Science High School and the General High School. What was lacking was the technical-vocational school. For a start, the Science High School offered post-secondary courses: Associate in Computer Science and Office Management with Computer Application. Lipa City Science High School with these post-secondary courses was renamed Lipa City Science and Technology Institute. This institution was integrated with the General High School, thus the name Lipa City Integrated School.

In 1991, Hon. Ralph Recto was elected Congressman of the Fourth District of Batangas to which Lipa City belongs. The Mayor at that time, Mayor Ruben Umali, requested the honorable Congressman for the conversion of Lipa City Integrated School into a state college.

But the legislative process involved in the establishment of a state college is long and tedious. Mayor Umali could not wait any longer because he felt that the poor students who could not pay high tuition fees in private tertiary schools needed the college very badly. He exerted efforts to have a government-run college to serve the poor and deserving students.

On January 1994, a project proposal for the establishment of a Community College was prepared and submitted to Sanguniang Panlungsod of Lipa City. It was at this point that a govern-run college was born. On February 14, 1994, the Sanguniang Panlungsod, through the request of the City Mayor, passed Ordinance No. 04, series of 1994, establishing the Community College of Lipa. On March 14, 1994, another ordinance was approved, Ordinance No. 94-08, amending Ordinance No. 04-94 by changing the term “establishing” to “converting”. Thus, Community College was converted to Lipa City Public Colleges. With special Ordinance No. 04-96, the name Lipa City Public Colleges was changed to Lipa Public College. On June 15, 1998 Special Ordinance No. 13-98 was approved prescribing the rules and regulations for the operation of Lipa City Public College (Charter of LCPC).

            Php 1, 700, 000.00 was appropriated for the initial operation of the college. The legal basis for its operation was secured and CHED approved the college permit in School Year 1994-1995, first semester.

            In 2002, Lipa City Public College is a far cry from the college it used to be in 1994. At present, the college is ably supported by the local government under Hon. Mayor Vilma Santos-Recto. From a single building with four classrooms, there are now additional new buildings: one with twenty (20) classrooms and another one with five (5) classrooms. The old building that used to house the offices of the administrator, the registrar, the administrative officer, the supply custodian, and a room for the faculty members, was converted into a two-storey building with air-conditioned offices. The National Food Authority (NFA) building that was partitioned into 12 classrooms before is now used as gym of the college. All this changes were made possible with the aid and support given by Hon. Vilma Santos-Recto and her husband, Hon. Sen. Ralph G. Recto.

            The College now serves three thousand nine hundred sixty-nine (3969) students coming not only from Lipa City but also from nearby and faraway towns and cities. This is an overwhelming increase in the number of enrollees. The admission of these students is a strong and concrete manifestation of the local government’s concern for them. Such an increase in enrolment indicates the necessity for a free college education; inasmuch as, obviously, more and more students would like to get a degree to have something great for their life in the future.

            Lipa City Public College is committed to the fourfold mission of instruction, research, extension service, and employability.

            With its noble task of serving the economically underprivileged youth with free but high quality education, LCPC is living up its vision, mission and goals.