First Adventist School in the Philippines Turns 108

Alumni, families, and friends lined the streets of Barangay Bongco, Pototan, Iloilo City, on July 26, 2024, participating in a festive motorcade to commemorate the 108th anniversary of the Adventist Academy-Iloilo's founding. Recognized as the first Adventist school in the Philippines, the academy has long served as a center of influence within the community.

With the theme “Celebrating our Beginnings, Inspiring our Tomorrow,” the event included a special gathering of alumni, rendering special music from batch 2018 and a devotional message led by batch 1982 alumnus and the current Publishing Ministries Director of the Adventist Church in Western Visayas (WVC), Pastor Edwin Gonzaga. 

This recollection highlights the school’s rich history and resilience, forged through the fervent prayers of pioneers committed to advancing Adventist education in the region. This celebration is more than a reunion of alumni and recognition of pioneers; it is an opportunity to reflect on God's tireless providence and guidance over 108 years. It also underscores how the school has become a beacon of hope for thousands of students throughout its history.

Early years of the School
The Adventist Church in the Western Visayas (WVC) was primarily responsible for founding this coeducational boarding school, formerly known as the West Visayan Academy (WVA). It is recognized as the birthplace of Adventist education on the western side of the Philippine archipelago. WVA is considered the oldest Seventh-day Adventist school in the Philippines, having opened a year before the Pasay Church School in Metro Manila in 1917.

In 1912, Elder Elbridge Adams arrived in Iloilo and held a series of cottage meetings at the home of the Savedia family. By the end of these meetings, Juana, a public school teacher, along with several other family members, accepted the Adventist faith.

"Miss Savedia," Elder Adams remarked one day, "there are so many bright, able young people in this area that I am impressed that they should be gathered, educated, and prepared for God's service. And I forecast that if we make a good beginning here in Iloilo, someday there will be hundreds and hundreds of Adventist schools scattered from one end of the Philippines to the other."

On July 31, 1916, the first Seventh-day Adventist school in Iloilo opened its doors. Twenty-two children were enrolled in grades 1-6, with classes initially held on the ground floor of the Savedia home. Later, the school was relocated to Jaro.

The Adventist Academy-Iloilo traces its origins to the Jaro, Iloilo, church school, which opened in 1916 with Juana Savedia as the teacher, and the Sido, Sibalom, Antique church school, which opened in 1920. These two schools merged in 1926, adding the first year of high school (eighth grade) to the curriculum, with P.R. Diaz serving as the first acting principal.

In 1926, the West Visayan Mission, now known as the WV Conference, purchased 108 acres (44 hectares) for a school site at Buenavista, Guimaras Island. The school was subsequently relocated, and in 1930, it began offering the second year of high school. By 1935, with an enrollment of nearly 150 students and a faculty of 10 teachers, the institution had evolved into a four-year academy. During this period, essential infrastructure such as a school road and water systems were established.

World War II brought significant challenges, as the school was completely destroyed. The difficulty of crossing the Guimaras Strait at that time led the West Visayan Conference to sell the school property for 8,000 pesos (then $4,000). The West Visayan Academy operated without interruption until the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

In 1945, after a three-year closure, the West Visayan Academy reopened in Molo, Iloilo City, in a leased apartment for one year, accommodating approximately 250 students under the leadership of Principal Serafin Flores and Treasurer Romulo Ferrer. That year, negotiations began to purchase a 14-hectare site in Zarraga for a permanent school location.

During the 1946–1947 school year, the academy operated in Zarraga in improvised nipa-roofed buildings and an army tent, serving about 200 students. When an attempt to purchase the Zarraga site failed, land was secured from Tirso Jamandre, Sr., an SDA member from the La Paz church. He sold 24.7 acres (10 hectares) located 20 miles (32 kilometers) from Iloilo City and also donated additional land.

Finally, in 1948, AAI permanently settled in its present campus location in Bongco, Pototan, Iloilo. By the 1948–1949 school year, the academy had 380 students and 12 staff members. Despite challenges such as a lack of potable water, a muddy campus, and flooding during the rainy season, the school operated successfully. With funds appropriated by the General Conference and the Far Eastern Division, the school erected an administration building, a dining hall, and two teachers' cottages under the supervision of Romulo Ferrer. Additional buildings and improvements followed.

In the 1949–1950 school year, enrollment reached nearly 500 students from elementary to high school, and the school reported an operating gain of 9,000 pesos. The farm and gardens provided training and employment for students.

In 1971, a new two-story concrete administration building was constructed, replacing the old building. This project was funded through special appropriations from the Far Eastern Division and contributions from the local membership. The West Visayan Academy, as the forerunner of Philippine SDA academies, has significantly impacted the community it serves. Many alumni, trained by dedicated Christian teachers, have become pillars of the Adventist Church.
In recognition of WVA's contributions, the United States-based Alumni Association sponsored a major project to benefit the school. Under the initiative of Dr. Rudy Hilado, Alumni Association president, construction of a new boys' dormitory began in 1989, costing the WVA Alumni Association 2.5 million pesos.

Looking Forward
With over a century of existence, Adventist Academy-Iloilo (AAI) remains a beacon of truth and transformation, aiming to attract truth-seekers and inspire families and communities. The goal of AAI is to restore people to their original image of God as reflected in Jesus Christ, in accordance with the principles of true education. This holistic education, guided by the Holy Spirit, imparts more than academic knowledge, fostering the balanced development of students' spiritual, physical, intellectual, and social-emotional aspects, creating a lifelong impact.

Geric Dela Cruz, Hope Channel Western Visayas

The original version was published in the West Visayan Conference Facebook Page.