Total Development of Man based on FAITH, SCIENCE and VIRTUE

 At the end of the   World War II, at the birth of the Philippines Republic which gained   independence from the United States of America on July 4, 1946, “Republic Academy”   was established in June 1946 as a private high school. It was initially   housed in a rented residential building located at Plaridel Street, in what   was then the Municipality of Angeles, Pampanga.

Republic Academy was   founded by the Hon. Rafael L. Lazatin with the support of his spouse, Loreto   Paras Feliciano.    Hon.  Rafael    L.  Lazatin,   a      prominent  agriculturist  and    industrialist, was a two-term

mayor of Angeles   City, and provincial board member, two-term governor, and Batasang Pambansa   Assemblyman representing the Province of Pampanga. The Founder was aptly   guided by his great faith in the Lord and inspired by his unquenchable desire   to serve the public. He was also driven by the public clamor for quality   education in answer to the pressing need at the time – a school servicing   many adolescents who could not be accommodated at the Pampanga High School,   then the only public high school in the province. A year after the opening of   the high school department, in 1947, the elementary department was also   opened. In the same year, upon the request of parents and students, college   courses were also offered so that high school graduates may continue their

education without   having to go to Manila. Thus was born the “Republic Junior College”. Normal   and Education courses were also offered. In 1949, the education-conscious   masses and the many employees in nearby Clark Air Base requested the opening   of other courses; thus, the College of Commerce and Liberal Arts were opened.   The “Republic Junior College” was given the name “Republic Central Colleges”   with government recognition granted to all of its courses. Heeding the   country’s need for Citizen Army Training, the Reserve Officers Training Corps   (ROTC) was permitted to be organized and function by the Armed Forces of the   Philippines on June 8, 1957. This was the first ROTC unit organized in   Pampanga.

In 1961, right after   her graduation, Victoria Feliciano Lazatin-Angeles, the founder’s only   daughter, joined him in the management of RCC.In the same year, a new teacher   training course, the Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education was formally   opened with government permit and subsequently, with government recognition.   The course took place of the Junior Normal and B.S.E. – Inverted Course for   the preparation of elementary school teachers. The teacher-training courses   then offered were Bachelor Science in Education (B.S.E.) and Bachelor of   Science in Elementary Education (BSEE) whose nomenclature were later changed   to Bachelor in Secondary Education (B.S.Ed.) and Bachelor in Elementary   Education (B.E.Ed.). 

The academic year   1963-1964 saw the opening of additional departments, the Law School and the   Graduate School. Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering was offered in June   1966. Computer Science was added in 1991 and Hotel and Restaurant Management   in 1997. In 2004, RCC was granted a permit by the Commission on Higher   Education to offer Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N) while Government   Recognition was granted in February 2008. From its humble beginning, RCC has   expanded in area with the acquisition of the lots surrounding its campus. In   1969, the eight (8) storey S. Rafael main building was constructed while   extensions thereto were built in 1992 and 2000. By far, gymnasium was also   built in 1985 while the Multi Purpose-Function Hall was built in 1993. With   the demise of the founder in 1993 at the age of 87, Victoria Feliciano   Lazatin-Angeles was installed as RCC’s second President and Chairman of the   Board of Trustees. She is ably assisted by her only brother, the Hon. Carmelo   F. Lazatin, four (4) term congressman of the 1^st District of   Pampanga and three (3) term mayor of Angeles City as Vice Chairman.

In 1996, a two storey   structure was built housing the elementary department. From 2000-2003, RCC   saw the construction of three (3) storey buildings five storey buildings, the   Our Lady of Loreto, Our Lady of Lourdes and Our Lady of Fatima, in place of   the old two (2) storey wooden buildings. Facilities were also modernized to   include speech, computer, nursing skills, physics, chemistry and biology   laboratories. Plans are presently being drawn for the establishment of the   more technologically advanced and expensive RCC Colegio de San Rafael by   academic year 2010 at the 10 hectare RCC campus at McArthur Highway, Baliti,   City of San Fernando, Pampanga. Today, RCC stands loftily in the heart of   Angeles City as the enduring legacy of the founder’s love of his fellowmen   who, given the opportunity can rise to great heights of professional and   personal achievement.