A. Mabini ES History

A. Mabini Elementary School sits in the eastern side of Bacolod City, the City of Smiles. It stands proud and unyielding throughout its almost a millennium of existence. This bastion of public elementary education was the former "Escuela Central de Bacolod" a promising municipality in the late 1800's.

Even as early as 1897, when Bacolod was only "A municipality atop a low hill" elementary education had been foregoing with "cartilla" and "caton" and the baisc arithmetic. Bacolodnons had scattered classrooms with elite "maestros" and "maestras". Excerpts from the "Libro de Actas las Sesiones Celebradas for la Corporacion" dated August 22, 1897, proved that the Municipal Council provided for the building of a government school not withstanding the fact that during those years most schools were mostly privately own or religious schools.

In 1900, the Americans, under the Division Superintendent of Schools, W.A. Wedgworth named it "Bacolod Central School" and had been occupying classroom on the present site of the Bacolod Central Market at Calle Washington, as well as rented entresuelos and camarins, movie house i.e. Rizal Theatre and spare goverment premises (Annex Folio No. 9, January 17, 1909).

The multi-roomed Central School was through the efforts of American Colonial Administration and Prominent local residents.

With the continued shortage of classrooms because of the growing population more "casas" were rented and owners charged their rentals per month. With this, the Municipal Council on their session dated March 31, 1911, resolved to construct immediately the Escuela Central de Bacolod on the newly-bought lot formerly owned by M. Victor Cabiles (Annex page 249), (Concejo de la mesa #193) while its construction was going on, classes was still held in rented places like Rixal Theatre, Houses of Chinese Businessman Cana and Chino Quifia, (Annex page 249, October 21, 1911). "Calle Vasio now Mabini Street, Calle V.L. and Calle Luzuriaga enclose this new site. It was in the opening of school year 1912, 1913 when the new school occupied, this Gabaidon-type school building still stands preserved through the years, and was called Bacolod East Elementary School.

The school served Bacolenos through the years. It had been Bacolod through good times as well as bad times. Bacolod East Elementary School suffered with Bacolenos during Japanese occupation of the city. It was the biggest garison of the Japanese Imperial Army, bearing the painful scars of that war. Until now, the remnants of the Japanese war tank still stands at the northern side of the school. Yet, it also shares joys of the City's famous festival, the Masskara were teachers and pupils always get involved with.

In the late 60's, streets school and even towns were name after Philippine Heroes, thus Bacolod East Elementary School, the Alma Matter of illustrious Bacolenos, was renamed A. Mabini Elementary School. With the upsurge of enrolment in 1979, a sister school was created, the A. Mabini Elementary School II.

A. Mabini Elementary School I and II stood separately for 23 years until June 11, 2003 when a Dep-Ed Regional Memo merged then again as one and was made possible through the joint efforts of Mrs. Mercedita D. Suravilla, Mr. Migue H. Espinosa, principal of AMES I and AMES II, Miss Elisa P. Flaviano, District OIC and Dr. Milagros S. Gonzales, Ph. D., Superintendent of City Schools and through the approval of the Regional Director Atty. Victoriano Tirol, Jr. Ph.D. Ed.d.

Today, A. Mabini Elementary School stands prestigious and proud of its history, upholding an untamished name, as it commitedly hands out its legacy of academic excellence.

From its portraits, thousands of young minds were moulded, were ushered into the world of global competitiveness and world great leaders.

A. Mabini Elementary School will continue to be part of Bacolod's glorious past, it will brace along with Bacolod's vivid present and will always be in concord with the city's quest for a highly technical and competitive future.

Researcher: Miss Enriqueta D. Perolino