Manila High School - Intramuros
No other public school can be considered more historical than Manila High School.
From her sprung the older high schools we have in Manila today.
High schools which can also boast of having earlier beginnings can trace their
origins back to Manila High School, as in the case of Torres, Arellano, Mapa,
Roxas, Manila Science and Araullo which was one of the earliest names given to
Manila High School.
The original Manila High School was located on the same site where it is
found today, inside the Walled
City or Intramuros,
bastion of Spanish governance. Before the Spanish Army turned it into a
military hospital, the building was used to house Escuela Municipal which was
established through the Ayuntamiento de Mamila. The Escuela Municipal was a
school for girls run by the Sisters of Charity and this was in 1892 four years
before Dr. Jose Rizal was shot in Bagumbayan in 1896. The girls were barely
educated, when also in 1892, the Philippine Revolution broke out and the school
building was turned into a military hospital to service "guardia
civils" hurt in skirmishes with Filipino soldiers.
When the Americans took reigns over the Spanish authorities, the Philippines having been ceded to the US government
when the Spaniards lost their war against the former, The Filipino-American War
ensued in 1898 and again the building was used as a hospital. The American
Forces proved too much for the Filipinos so that relative peace was achieved and
in 1906, the Americans reverted the building to its original use. Thus was
established the first public secondary school in the country and was named Manila High School, right where
the school is located at present, comer Victoria and Muralla Street.
In 1906, when the Americans who did not have much use for a military hospital
having vanguished the ill-equipped Filipino soldiers turned it into a very
first public high school. During the day it was known as Manila
High School but in the evening, it was
the Victoria Night High School.
Increasing enrollment made it necessary to establish more schools. In 1921,
three schools were established and depending where the building was located in
reference to the Pasig River, it was either East, West or North High School
with the name Manila
still attached to it. Manila High School being in the south of the Pasig River
was renamed Manila
South High
School.
In 1930, the four schools were renamed after four famous Filipino jurists. Manila High School
became Araullo High
School while the three were Torres
High School, Arellano
High School and Mapa High School.
At the close of World War II, Araullo High School (Manila South
High School) was ruined
during the bombing of Intramuros. When schools reopened in 1946, Araullo High School occupied Quonset huts in
Singalong with Mr. James P. Bums and Mr. Victor P. Hernandez as principal and
assistant principal respectively. After a short while, Araullo
High School was transferred to Lukban Elementary School
because the Singalong Site was to be reoccupied by the Epifanio delos Santos Elemeirtary
School. Later on, Araullo High School had put up an annex to
accommodate its growing student’ population. Two Butler huts in Mehan Garden
had an initial enrollment of 221 first year students. From Lukban Elementary School,
it occupied the Bordner
Building in Padre Faura.
In 1948, the Mehan Garden Annex of Araullo High School became independent and
was named President
Manuel A
Roxas High
School. Mr. Bums died in the same year and Araullo High School was led by Mr. Hernandez.
Mr. Augusto AIzona became the principal ofRoxas High
School High
School also grew in number and had to establish
annexes of its own. The city government rented 14 rooms in 1949 ftom the FEATI University and this was called the
McArthur Annex. Another annex was opened in Intramuros, right where Escuela
Municipal was once located. In 1953, another annex was added at the National Radio School
in Quiapo called NRS Annex but this was later abandoned in the school year
1957-1958. The acquisition of the Canonigo site in Paco paved the way for a
fourth annex. The Canonigo Annex of Roxas
High School admitted over
1,600 first year students in 1954.
In 1958, the Municipal Board of ManiIa resolved to revive Manila High School.
In this resolution, the Manuel A Roxas High School Annex in Canonigo Paco
became an independent high school retaining the name Manuel Roxas
High School under the
principalship of Mrs. Arsenia de Jesus.
The Roxas High
School annexes in Mehan, FEAT!, and Intramuros became Manila High
School with Mr. Augusto Alzona"as principal.
During Mr. Alzona's administration, he opened a special class for the
exceptionally gifted graduates of Manila's
public elementarys chools. In 1963, this unique class declared its independence
ftom Manila High
School and erected its own building at the site of the
Intramuros Annex of the Manila
High School.
Earlier, in the same year, an impressive million-peso edifice was built for Manila High
School which it occupied for only two years. Manila High
School was asked to give up the new building for
the establishment of the Pamanatasang Lungsod ng Maynila in May 1967.
Manila High School was transferred from the now Pamantasan to a four-story
building which is the present Manila High School while the Manila Science Higb
School were abandoned and only the building in Muralla comer Victoria Sts. was
retained as Manila High School.
In November 1981, there was a move by then Manila Mayor Ramon Bagatsing Sr. to
give the fourth floor of the ManiJa
High School to the
justices of the Court of First Instance. A fire razed the fourth floor of the Manila City
Hall which housed the salas and offices of the
13judges.
Again, the students, parents, teachers and alumni opposed the move. Copies of
the petition were given to the Ministry of Education, Metro Manila Commission,
Western Police District and the press. A telegram was also sent to Gov. Marcos,
who was in New York
at that time. The issue was discussed in newspapers, radio and television. Gov.
Marcos cabled an order to desist any action against Manila High School.
The National Historical Institute declared Manila High School
a historical site and a marker was unveiled on February 26, 1982 by Carlos P.
Romulo.
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