Colegio de San Lorenzo announced on the school’s Freshman orientation day, August 15, that it will cease operations due to “financial instability” and low enrollment rate for upcoming academic year 2022-2023. CDSL might face legal charges due to possible elements of deceit, according to the Commission on Higher Education.

A social media frenzy ensued when Facebook images of stunned parents and students gathered on the school grounds went viral.
© CDSL – Communication Arts,  August 15,  2022

Is this a simple management issue? Or is there some truth to rumors of anomalies in the said institution? What happened to Colegio De San Lorenzo? What will happen to the students of Colegio De San Lorenzo?

The facts:

Colegio De San Lorenzo acknowledged that “financial instability and lack of financial viability” led the Board of Trustees to authorize the school’s closure.

“While students have already enrolled for the upcoming school year 2022-2023, it would be difficult for [the] college to continue operating due to the low turnout of enrollees this year,” the college said in a statement on social media.

According to the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines, at least 10 Catholic schools across the nation have temporarily shuttered because of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Jose Allan Arellano, Executive Director of the CEAP, spoke with DZMM. Arellano would not disclose the names of the nine other Catholic schools. Still, he did indicate that most of them are located in the regions, mainly in Central Luzon, some in the Visayas, and one in Mindanao.

“The pandemic had a huge impact on enrollees in many private schools because most of the students’ parents are jobless and therefore could not pay tuition. That was also one of the reasons for the College of the Holy Spirit (for its closure).”

WHY IS COLEGIO DE SAN LORENZO DIFFERENT FROM THE OTHER CASES OF SCHOOL CLOSURE?

The 109-year-old College of the Holy Spirit Manila decided to cease its operation permanently. Although the institution did not state the reason, it announced the decision two years before its actualization.

In a statement from November 22, 2020, the school said it would close at the end of 2021–2022.

On August 10, CDSL was still able to present a timetable of orientation for the students who had recently enrolled.

However, in the eve of August 12, CDSL posted an announcement for the change of schedule and asked the students to bring a parent or guardian to accompany them to the assembly.

It has come to light that what was supposed to be an orientation for new students was a mass assembly during which the decision to close the school was announced.

© Jomarie Corro-Reyes

A student posted a photo of what seemed to be an assembly for the public announcement of CDSL’s “abrupt” decision to permanently close.

A student was seen wearing his school uniform on his first day of class as a graduating 4th-year student.
© from Jomarie Corro-Reyes.

The news shocked the Department of Education and the Commission on Higher Education. According to the DepEd’s spokesperson Michael Poa, they were not informed by CDSL until last week of their decision to close.

“Wala pong binigay na any formal communication sa amin regarding their intention to close. Kahapon lang din po namin nalaman noong pumutok na ‘yung balita na they were closing,” Poa said.

“As per our protocols, The DepEd will only issue an acknowledgment of closure once we are assured that the transfer credentials of the affected students are processed and released by the school,” he added.

“They already accepted tuition fees and then arbitrarily decided they will not open. So there is a certain element of maybe deceit, because as far as the commission is concerned, once you accept tuition fees, that is already a contractual agreement between you and the student that you will provide education in exchange for the fees that are paid,” CHED chairperson Prospero de Vera III said.

IS IT LEGAL?

The manual says closures must be justified and implemented after the academic year, not in the beginning. The institution must also notify CHED before the closure and help affected students transfer to other schools.

However, the manual doesn’t say how long parents and pupils should be notified before the shutdown.

Screenshot of the statement from Memorandum Order No. 40 Series of 2008.

The issue was also picked up by the Quezon City Legal Department Head Orlando Casimiro.

“Aside from being unfair, that’s very unusual that you’re scheduled to hold your first day of classes and then you announce that the school is closing. There’s something we need to find out,” Casimiro said in a TV interview.

Casimiro then assured that without a doubt, there would be legal challenges to be confronted by the school administrators, along with those who are supposed to be held guilty.

In conclusion, an investigation will be conducted into the legal liabilities of Colegio de San Lorenzo as a result of the very sudden termination of its operations.

On August 16, the school announced the refunding process they claimed the following day. To the parents’ surprise, they were given a ‘waiver’ to be signed that states that they can not pursue any claims after they receive the tuition.

Circulating on the internet is a photo of a parent of an attending student of Colegio de San Lorenzo who refuses to sign the release form that the school has given them.
© Noy Mocoso of Inquirer.net

After drawing flak from the netizens, CDSL quickly revoked the waiver and uploaded a memo that no longer required the signature.

In addition to students and parents, members of the college faculty also voiced their displeasure with the issue’s management.

“We are victims too,” Jomarie Corro-Reyes said in her post.

“Today, we learned a truth but not the whole truth. We still don’t have all the facts, and everybody is still hurting. What I’m trying to say is…we’re not complicit in this deception. All faculty, all staff, and all offices were hung out to dry. In short, iniwan sa ere. No words can describe how we’re feeling,” Corro-Reyes emphasized.

Parents and students who attended the assembly were only faced with the lawyers who represented the position of Rina Monique Balgan-Garcia, the school’s president.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THE STUDENTS OF COLEGIO DE SAN LORENZO?

No appeasing maneuver by CDSL can compensate for the loss of parents’ and students’ respect in the institution. Consequently, other universities have offered to accept CDSL’s students due to the school’s plan to shut down. The following schools include (as of Thursday, August 18):

Acelina School, Incorporated;
College of St. Catherine Quezon City;
Informatics Philippines;
National University Nazareth School;
Philippine Women’s University Jose Abad Santos Memorial School;
San Sebastian College-Recoletos (Manila);
Thames International School;
Trinity University of Asia (TUA);
University of Santo Tomas (UST) Angelicum College;
University of the East (UE), Caloocan and Manila;
Villagers Montessori College.

As of August 19, the assets of the now-defunct CDSL are not up for sale, and the school is only looking for investors who are willing to take in its students and personnel, according to a representative of the school.

“Earlier, since I was only informed of the mayor’s statements lately, I confirmed this to the owner, and the owner said that the school is not for sale and is only looking for investors, preferably a school to absorb the students and employees,” R.J. Taganas said over Teleradyo on Friday.

Quezon City’s Mayor, Joy Belmonte, on the other hand, previously revealed that the school’s properties were for sale in a News One interview on Tuesday.

Reporters are trying to reach out to the school’s president, but there is no response as of press time.

THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY.