Photos of the Batangas Provincial High School [July 1914, BPW Quarterly Bulletin]

These photographs are part of a series showing construction projects undertaken by the Bureau of Public Works during the American colonial era. All photographs have been digitally extracted from the Quarterly Bulletins of the bureau and processed using graphics editing software to improve quality. It goes without saying that the eventual output of each extract was always going to be dependent on the quality of the original scan.

As most readers probably know from Philippine History classes, the promotion of public school education was among the priorities of the American colonial government after it took over from the Spaniards late in the 19^th century. This thrust required the construction of public schools around the Philippines, a task which fell upon the shoulders of the Bureau of Public Works.

Among the buildings constructed by the bureau was the Batangas Provincial High School in the then-town and now city of Batangas. The buildings were described by a Bureau of Public Works report as “of modern construction” and that it was “a credit to the province.” In all, there were three buildings housing the high school proper, the trade school as well as the agricultural and domestic science schools.

The high school building was said to have a total of 14 classrooms, an assembly hall, a library and an office. It was reputed to be “one of the few school buildings in the islands that is large enough to meet all the demands that will likely be made on it for years to come. In 1914, total enrolment was placed as between 500 and 600 students.”

Below, a photo of one of the buildings of the Batangas Provincial High School:

The provincial high school also had athletic grounds with a permanent grandstand. Among its features are “a quarter mile cinder track 20 feet wide, with widened straightaway for sprints; concrete tennis court; a graded baseball diamond so that the boys can play in wet weather; volleyball and basketball grounds; and all the paraphernalia common in America for track and field events.” Below is a photo of the Batangas Provincial High School athletic field:

¹ “Bureau of Public Works Quarterly Bulletin, Volume 2 No. 4,” compiiled by C.A. Tansill, published July 1914 in Manila by the Bureau of Public Works.