The College of Saint Lawrence is a private, non-sectarian school that began as Saint Lawrence Academy in 1957 at Borol 1st, Balagtas, Bulacan. The municipality of Balagtas was then one of the fastest developing communities in Bulacan where people were engaged in various industries, such as agriculture, furniture making and livestock raising, which were their prime means of livelihood. For this reason, some of the most prominent local residents in the municipality saw the need for an educational institution for the youth of Balagtas. Hence, under the leadership of Atty. Remigio Kalalang, the first secondary school in the locality was established. Through the combined efforts of Atty. Remigio N. Kalalang, Atty. Ciriaco C. Santos, Mr. Fabian Bautista, Mr. Maximo Reyes, Mrs. Rosario Galvez, Mrs. Placida Yapchiongco and Mrs. Catalina Silverio, a corporation was formed that would conduct and operate the school.

 

Originally, the Saint Lawrence Academy was a simple wooden structure of eight (8) classrooms in a half-hectare site. In its first year, it had one hundred thirty-five (135) students under the tutorship of four (4) teachers and administrators. Under the leadership of Dr. Manuel S. Galvez as Chairman of the Board of Trustees, the school had tremendously increased its enrollment, which had led to the construction of two (2) more buildings in the left and right wing of the original building. After him, his son, Engr. Manuel R. Galvez, Jr., whose notable contribution was establishing the stability of the school organization, later assumed leadership. In just a few years, Saint Lawrence Academy was among the best high schools in Bulacan. Jerry B. Coloma, Jr., a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), took over the helm of management as Chairman of the Board of Trustees, in partnership with his wife, Mercedes S. Coloma, a relative of the Galvezes and daughter of one of the incorporators and previously appointed Treasurer, Atty. Ciriaco C. Santos.

 

As it experienced peace in its labor force and its student population increased due to the offering of quality education at very low tuition fees, the school decided to offer additional programs, particularly in the pre-elementary and elementary levels. It later created academic programs in the college level as well as vocational courses to respond to the needs of those from Balagtas and nearby towns. Thus, on March 15, 1998, under the leadership of its Chairman/President Jerry B. Coloma, Jr., it adopted the name College of Saint Lawrence.

 

For years now, the College of Saint Lawrence continues to grant scholarships to deserving but financially challenged students. Among the benefactors of such financial aid are Cong. Pedro M. Pancho, Arch. Rodolfo de Jesus, Gateway Rural Bank, Atty. Ciriaco Santos, Engr. Manuel R. Galvez, Jr., Samahang Balagtas Eastern USA, Inc., Zambales Rural Bank and Galvez Group of Companies. Among the school’s distinguished alumni are Police Chief Superintendent Pedro Estrella Bulaong (Class 1971, Valedictorian) – District Director of Western Police District, and Benito M. Pacheco – a registered Civil Engineer, Structural Engineer and Professional Engineer in the Philippines, New York, ASEA and APEC; Founding Director of the University of the Philippines (UP) Institute of Civil Engineering (ICE); and awarded as one of the 100 Outstanding Alumni Engineers of UP during the centennial celebration of the UP College of Engineering.