HISTORY OF CIPRIANO P. PRIMICIAS NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL (FORMERLY ALCALA HIGH SCHOOL)

The invasion of the Philippines by the Japanese Imperial forces in December 1941 disrupted classes in all levels. During the latter part of the Japanese occupation elementary classes were partially resumed. High School students who studied in Lingayen or elsewhere before the war remained out of school.

Disturbed by the thought that the youth of high school age in the town were wasting their time, suffering from mental blackout, Dr. Luis G. Reyes, a pre-war provincial high school teacher in Catbalogan, Samar thought of establishing a Junior High school in the town. With the assistance of the late Don Marcelo de los Santos, who was the time mayor of the town, Dr. Reyes able to get an authority to organize a Municipal High School in Alcala from the Minister of Education, Health and Welfare thru the Division Superintendent of Schools in the province on August 14, 1944.

The Junior High School, which one of the first Municipal High School opened in Pangasinan, was temporarily quartered in one of the rooms of the Gabaldon Building of the Alcala Central School and later on was transferred to the pre-war PTA building of the same school. The landing of the American forces in Lingayen on December 31, 1944 forced the temporary closure of the school but classes were resumed on February 1, 1945.

When peace and order was restored after the war in 1945, enrollment in both schools – the Alcala Central School and the Municipal High School- increased, making it difficult for both schools to stay together. An arrangement was made with the Catholic priest so that the high school was moved to the convent. By that time there was one section in the third year.

In 1946 there was a felt for the school to have its own buildings and grounds. The parents and the teachers form themselves the first PTA organization with Mr. Trigidio Cobangbang as the first president. A committee on school site was created. Led by ex-Mayor Ignacio Lorenzo, Mr. Esteban Monegas, PTA treasurer, ex- Vice-Mayor Silvestre Castillo, Mr. Buenaventura Lopez and others, they were able to acquire about 5.5 hectares of coconut and bamboo groove in barrio San Vicente as the school site.

The members of the Municipal Council, headed by Mayor Marcelo de los Santos built one room each. The rooms were built of coconut trunks, bamboo, and “talahib’. That year a strong typhoon destroyed the building. The PTA repaired the damaged building but was destroyed by another typhoon.

With the help of Mr. Emeterio delos Santos, then treasurer of Dagupan City, and Mayor Severo Pascual, units of three-room G.I. surplus building were acquired from the U.S. Army Camp in San Fernando, La Union in 1949. The two units were constructed at the left and right fronts of the school lot. That year, the main building was again destroyed by another strong typhoon. Undaunted, the PTA, led by a new president, Judge Jose L. Collado, Sr., built another one. The new classrooms which were constructed with PTA funds were relatively of better materials – lumber, bamboo and nipa shingles for the roofings. The next year, the Shop and the Home Economics buildings were constructed. In the Agronomy grounds the students and their Agronomy teachers built a garden and poultry houses which were also destroyed by subsequent typhoons and floods.

In 1952, a big break came. A delegation led by Mayor Sotero Abiang and Principal Alfonso R. Lorenzo went to see Senator Cipriano P. Primicias for help. Senator Primicias, who was then the Majority Floor Leader, was only too glad to be of service to his constituents. The good senator caused the appropriation of P60, 000.00 in the National Budget for the Alcala High School. Forty thousand pesos (P40, 000.00) was released in 1954 and out of this fund was constructed the two-story main building. Shortly thereafter, another pork barrel release from Senator Primicias was allotted for the School. The amount was used to construct two concrete comfort rooms.

In response to the clamor of the townspeople, the PTA and the student body to have the name of the school changed, the PTA and the student body to have the name of the school changed, the PTA passed a resolution renaming the school to C. P. Primicias Memorial High School in honor of the man who had done much for it. During one of its sessions, the municipal board discussed the merits and demerits of the PTA resolution and the same was approved. On September 14, 1969, the birth anniversary of the late senator, the school was renamed CIPRIANO P. PRIMICIAS MEMORIAL HIGH SCHOOL with Governor Cipriano P. Primicias, Jr. and Mrs. Nieves Benito Vda. de Primicias heading prominently the guests. Subsequently, the Foundation Day of the School which had been observed on August 14 every year was transferred to September 14.

Upon the retirement of Mr. Alfonso R. Lorenzo in August 1971, the two G.I. surplus buildings have outlived their usefulness. At a time when beauty and cleanliness were given so much stress, the war-time soldiers’ quarters-turned-classrooms were considered obstacles to the school’s effort on beautification. Luckily, with the help of Mayor Cesar B. Mendoza the school was given a Marcos Pre-Feb. in 1972. The G.I. building built in the eastern part was replaced by the new Marcos Pre-Fab. A year later, the PTA led by a new president, Vice Mayor Demetrio Acosta renovated and beautified the PTA building adjacent to the Pre-Fab. In 1974, Gov. Aguedo F. Agbayani thru the representations of Mayor Cesar B. Mendoza and Principal Marcelo C. Publico, released P20, 000.00 for a two-room concrete building. During the inauguration of the said building on June 26, 1974, Gov. Agbayani pledged another P20, 000.00 that was used to construct the Social Hall and the Faculty Room.

The opening of Barangay High Schools in the Provinces brought about a change in the set up of the school. During the school year 1966-1967 Barangay schools were opened in the barrios of Gualsic, Bersamin, Pindangan, and Anulid. Since many if not most of the students who enrolled in these Barangay schools in the barrios annexes. In 1969, annexes were also opened in San Pedro Ili and in San Pedro Apartado. These schools – the Main as well as the five annexes have only one budget and plantilla.

The schools’ curricular offerings has since then been shifted from the General Secondary to the Two-two plan; from the Two-two plan to the Modified Two-two plan to until lately, the Revised Secondary School curriculum. Programming has also been changed from the 40 minute per period to 1 hour. Subsequently, subjects like YDT, CAT – 1, and YCAP were incepted in the school’s curriculum. Since Alcala is basically an Agricultural town, the school’s Practical Arts offering is slanted to Agriculture like Vegetable Gardening, Farm Crop Cultivation and Animal Raising. Studies in the New Constitution, Taxation, and Population Education are also incepted with Social Studies.

From a modest enrolment of one hundred students in 1944 the school with five annexes has to date an enrollment of 1, 383. The members of the faculty have increased from three to forty-five. It is felt that so much remains to be desired but the faculty have high hopes that with the improvement of its facilities, the school will be in a position to be of greater service to the people and the community.

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