Colegio de San Juan de Letran - Bataan is a private Roman Catholic institution of learning located along Dominican Avenue in Gabon, Abucay, Bataan. Run and administered by priests in the Order of Preachers (the Dominicans), it is considered as the first Catholic tertiary school in the said province. This school is the third campus of Colegio de San Juan de Letran --after its mother school in Intra
muros Manila (1620) and in Calamba Laguna (1979). Rogelio Alarcon, O.P., former rector and president of Colegio de San Juan de Letran in Intramuros, Manila and an alumnus proposed the idea of having another campus in the north. Abucay came into the picture later, after three years in the conceptualization stage. By what could be described as heavenly intercession and providential twists, Abucay was selected. John Lateran, the Board of Colegio de San Juan de Letran and the Council of the Philippine Dominican Province approved the establishment of Letran-Bataan in 1998. Construction started in 2000 in the 15-hectare area, donated by Mayor and Mrs. Liberato Santiago, Mr. Nicanor Soriano and Gov. Leonardo Roman. A breathtaking view of the Manila Bay and the surrounding mountains, including Mt. Samat, envelope the site. One of the main attractions of Letran-Abucay is its relatively undisturbed natural area and environment. Indeed, an ideal place for study. The site was chosen because of the natural character it projects- a plateau. Architect and environmental planner, Yolanda David Reyes incorporated this in the overall design and conceptual master planning of the campus. Preparations for the establishment of the Letran-Bataan spanned over the terms of three Filipino Dominican provincials: Rev. Quirico Pedregosa, O.P., Rev. Ernesto Arceo, O.P. Edmund Nantes, O.P., an alumnus. Edwin Lao, O.P., former rector and president of Letran-Intramuros spearheaded the over-all construction of the building and the formulation of the guiding principles of the institution. The blessing and inauguration on June 4, 2006 coincided with the gathering of the priors and superiors of the Philippine Dominican Province. Bishop Socrates Villegas, D.D., also an alumnus, officiated the Eucharistic celebration and blessing.
