About ABC
The Founder
The Great Plebeian, Andres Bonifacio, and Amando B. Amatong had something in common. Both were not strangers to poverty. However, this did not deter them from serving their country well even if government poverty alleviation was never heard of then.
Inspired by the life of the revolutionary hero and challenged by his own life story, Amando Borja Amatong founded the Andres Bonifacio Institute in 1940. The prime purpose was to provide accessible, affordable, and quality education to the people of Zamboanga in particular, and Mindanao in general. Where there was pitch-darkness of ignorance and deprivation, there the institute was founded upon a rock of commitment and courage.
This son of a fisherman, farmer, and tuba gatherer, dared… worked hard to finish his elementary grades at a public school in Dalaguete, Cebu, where he was born. He finished his secondary education as a government pensionado at the Philippine Normal School, Manila at the ripe age of 24.
As a condition for his free education, he served as a classroom teacher in Carcar, Cebu. Later, he continued teaching in Manicahan, Zamboanga City. Determined to earn a college degree, he went back to school at the Jose Rizal College (now Jose Rizal University, Mandaluyong City), where he obtained his Bachelor of Commerce degree.
After his graduation, he went back to teaching. He was appointed school supervisor for the districts of Dipolog and Katipunan (Zamboanga del Norte). Then, the American Superintendent held office in Zamboanga City, the capital of the Moro Province.
In 1927, he met Felicidad Mabanag Sybico, “Manag Edad” for short, a pragmatic and industrious woman of Chinese paternal descent. She later played a very important role in the arduous task in the growth and development of the school.
The Family
After the death of the founder during the Second World War on April 22, 1943, “Manag Edad” took it upon herself to raise her eight children and to pursue the founder’s vision of a pioneering private school in the island of Mindanao. She took up from where her husband left off with the same, if not more vigor and commitment.
The citation in a national award by the National Federation of Women’s Club of the Philippines on Felicidad Viuda de Amatong as Outstanding Mother of 1986 reads: “A mother deserving to be honored and extolled is Felicidad Viuda de Amatong, widow of Amando B. Amatong. Upon the death of her husband, she had surmounted financial difficulties alone, with her children. With loadsfrom relatives, she managed to re-open the Andres Bonifacio institute after the Second World War, the only legacy left by her husband. With great sacrifice, self-denial and self-discipline, she was able to send all her eight children to college despite her meager income. She practically devoted all her waking hours not only in bringing up her children but also in making the institute grow. Her reputation for honesty and frugality, and her dedication to work, have become almost a legend in the community.”
Felicidad Amatong imbibed the indomitable spirit of developing people who were empowered through education in her humble home. She inculcated in her eight minor children the love for work, knowledge and learning. From her household, her tireless efforts cascaded to the school of her affection, the Andres Bonifacio College, reputed to be the “pioneer builder of leaders.”
By way of teaching by example, and prospectively, she raised her children who could be role models for self-disciplined and purposeful lives.
The Andres Bonifacio College and its Challenges
Struggles and Successes
Sadly, the teacher-founder who had dreamt “dreams” and had worked hard “with feet on the ground” did not survive to see his humble vocational institute grow into today’s “Pioneer Builder of Leaders”.
But the Andres Bonifacio Institute had to persist. “The show must go on”, so to say. Amando’s younger brother Silverio assumed as President and Professor Salvador Fangon from U.P. helped maintain a rigorous academic standard. In time, each of the eight Amatong children provided his/her own individual contributions to the realization of their father’s vision. To this day the Amatong family remains passionately committed to providing quality, nationalist education to the youth of Zamboanga del Norte and Mindanao.
The journey has been long and winding for the Andres Bonifacio Col-lege. Since its inception, the College has gone through a World War, two fires that seriously impaired its facilities, the dark decades of Martial Law and, yes, the euphoric birth of the People Power. Notwithstanding the ups and downs, the College has continued to stand like a tempered steel and to evolve closer to the founder’s vision-thanks to the loyalty and dedication of its administration, faculty, staff and studentry.
Through tears and laughter, trials and tribulations, the Andres Bonifacio College has its own worthy milestones. It produced its first high school graduates in April 1947, Associate in Arts and Elementary Teachers Certificate graduates in 1948, Bachelor of Secondary Education in 1950, Bachelor of Arts in 1952, Bachelor of Laws in 1953, Bachelor of Science in Commerce in 1954, Surveying in 1960, Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering in 1972, Bachelor of Science in Geodetic Engineering in 1974, Vocational Technical Institute in 1975, Bachelor of Science in Agriculture and Bach-tion and Master of Arts in Teaching Elementary Agriculture graduates in 1981.
All five of the College’s first law graduates passed the Bar Examinations in 1953; its first and lone Commerce graduate topped (10th) the Certified Public Accountants’ Board Examination in 1957. Its first Surveying graduates passed the Private Land Surveyors’ Examination in 1961; the first Civil Engineering graduates passed the Civil Engineering Board Examination in 1972; the first Geodetic Engineering Board Examination in 1974; and, its first Social Work graduates passed the Social Work Board Examination in 1981.
Over the years, this College has produced quality graduates, many of whom topped the board examinations in various courses:
Mr. Romulo Canin 10th placer, 1957 CPA Exams
Engr. Cesar Saveron 1st placer, 1976 GE Exams
Atty. Leo G. Lim 11th placer, 1976 BAR Exams
Engr. Salvador Robles 9th placer, 1978 CE Exams
Atty. Sylvette Sybico 18th placer, 1978 CE Exams
Mr. Joselito C. Baldamor 6th placer, 1991 CRIM Exams
Engr. Rubi K. Guldam 3rd placer, 1992 GE Exams
Engr. Estebmart R. Geyrozaga 4th placer, 1992 GE Exams
Engr. Romelito R. Jauculan 5th placer, 1992 GE Exams
Engr. Jessica R. Ladera 12th placer, 1992 GE Exams
Atty. Elner B. Jamolod 13th placer, 1995 BAR Exams
Engr. Belen T. James 1st placer, 1997 GE Exams
Engr. Elsie M. Polinar 8th placer, 1998 GE Exams
Engr. Christopher G. Cachin 3rd placer, 1999 GE Exams
Engr. Ferbon C. Enero 4th placer, 1999 GE Exams
Engr. Jose Roe T. Bael 6th placer, 2000 CE Exams
Mr. Joel Epat 5th placer, 2000 LET Exams
Ms. Cherry Mae A. Baquilan 5th placer, 2006 LET Exams
Ms. Glyna J. Acenas 9th placer, 2007 LET Exams
Engr. Renante G. Calago 4th placer, 2008 ME Exams
Engr. Clynt G. Bulosan 4th placer, 2022 ME Exams
Throughout its over 60 years of service to the community, the Andres Bonifacio College has produced not only quality graduates fully equipped to meet employment and development opportunities but also topnotchers in various courses, be they Law, Accountancy, Geodetic or Civil Engineering, Education and Criminology. The Andres Bonifacio College School of Law has been duly recognized by the Supreme Court as among the top 10 law schools nationwide, measured by Bar passing percentage, ranking 5th in 1996 and 7th in 1999.
Now offering over 55 degree and diploma programs, the Andres Bonifacio College continues to expand the number of courses it offers in order to keep abreast with the changing needs of the times. For school year 2002-2003 in particular, the College offered a number of new courses, namely: Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Bachelor of Science in Office Administra-tion, Master of Arts major in Elementary Education, Bachelor of Science in Electronics and Communications Engineering, and Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering.
The College turned out its first batch of nursing graduates in 2006. Twelve (12) of its twenty graduates passed the Nursing Licensure Examinations, registering a 60% passing percentage higher than of the national passing percentage of 49%. In the last Nursing Licensure Examinations 2009), the school registered 89.66% passing percentage, the highest in Region 9 and 10th in the whole country for the 30-99 examinees category.
Lately, the College has inaugurated its modern five-storeyed Science and Technology Building. Currently, construction is ongoing on the seven-storeyed Arts, Graduate School and Professional School Building that will house the administrative offices, the main library, the Graduate School, the School of Law, the School of Business Management Education, the Mini-theater and the Amando B. Amatong Museum and Arts Center.
Most recently, the Andres Bonifacio College has embarked on an ambitious and comprehensive program to upgrade and to modernize its facilities, to continue to develop the skills and expertise of its faculty and staff, and to provide new and better opportunities for its students. At the heart of this expansion and development lies the deeply rooted commitment to the ideals of its founder and his goal of providing accessible quality education to the future leaders who should help in the endless task of building the Filipino nation. As ever, the Andres Bonifacio College has remained in the state of continuous becoming.
