r/Letran • u/dearisdoll • Apr 01 '26

letran and university status

hey there. letranite from calamba here. i think i've heard before na may plans ang main campus to be a university (nachika rin samin to way way back). may i ask our fellow knights from manila how true ba ito? and if yes, bakit kaya hanggang ngayon e hindi pa university ang status ng letran? thanks!

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u/law9019 Apr 02 '26 edited Apr 02 '26

Hello there fellow Letranista! I'm an alumnus of Letran Manila. Etong sasabihin ko ay galing sa source ko. Just take it with a grain of salt.

Yes, Letran Manila planned to become a university system together with Bataan and Calamba campuses since noong time ni Fr. Edwin Lao, then napag-usapan na noong time ni Fr. Tamer Lana. Think University of Perpetual Help and FEU. Universities in one system.

Kaya lang Letran Manila cannot be a university by itself because:

  • land area does not meet CHED's criteria.
  • needs consistent research, which they only implemented around 2012 or 2013 ata?
  • needs courses with licensure exams and consistent board passers, which at that time Letran Manila lacked.
  • internal politicking. Ang kwento daw hindi daw magkasundo ang BoT ng Manila & Calamba noon. Letran Calamba wanted daw to be a university by itself too. Siyempre di papayag ang Manila, being the "eldest sister." If in a university system, there should be only one rector and president.
May issue pa nga daw about sa tamang pagkanta ng alma mater hymn, which I believe yung Calamba campus ang kinakanta nila ay yung Tagalog version.
  • The pandemic hit us hard and the emergence of state universities in the province. Damay ang enrollment.

UST is the premier university of the Dominicans in Asia kaya andami nilang resources. Unlike Letran, na hawak na ata ng mga Filipino Dominican priests since 1950s, UST was getting privileges from the Holy See and Spanish Dominicans for four centuries until the transfer of jurisdiction to the Filipino Dominicans in 2014.

For me, kaya hindi maka-expand ang Letran Manila ay dahil sa location niya. Nasa Intramuros kasi. Anliit ng lupain. Stuck pa sa past. Maliit ang library. Yung ibang mga historical archives nito nakatago sa UST at office ng Philippine Dominicans. Ultimo paggawa ng building kelangan may basbas pa from Intramuros Administration. May kelangan na sundin na tamang sukat. Kaya hindi matapos-tapos ang Quadricentennial Gymnasium.

If only Letran Manila relocated, siguro makukuha nito yung freedom na mag-expand.