Florentino Torres High School, commonly known as Torres High School (THS), is located in Gagalangin, Tondo,

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. It is one of the oldest public schools in

Metro Manila Metropolitan Manila (often shortened as Metro Manila; fil, Kalakhang Maynila), officially the National Capital Region (NCR; fil, link=no, Pambansang Punong Rehiyon), is the seat of government and one of three defined metropolitan areas in ...

History

Founded by James T. Burns in 1925, Florentino Torres High School was originally named Legarda High School. With only three teachers, Burns opened the school to students who were refused admission by the three existing public high schools in Manila. In 1926, the school moved to the Sequoia Building at the foot of Pritil Bridge along Juan Luna Street and was renamed Manila West High School. March 1928 marked the first group of students to graduate from the school as well as the initial appearance of various school clubs and organizations. In 1930, several changes took place under the supervision of Marcelino Bautista, the first Filipino principal, who renamed the four Manila public high schools after the first four Filipino Justices of

the Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

: * Manila West High School became Florentino Torres High School, in honor of Justice

Florentino Torres Florentino Santos Torres (born Florentino Torres y Santos; October 16, 1844 – April 29, 1927) was as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines. Prior to his appointment as an Associate Justice, he was the first Filipino to be ...

, the first Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines. * Manila North High School became Arellano High School, in honor of Justice

Cayetano Arellano Cayetano Simplicio Arellano y Lonzón (March 2, 1847 – December 23, 1920) was the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines under the American Civil Government. Cayetano Arellano had occupied a high position in Aguinaldo's go ...

* Manila South High School became Araullo High School, in honor of Justice Manuel Araullo * Manila East High School became V. Mapa High School, in honor of Justice

Victorino Mapa Victorino Montaño Mapa (February 25, 1855 – April 12, 1927) was an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines and later, as the second Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines under the American colonial Insular G ...

The maiden issue of ''The Torres Torch'', the official school paper, was published in 1930. In 1937, the school formally occupied the

Constabulary Constabulary may have several definitions: *A civil, non-paramilitary (police) force consisting of police officers called constables. This is the usual definition in the United Kingdom, in which all county police forces once bore the title (and som ...

Barracks in Gagalangin, where it is located today. With the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

in 1941, the school ceased operation, and the buildings were redeployed as garrisons. During this period, all school records were destroyed. On July 16, 1945, the school re-opened with Pablo Reyes as principal. On November 24, 1945, the first post-

Liberation Liberation or liberate may refer to: Film and television * ''Liberation'' (film series), a 1970–1971 series about the Great Patriotic War * "Liberation" (''The Flash''), a TV episode * "Liberation" (''K-9''), an episode Gaming * '' Liberati ...

group of 30 students received their diplomas. On October 16, 1953, the school first celebrated its foundation day under Mr. Cesario Bandong as the principal. On the following years, Florentino Torres High School had continued giving quality education to the youth of Manila under Dr. Emiliano Rafael (1968-1972), Mr. Alfonso Asuncion (1973), Mr. Rufino dela Cruz (1974-1976) and Dr. Dominador Wingsing (1977). In 1978, the first female principal came, Mrs. Severa Saldana. She started the open-shelf system in the library to give the students the freedom to learn. She was also the one who headed the repairs of the corridor, school offices, media room and canteen, for the Torresians and teachers to be more persevering and efficient. In addition, many projects were finished under her term, like classrooms and buildings of the Technology and Home Economics department. After Saldana, the next principals who governed FTHS were Dr. Consolacion Domingo (1984), Dr. Florie Balanag (1986-1991), Ms. Adoracion Acuna (1991-1995), Mrs. Norma Escobar (1995-1998), and Mrs. Pilar Pizarro (1998-2001) that were really great principals who brought out the success and progress of the school. Year 2001, when another principal started his term and was in the person of Dr. Romeo Santos, who brought a lot of changes in the school. Dr. Santos was known for his program "Five Senses Approach" in teaching, and also, his untiring supervision of ongoing classes as part of his effective management of the school. The "Open Gate Policy" was also implemented by Dr. Santos to fully organize the class schedule of the students, specially in the lower sections. Year 2003, when the FTHS was chosen by the

Ayala Foundation Ayala Corporation (Spanish: ''Corporación Ayala'', formerly ''Ayala y Compañía'' (Ayala & Company)) is the publicly listed holding company for the diversified interests of the Ayala Group. Founded in the Philippines by Domingo Róxas and A ...

in their project "Adopt-a-School Program" wherein the school received free computer equipment. In addition, Dr. Santos gave more excitement and color for the lives of third and fourth year students when he brought back the Juniors-Seniors Promenade.

Curriculum

Japanese Class

Through the

Department of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...

's "Special Program in Foreign Language" (SPFL) and

The Japan Foundation The was established in 1972 by an Act of the National Diet as a special legal entity to undertake international dissemination of Japanese culture, and became an Independent Administrative Institution under the jurisdiction of the Ministr ...

, Manila, Florentino Torres High School currently offers Japanese classes for students from all year levels. The program focuses on

Japanese language is spoken natively by about 128 million people, primarily by Japanese people and primarily in Japan, the only country where it is the national language. Japanese belongs to the Japonic or Japanese- Ryukyuan language family. There have been ...

arts The arts are a very wide range of human practices of creative expression, storytelling and cultural participation. They encompass multiple diverse and plural modes of thinking, doing and being, in an extremely broad range of media. Both ...

, and

culture Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups ...

, while featuring various activities such as a

Sanshin The is an Okinawan and Amami Islands musical instrument and precursor of the mainland Japanese (). Often likened to a banjo, it consists of a snakeskin-covered body, neck and three strings. Origins Its close resemblance in both appearance a ...

workshop and the Kaisha Caravan.

Extracurricular activities

Student organizations, affectionately referred to as "orgs" by students, include various special interest

clubs Club may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Club'' (magazine) * Club, a '' Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character * Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards * Club music * "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea'' Brands and enterprises ...

that conduct activities for the welfare and development of students: *Boy Scouts of the Philippines *Girl Scouts of the Philippines *

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams (philanthropist), Georg ...

YWCA The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) is a nonprofit organization with a focus on empowerment, leadership, and rights of women, young women, and girls in more than 100 countries. The World office is currently based in Geneva, Swi ...

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

Club *Yes-O *Interact Club *Red Cross Youth *

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

an Club *Kapisanan ng Diwang Filipino *The Torres Thespians Club *FTHS Dancesport Club *FTHS Campus Troopers *THS Athletics Society *THS Campus Integrity Crusaders (CIC) *THS Student Technologists and Entrepreneurs of the Philippines *Future Homemakers of the Philippines (FHP) *Eco Waste Busters *Save Club *ESP Club *The Torres Torch *Ang Sulo *Marian Youth Movement (MYM) *Mary Help of Christians Crusaders *Lusog Isip ng Kabataan (LINK) Club *Campus Integrity Crusaders (CIC) *Nihongo Club *English Club *Math Wizards' Club *Science Club *Research Club *Robotics Club *Nihonggo Club *LitraTorres Photography Club Headed by the Supreme Student Government, each club or organization serves as a certain subject area's Office for Student Affairs. They initiate activities such as student-led projects.

Notable alumni

* Salvador Marino, former Secretary of the

Department of Justice (Philippines) The Department of Justice ( fil, Kagawaran ng Katarungan, abbreviated as DOJ) is under the executive department of the Philippine government responsible for upholding the rule of law in the Philippines. It is the government's principal law agen ...

* Dionisio L. Umali, Asia and Pacific Regional Representative,

Food and Agriculture Organization The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)french: link=no, Organisation des Nations unies pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture; it, Organizzazione delle Nazioni Unite per l'Alimentazione e l'Agricoltura is an intern ...

of the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...

(1972-1981) * Fred DeAsis
InternationalArtist
2010 awardee,

Commission on Filipinos Overseas The Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) ( fil, Komisyon para sa mga Pilipino sa Ibayong Dagat, KPID) is an agency of the government of the Philippines under the Office of the President of the Philippines. CFO was established on June 16, 1980 ...

(CFO
Presidential Award
in the field of

Arts The arts are a very wide range of human practices of creative expression, storytelling and cultural participation. They encompass multiple diverse and plural modes of thinking, doing and being, in an extremely broad range of media. Both ...

and Culture. *

Raymundo Punongbayan Dr. Raymundo Santiago Punongbayan (13 June 1937 – 28 April 2005) was the former director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) from 1983 to 2002. Punongbayan became popular after handling two well-known cala ...

, former Director of

Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS, ; tl, Surian ng Pilipinas sa Bulkanolohiya at Sismolohiya) is a Philippine national institution dedicated to provide information on the activities of volcanoes, earthquakes, and ...

(PHIVOLCS) *

Francisco Arcellana Francisco "Franz" Arcellana (September 6, 1916 – August 1, 2002) was a Filipino writer, poet, essayist, critic, journalist and teacher. Biography Francisco Arcellana was born on September 6, 1916. He already had ambitions of becoming a write ...

National Artist of the Philippines The Order of National Artists of the Philippines (Filipino language, Filipino: ''Orden ng mga Pambansang Alagad ng Sining ng Pilipinas'') is an Order (distinction), order bestowed by the Philippines on Filipino people, Filipinos who have made s ...

for Literature * Josefina Navarro, former Superintendent of the Division of City Schools - Manila *

Isagani Yambot Isagani M. "Gani" Yambot (November 16, 1934 – March 2, 2012) was a Filipino journalist who served as the publisher of the ''Philippine Daily Inquirer'' from 1994 until his death in 2012. Yambot was born in Tagbilaran City, Bohol, in 1934. Both h ...

Philippine Daily Inquirer The ''Philippine Daily Inquirer'' (''PDI''), or simply the ''Inquirer'', is an English-language newspaper in the Philippines. Founded in 1985, it is often regarded as the Philippines' newspaper of record. The newspaper is the most awarded br ...

publisher * Andres Cristobal Cruz, author of the novel Ang Tundo Man May Langit Din * Rodolfo Vera Quizon - Actor, comedian * Renato Vibiesca, 2-time awardee of the

Palanca Awards The Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature, popularly known as the Palanca Awards, are a set of literary awards for Philippine writers. Usually referred to as the "Pulitzer Prize of the Philippines", it is the country's highest literary ...

for Literature * Jaime Lopez, former Congressman for the 2nd District of

Jerald Napoles Jerald Napoles (born March 2, 1983) is a Filipino theater actor and comedian known for his role as Tolits in the musical stage play ''Rak of Aegis''. He is a talent of Triple A Management and has worked in the GMA Network as a host in the weekly ...

- TV / Movie Actor

Former principals

{, class="wikitable" , - !Principals !Year/s of Service , - , James T. Burns , 1925–1929 , - , Harry Hanzelmayer , 1929 , - , George Lyman , 1929–1930 , - , Marcelino Bautista , 1930–1935 , - , Fortunato de Veyra , 1935 , - , Pedro Guiang , 1935–1936 , - , Ricardo Castro , 1936–1939 , - , Delfin Reynaldo , 1939–1940 , - , Maximo Jimenez , 1940–1941 , - , Pablo Reyes , 1945–1953 , - , Cesario Bandong , 1953–1966 , - , Emiliano Rafael , 1966–1974 , - , Alfonso Asuncion , 1974–1975 , - , Rufino de la Cruz , 1976–1977 , - , Dominador Wingsing , 1977–1978 , - , Severa H. Saldana , 1978–1984 , - , Dr. Consolacion C. Domingo , 1984–1985 , - , Dr. Florie M. Balanag , 1986–1990 , - , Adoracion Acuna , 1991–1995 , - , Dr. Norma Escobar , 1995 - December 1997 , - , Pilar G. Pizzaro , February 1998 - December 2000 , - , Dr. Romeo B. Santos , January 2000 - February 2001 , - , Dr. Romeo B. Santos , April 2001 - May 2006 , - , Rosita C. Herson , July 2006 – January 2013 , - , Gene T. Pangilinan , July 2013 - April 2017 , - , Maria Pura Santillian Talattad , May 2017- Present

Gallery

File:WTMP Flashbang D13-D.JPG, Closer look File:WTMP Flashbang D13-E.JPG, Interior (Corridor) File:WTMP Flashbang D13-c.JPG, Along the street

References

* The History of Florentino Torres High School - FTHS Yearbook 2010 * Florentino Torres High School General Alumni Foundation Inc. - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thsgafi/ * Torres High School Logo - https://www.flickr.com/photos/139634441@N08/38790551295/in/photostream/ * Torres High School Logo (Filipino Version) - https://www.flickr.com/photos/139634441@N08/27909597239/in/photostream/ 1925 establishments in the Philippines Educational institutions established in 1925 High schools in Manila Education in Tondo, Manila