Where it all began: the Academy      

                                                                                                                             

         The late Rev. Fr. Teodulo Cajigal, OP, a Spanish Dominican priest who spent the best years of his life in Manaoag and who chose to die and be buried in this rustic and quiet town, used to go around through its small streets distributing candies and coins to little children. That was his way of showing great affection to the people of Manaoag. The people, especially the children loved him dearly in return. Later the good Father Cajigal decided to give the children more than just the perishable candies and coins by providing them with something that will last a lifetime and which would make difference for their future and that of the town: education. It was then that the Academy was born. 

 

         The Collegio de San Juan de Letran-Manaoag (former Our Lady of Manaoag College and Holy Rosary Academy)

was founded in 1940 by Rev. Fr. Teodulo Cajigal, OP with the primary purpose of providing the children of Manaoag with Catholic education. The institution started only as an elementary school. However, when another building was completed in 1949, a complete high school course offering was made possible. The government granted the school official recognition in 1951. In 1952, the first high school commencement exercises were held.

                                                          

The convent of the Dominican Fathers was initially located within the school campus. In 1954, when a new building was completed at the opposite side of the Church, the Convent of the Dominican Fathers was relocated there. The vacancy of the former convent made possible the segregation of the high school building while the latter began to hold their classes in the vacated building.         

 

          Both schools were managed for a decade by Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception assisted by a staff of lay teachers. The Dominican Fathers helped in the teaching of religion and in the religious activities. When the contract with the Franciscan Sisters expired in 1975, the Dominican Daughters of the Immaculate Mother took over the administration of the school. After a year, the DDIM Sisters adopted for the school a non-graded, open system of education patterned after the Angelicum School of Quezon City, another institution run by the Dominican Fathers. 

          In 1982, the Dominican Fathers took over the administration of the school from the Dominican Daughters of the Immaculate Mother. However, due to the growing demands of the apostolate of the Shrine and Parish of Our Lady of Manaoag, the Fathers entrusted the management of the school to the Congregation of Religious Missionaries of Saint Dominic. The Dominican Missionary Sisters began their stint in the Academy in 1993.

 

A leap forward: the College                 

     

          To be of greater service to the local community, the Board of Trustees of the Holy Rosary Academy, with Rev. Fr. Quirico Pedregosa, OP as Chairman, decided in July 2000 to offer collegiate courses in the school. It was also decided on that same date that the name of the institution would be changed to Our Lady of Manaoag College. That very same year, the Provincial Council of the Dominican Province of the Philippines confirmed the decision of the Board of Trustees. These decisions made by the concerned authorities are very well in accord with the original vision of the late Fr. Cajigal to provide educational opportunities that will make a difference for the future of the people of Manaoag and the nearby localities.                                          

         Rev. Fr. Patricio A. Apa, OP, incumbent prior of Our Lady of the Rosary Priory and Sr. Ma. Corazon R. Moraza, OP worked for the approval of the College by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED). In 2001, the Commission on Higher Education granted the institution a permit to offer collegiate courses in the Arts and Humanities, Education, Business and Computer Education.

         Likewise, the Technical Skills Development Authority (TESDA) granted the institution a permit to offer vocational courses such as Computer Programming, Computer Secretarial and Computer Technology. The institution started operating as Our Lady of Manaoag College in June 2001.

Our Lady of Manaoag College was later change to Colegio de San Juan de Letran Manaoag and will to start to operate on second Semester of 2014-2015.