Metro Dumaguete College, Inc.

M etro Dumaguete College was founded and owned by Mr. Wilfredo S. Manila and his beloved wife, Dr. Delma P. Manila, who is a degree holder in Doctor of Public Administration (DPA) and a banker. It started on August 13, 2002, as an Internet Café which was established in order to “provide a decent livelihood for my relatives”.

She rented a room at the Gemini Building, Real Street, Dumaguete City, and appointed her sister and a niece to manage it since by then she was still working as the manager of Land Bank of the Philippines, Bacolod Branch.

After a few months of operation, and in consultation with relatives and business and associates, she converted the Internet Café into a 4-WD Computer Training Center, registered it with TESDA, and offers the following short term courses; 2-Mo. Basic Software Operations, 3-Mo. Computer Technician Course, and 2-Mo. Web-Page Design and Animation. When enrollment increases, the Center moved to a bigger place; along Dr. V. Locsin Street, Dumaguete City.

In 2006, Dr. Manila decided to retire from the Land Bank of the Philippines and took over the management of the Training Center. Dr. Manila is not only a banker and financial management expert but also an educator. She always believed in the importance of education as a velocity accelerator that can trigger a positive change in the life of a person. As an educator, she started entertaining the idea of converting the Training Center into a College. She applied for the amendment of the Training Center’s Articles of Incorporation and By-Laws and renamed the school Metro Dumaguete College (MDC). The College was registered as a private, non-stock, non-profit educational institution. Then, the college moved to a new location on the 3rd Floor, NORECO II Building, Real Street, Dumaguete City in February 2007.

On March 2007, the College applied for permits to operate three Four-Year courses under a “ladderized curriculum”, these were the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA), Bachelor of Science in Computer Science (BSCS) and the Bachelor of Science in Information Technology (BSIT). The College also applied for non-degree courses such as the Computer-Based Accountancy, 2-year Associate in Mass Communication, and Finishing Course for Call Center Agents.

In S.Y. 2006-2007, Metro Dumaguete College was able to enroll 395 students. On the 395 students, 100 of them were enrolled in regular courses; while, 295 were enrolled in short term courses. In the same year, MDC applied for additional Four-Year Courses. These courses are Bachelor of Arts Major in Communication; Political Science; Bachelor of Science in Tourism Management; and Bachelor of Science in Travel Management.

The first year of operation proved to be very challenging for MDC administrators, faculty, and students. With prudent financial management, the College was able to acquire additional facilities and gave its teachers a decent pay; while charging the lowest tuition fee among private schools in Dumaguete City.

In S.Y. 2007-2008, enrollment increases from 395 to 461, with 305 students enrolled in short-term courses and the balance of 156 were enrolled in the four-year degree courses.

Additional key personnel and instructors were hired to meet the increasing needs of students. A search for a bigger and permanent school campus was also started.

The search for a bigger campus was realized when in January 2009, the College was able to successfully negotiable a lease agreement with what we now called MDC-Buńao Campus. Today, an administration building, a Computer Training Center, and a five-room school building are now occupied by Short-Term and TESDA funded Vocational-Technical Courses and a Kinder Integrated Development School (KIDS), offering nursery and kindergarten courses.

At the NORECO II Campus, Metro Dumaguete College opened English as a Second Language Department (ESL), offering English Language and Voice Lessons to Foreigners, such as the Koreans, other Asian and European students.

In the course of the change of the Philippine Education curriculum towards K-12, MDC applied from the Department of Education to open for Senior High School. In 2015, the school was given a permit to operate Grade 11 and Grade 12 offering ABM, GAS, and TVL tracks.

The expanding school community needed a much bigger campus, which prompted the administration to look for a bigger and better facility to offer to its patrons. The following year, in 2016, the school moved to its 5,567 square meters new campus at E.J Blanco Drive Ext., Daro, Dumaguete City with three (3) newly built building facilities fully furnished with educational equipment and supplies to their 275 Senior High School students, 160 College students and over 300 TESDA scholars.