St. Mary's Academy

St. Mary's Academy in Bacolor, Pampanga traces its roots to 1919, when Rev. Fr. Pedro Santos founded the Bacolor Catholic School to provide free education to local children. In 1922 the school was turned over to Benedictine Sisters from St. Scholastica's College in Manila and renamed St. Mary's Academy; by 1946 it served kindergarten and elementary pupils, with about a third of its roughly 300 students receiving free tuition. The Benedictine sisters administered the school for nearly seventy years. During World War II the campus was heavily damaged and used as a headquarters by American forces. The June 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo devastated the original Bacolor campus, and the school's relocated site in nearby Cabalantian was itself buried by lahar later that year. On May 6, 1992, the Benedictine sisters turned over administration of the school to the Archdiocese of San Fernando, which has run it since. Notable alumni include cardiologist Dr. Mariano Alimurung.