SVD Sister Campus · Est. 1947

Divine Word College of Legazpi

Witness to the Word in the World — Legazpi City, Albay

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+63 52 480 2148 Rizal St. cor. Fr. Bates St., Old Albay District PAASCU Accredited Philippine Central Province, SVD Mon–Fri 8AM–6PM · Sat 8AM–12PM

History

DWCL traces its beginnings to the Liceo de Albay (LDA), a diocesan boys' school founded in 1947 by Fr. Juan Carullo — a retired army chaplain who invested his own retirement savings into building it. The school building stood at the corner of Rizal St. and Maria Clara St. (now Fr. Joseph L. Bates St.) on a lot donated by the Calleja family of Legazpi City.

In 1952, Typhoon Trix devastated the Liceo and left it financially crippled. Bishop Flaviano B. Ariola of the Diocese of Legazpi negotiated the school's transfer to the Society of the Divine Word. Fr. Joseph L. Bates, SVD — using personal funds and donations from family and friends in the US — rebuilt the institution, formally taking over for the school year 1960–1961 and renaming it Divine Word High School.

In 1965, the school achieved college status and was renamed Divine Word College of Legazpi, opening with 239 students in Liberal Arts, Commerce, Education, and Secretarial programs. Grade School followed in 1965 (government recognition 1966) and Pre-School in 1991. In 1978, the Graduate School of Business and Management opened, offering MBA.

Today DWCL operates two campuses — the North Campus on Capt. F. Aquende Drive (Barangay Cruzada) and the South Campus at Rizal & Fr. Bates Streets — serving students from preschool through graduate level. Motto: "Witness to the Word in the World."

Notable Achievements

PAASCU Level II Accreditation for multiple academic units (2003 onwards)
One of 13 charter member-institutions of the Bicol Conference for Higher Education (1980)
Consistent top board exam passers in Engineering, Nursing, and Education licensure exams
Bicolandia's leading SVD institution with a strong alumni network of over 37,000
Two fully operational campuses serving the greater Legazpi City community