Lions, San Sebastian Stags and the Mapua Cardinals, their neighbor in Intramuros. Other Campuses Colegio de San Juan de Letran – Abucay, Bataan Rev. Fr. Rogelio Alarcon, O.P., former rector and president of Colegio de San Juan de Letran in Intramuros, Manila, and an alumnus proposed the idea of having another campus in the north. The province of Bataan was chosen. Initially, two sites in Bataan were presented: Hermosa and Balanga. After three years in the conceptualization stage, a third site, Abucay, was also considered. By what could be described as heavenly intercession and providential twists, Abucay was selected. The community of St. John Lateran, the Board of Colegio de San Juan de Letran and the Council of the Philippine Dominican Province approved the establishment of Letran-Abucay in 1998. Construction started in 2000 in the fifteen-hectare area, donated by Mayor and Mrs. Liberato Santiago, Mr. and Mrs. Nicanor Soriano, and Gov. and Mrs. Leonardo Roman. Views of the Manila Bay and the surrounding mountains, including Mt. Samat, envelope the site. One of the main attractions of Letran-Abucay is its relatively undisturbed natural area and environment. Preparations for the establishment of the Letran-Abucay campus spanned over the terms of three Filipino Dominican provincials: Rev. Fr. Quirico Pedregosa, O.P., Rev. Fr. Ernesto Arceo, O.P. and Rev. Fr. Edmund Nantes, O.P., an alumnus. Rev. Fr. Edwin Lao, O.P., former rector and president of Letran-Intramuros spearheaded the over-all construction of the building and the formulation of the guiding principles of the institution. The blessing and inauguration on June 4, 2006, coincided with the gathering of the priors and superiors of the Philippine Dominican Province. Bishop Socrates Villegas, D.D., also an alumnus, officiated the Eucharistic celebration and blessing. Letran Bataan produced its first batch of graduates in March 2010. Letran Bataan Science High School will open in June 2011. Colegio de San Juan de Letran – Calamba, Laguna When the government declared its policy of decongesting Metro Manila, the Dominican Province of the Philippines instituted long-term plans which included the establishment of an extension school in Laguna. This plan was prepared by the Commission for the Planning of the Ministry of the Word. An 11-hectare tract of land along the foothills of the legendary Mount Makiling in Bucal, Calamba, Laguna, was chosen as the site. The school was founded on March 11, 1979. Rev. Fr. Ramon Salinas, OP was the project director; Rev. Fr. Jesse