Philippine Science High School System

Philippine Science High School
File:Pshssystem logo.png
Information
Type	Public specialized high school
Established	1964
Executive Director	Dr. Larry L. Cabatic (effective September 1, 2014)
Number of students	2,822 (school year 2004-2005)
Campus	Diliman, Quezon City (Main Campus) San Ildefonso, Ilocos Sur (Ilocos Region) Bayombong (Cagayan Valley) Baguio (Cordillera Administrative Region) Clark Freeport Zone (Central Luzon) Batangas City (CALABARZON) Odiongan, Romblon (MIMAROPA) Goa, Camarines Sur (Bicol Region) Iloilo City (Western Visayas) Argao, Cebu (Central Visayas) Palo, Leyte (Eastern Visayas) Dipolog (Zamboanga Peninsula) Baloi, Lanao del Norte (Central Mindanao) Davao City (Southern Mindanao) Koronadal (SOCCSKSARGEN) Butuan (Caraga)
Affiliation	Department of Science and Technology
Website	www.pshs.edu.ph

The Philippine Science High School System is a specialized public high school system in the Philippines that operates as an attached agency of the Philippine Department of Science and Technology. It is considered as the top high school in the Philippines and is viewed to be one of the best in the ASEAN region by 2016.

The PSHS System offers scholarships to Filipino students who are gifted in the sciences and mathematics. Admission to the PSHS is by competitive examination only, and only Filipino citizens are eligible to attend. Graduates of the PSHS are bound by law to major in the pure and applied sciences, mathematics, or engineering upon entering college. The system is known to have a very challenging curriculum which produces the best professionals in the country.

PSHS is known for its active participation in various national and international science, technology, and mathematics competitions such as Sipnayan, Kapnayan, MATHirang MATHibay, Metrobank-MTAP-DepEd Math Challenge, Philippine Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry Olympiads, Australian Mathematics Competition and Australian Chemistry Quiz. Through private funding, students successfully reap awards in international competitions such as the Taiwan International Science and Engineering Fair, Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, International Math Olympiad, International Junior Science Olympiad and International Physics Olympiad.

A movie has also been released in honor of Philippine Science. Entitled "Pisay", the movie has acclaimed not only national recognition but also international recognition as it was sent to the Toronto International Film Festival. "Pisay" was directed by an alumnus of the school, Auraeus Solito, and was nominated for Best Documentary Feature Film at the 2008 Asia Pacific Screen Awards.

Campuses and system organization

Campuses

For 24 years, the PSHS was a single campus located at Agham Road, Diliman, Quezon City where the top 240 examinees in the National Competitive Examination held yearly were accepted as government scholars. All campuses have at most 30 students in each class. However, regional campuses only have three classes in contrast to the main campus which has eight classes per batch. Currently, PSHS has twelve regional campuses in addition to the main campus.

PSHS Main Campus

Campus	Location	Date Founded	Campus Director
Main Campus	Agham Road, Diliman, Quezon City	1964	Mrs. Virginia P. Andres
Southern Mindanao Campus	Davao City, Davao del Sur	July 1988	Mrs. Delia C. Legaspino
Western Visayas Campus	Jaro, Iloilo City	July 1, 1992	Dr. Shena Faith M. Ganela
Eastern Visayas Campus	Palo, Leyte	July 4, 1994	Dr. Reynaldo B. Garnace
Cagayan Valley Campus	Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya	June 1998	Dr. Salvador Romo
Central Mindanao Campus	Nangka, Baloi, Lanao del Norte	July 1998	Engr. Lorvi B. Pagorogon
Bicol Region Campus	Goa, Camarines Sur	July 1998	Dir. Elsie G. Ferrer, MA
Ilocos Region Campus	San Ildefonso, Ilocos Sur	February 6, 2001	Dr. Ronnalee N. Orteza
Central Visayas Campus	Talaytay, Argao, Cebu	May 19, 2005	Dr. Warren Cordeta
Cordillera Administrative Region Campus	Baguio, Benguet	June 22, 2009	Dr. Conrado C. Rotor Jr.
Central Luzon Campus	Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga	June 28, 2009	Directress Lilia Habacon
SOCCSKSARGEN Region Campus	Paraiso, Koronadal, South Cotabato	February 3, 2012 (Founded) June 17, 2013 (Opened)	Dr. Chuchi P. Garganera
Caraga Region Campus	Ampayon, Butuan, Agusan del Norte	2014	Ms. Ruwina S. Gonzaga
CALABARZON Region Campus	Sampaga, Batangas City	2015	Dr. Jose M. Andaya
MIMAROPA Campus	Odiongan, Romblon	To be established	To be announced
Zamboanga Peninsula Campus	Cogon, Dipolog, Zamboanga del Norte	To be established	To be announced

System organization

The Board of Trustees (BOT) is the highest policy making body of the PSHS System. The Executive Committee (ExeCom), composed of the directors of different PSHS campuses, is a collegial body that recommends policies and guidelines for the consideration of the BOT. The Executive Committee is chaired by the Executive Director, which coordinates the implementation of these policies and guidelines. PSHS campuses are headed by directors who are members of the ExeCom.

History

The Philippine Science High School was established through Republic Act 3661, authored by Congressman Virgilio Afable, and signed into law in 1963 by President Diosdado Macapagal. This charter mandates the PSHS “to offer on a free scholarship basis a secondary course with emphasis on subjects pertaining to service with the end in view of preparing its students for a science career”. The school started operations in 1964.

National Scientist Dr. Gregorio Velasquez led the PSHS through its first three years. The campus started in a small rented GSIS-owned property along the Quezon Memorial Circle. In 1970 PSHS started building on a 75,000 square metre lot along Agham Road in Diliman, Quezon City.

By the end of the eighties, PSHS started to spread across the nation. The first regional campuses were built, starting with the Mindanao Campus (now Southern Mindanao Campus), located in Davao City, in 1988.

The PSHS System Law (R.A. 8496) was signed by President Fidel V. Ramos in 1997 that established the PSHS System and unified all the existing campuses into a single system of governance and management. Thus, the PSHS continues fulfilling its mandate “to offer, on a free scholarship basis, a secondary course with special emphasis on subjects pertaining to the sciences, with the end view of preparing its students for a science career”.

Notable alumni

Rafael Consunji, M.D., M.P.H. (Batch 1983): general and trauma surgeon at the Philippine General Hospital with additional training in surgical critical care and public health from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland; Ten Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) Awardee for Community Service and Medicine in 2006; Gawad Lagablab awardee (2008)

Cielito Habito (Batch 1970): former Director General of the National Economic and Development Authority

Joseph Emilio Abaya (Batch 1983); Former Congressman, 1st district of Cavite, Secretary, Department of Transportation and Communication

Hermogenes Esperon (Batch 1970): General; Chief of Staff, Armed Forces of the Philippines

Vicky Tauli-Corpuz (Batch 1969): Indigenous People's rights advocate; Chair, United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues

Anna Bayle (Batch 1974): entrepreneur and Asia's first international supermodel

Atom Araullo (Batch 2000): television host, reporter and newscaster of ABS-CBN

Auraeus Solito (aka Kanakan Balintagos) (Batch 1986): filmmaker, director of the internationally acclaimed "Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros", "Tuli", "Pisay", "Busong: Palawan Fate", and "Baybayin: The Palawan Script"

Butch Dalisay (Batch 1971-A): writer, editor, columnist, Palanca awardee

Jessica Zafra (Batch 1982): fiction writer, columnist, editor, publisher, former television and radio show host, Palanca awardee Nestor Jardin (Batch 1969): President of the Cultural Center of the Philippines

Richard Paras (Batch 1999): Pinoy Big Brother Contestant

External links

• PSHS System official website
• PSHS Foundation, Inc.
• PSHS National Alumni Association
• A high-yield public investment - Inquirer Business article by Cielito Habito