HISTORY OF SAN NICOLAS NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

San Nicolas National High School is a dream-come – true for the townspeople of San
Nicolas, Ilocos Norte who yearned to have a public secondary school which they may call their
own. This is a long felt aspiration for one Dr. Pedro Orata, an outstanding educator, dubbed as
the Father of Barangay High Schools. How the school turned to what it is now is a question one
could hardly answer because who could believe that the school which once had a simple, humble
and poor beginning has now become the center of excellence for many educational endeavor
here and across the seas.
Its beginning was a painstaking endeavor, a great challenge, and a great hope. Looking
back to those years which are full of struggles, one could not help but remember the men and
women behind its success. Its realization was due to the concerted effort of civic-minded people
of the community and the elementary teachers of both the Filipinas Elementary School and
Bingao Elementary School with the principals Mrs. Amparo G. Hernando, and Mr. Candido A.
Santos, respectively, and the District Supervisor, Mr. Lupe G. Aurelio.
Hardships ushered the infancy of these two barangay high schools. Foremost was the lack
of school buildings and equipment notwithstanding the unstable salary of the first teachers.
A rigid house – to-house campaign for the prospective enrolees was undertaken. After
meeting the prescribed number of enrolment to start a first year class, a resolution was made by
the barrio councils of both Barrio No. 6, San Juan Bautista, and Barrio No 18, San Pedro in a
joint session petitioning the Municipal Council headed by the Mayor Vicente R. Hernando, to
endorse a resolution to the Division Superintendent of Schools, Mr. Federico B. Ablan, for
approval.
The resolution was approved in joint special session of the Municipal Council and the
Barrio Council of San Juan Bautista and San Pedro. In attendance were the heads of the schools
in the district with Dr. Jesus M. Palafox who was then the General Education Supervisor for
Vocational Education and In-charge of Secondary Schools of the Division of IlocosNorte and
who was instrumental in the establishment of the two community high schools. Knowing fully
well that there exists a private school in San Nicolas and elementary graduates from the eastern
part of the poblacion and those of the south-western barrios were hard up in their pursuit of
higher education prompted him to spearhead the establishment of the said schools. The approved
resolution was forwarded to the Bureau of Public Schools through the Division Superintendent
of Schools, Mr. Federico B. Ablan.
Thus, Filipinas Community High School and Bingao Community High School which
were housed in the Filipinas Elementary School and Bingao Elementary School compounds,
respectively, were born in 1966.
In June 1966, Filipinas Community High School started with 90 students while Bingao
Community High School had 29 students. Both were under the guiding fold of a mother high
school, the Ilocos Norte National High School with Mr. Arsenio Pascua Sr., as Principal.
Its first year of existence marked memorable experiences. There were scores of
challenges which needed a lot of patience and hard work but these were not barriers to the
progress and development of the school. It had the biggest enrolment among the other barangay
high schools in the province of IlocosNorte. With the dedicated and selfless services of the two
leaders Mrs. Amparo G. Hernando who became the first assistant principal of Filipinas
Community High School together with the first teachers---- Mrs. Veronica S. Santos and Ms.
Lorena Bagay (now Mrs.Guieb) and part-time teachers----Ms. Arlene Aurelio, Mrs Eureka
Simon, Ms. Maria Santos, Mrs. Margarita Hernando, Mrs. Encarnacion Hernando, and
Mr.BenedictoGuira from the elementary; and, Mr. Candido A. Santos, the first assistant
principal of Bingao Community High School with Ms. Severa Manuel (now Mrs. Sanchez), as
the first teacher, the school initially moved towards the right direction.
When Mrs. Amparo G. Hernando was transferred to Laoag City, Mr Jose S. Sambrano
took over. Then, in 1967, Ms. Zenaida M. Arzaga, Mrs. Manuela Lazo, Mr. Antonio Alipio
and Mrs. Eufrecina Castañeda came in for Filipinas Community High School followed by
Mrs. Amelita Agcaoili, Mr. Constante Formoso, Mrs. Rosita Dumlao, Ms. Angela Buted,
Ms. Esperanza Ignacio, Mr. Mario Julian, Mrs. Perpetua Bautista and Mrs. Narcisa
Antonio in 1969.
Likewise, Bingao Community High School had the next set of teachers, Mrs. Feliza
Ventura, Mrs.Vicitacion Camagong, Mr. Leonardo Valdez, Mr. Ernesto Ramos, Mrs.
Felicidad Ramos, Ms. Natividad Ramos, Ms.Erlinda Legaspi, Mr. Rosario Diego. Mrs.
Luvimina Calupig and Mrs. Wivina Blas, Bingao Elementary School teachers, served as part-
time teachers of the Bingao Community High School.
On April 23, 1970 the Filipinas Community High School held its first graduation
ceremony with 69 graduates led by Alejandro Bumanglag and Aida Agustin as the class
valedictorian and salutatorian respectively. Leading the 29 first batch of graduates of the Bingao
Community High School were Rosalina Ulep, the class valedictorian, and Estefana Gapas, the
class salutatorian.
The increase in enrolment in the succeeding years called for additional classrooms,
teachers, and school facilities and equipment. The father of the municipality, the then Mayor
Vicente R. Hernando and the members of the municipal council and other municipal officials
tried their best to help solve the existing problems. With them were a group of Barangay folks
and PTA officials who unconditionally and unselfishly shared their precious time and effort.
From the Filipinas Community High School were Mr. Osias Guieb, Mr. Juan Bonilla, Mr.
Lorenzo Ulep, Engr. Justo Butay, Mr. Isabelo Pascua, Mr. Dante Bonoan, Mr. Alfonso
Zambrano, Mr. Trinidad Damo, Mrs. Sabina Bocoboc, Mr. Jaime Coloma, Mr. Felino Antonio,
and civic-spirited residents of the place. From Bingao Community High School were Mr.
Saturnino Valdez, Mr. Juanito Butay, Mrs. Juanita Macatumbas, Mr. Serafin de los Santos, Mr.
Nicolas Asuncion, Mr. Flor Valdez, and Mr. Arsenio Casiano. These were the people who
established a strong force of leadership that contributed to the development of the school.
The municipal, school and barangay leaders were not satisfied with the school’s status as
barangay high schools only. It was everybody’s dream to have them turn into better institutions
of learning, to have them as one school converted into a Municipal High School. With the joint
effort and burning desire of all the people of goodwill, the venture succeeded. The Filipinas
Community High School and Bingao Community High School were merged into one and was
converted into a municipal high school which was made possible through the support of the
Municipal Mayor Benjamin L. Madamba, Superintendent of Schools Sixto A. Miguel, Dr.
Jesus M. Palafox, Mr. Carmelo Hernando, District Supervisor Mr, Jose S. Zambrano, and
Mr.Candido A. Santos, to name a few. In 1974, the school was named San Nicolas Municipal
High School. Ms. Zenaida M. Arzaga became the first head teacher and officer-in-charge. With
her leadership, the school showed remarkable signs of progress year after year. There was a
constant increase of enrolment and number of teachers.
The cry for hunger and thirst for knowledge of the youth of San Nicolas especially those
who could not afford to enter in private institutions were quenched when the San Nicolas
Municipal High school was converted into a national high school.
By virtue of Presidential Decree No. 1050, dated 1977, the school was converted into
national high school through a budgetary allocation of the Ministry of Budget as recommended
by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports. Having a new name, the Filipinas National
High School housed in two campuses, emerged –the Main Campus and the Bingao Campus.
In October of the same year, the school was turned over to the national government by
the then Vice Mayor Mauro C. Domingo, representing the municipal government to Region I
Director Telesforo Boquiren, representing the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports, in a
fitting ceremony held at the Filipinas Elementary School.
The renaming and the turning over to the national government was another significant
step towards the realization of the school’s vision and mission of molding young minds. With
the collaborative effort of school authorities, government officials and school benefactors, the
school continued to soar high.
In June 1979, Mrs. Belen P. Pivera, Assistant Principal II of the Bacarra National
Comprehensive High School was installed as the first principal of the Filipinas National High
School while Miss Zenaida M. Arzaga was promoted to Assistant Principal II of the Bacarra
National Comprehensive High School
The nationalization of the school called for the need to have a school site of its own. This
was a great challenge to the newly-installed principal. This vision seemed impossible to achieve
but with the all-out support of community members and the strong determination of the school
administration and the members of the school faculty, the dream to be separated from the
Filipinas Elementrary School was realized.
In June 1981, the school finally transferred to its 1.9 hectare site on top of a hill, east of
the town proper, Barangay No. 24, Nagrebcan, Sta. Monica, overlooking the municipalities of
San Nicolas and Sarrat in the south and east, the winding Padsan River and the City of Laoag in
the north.
A year after, the Ministry of Budget also released an amount for the purchase of 3.5
hectare of land along the national highway going to Batac adjacent to the Bingao Elementary
School, located on a hilltop in Brgy. 18, San Pedro, Bingao. This became the new site of the
Filipinas National High School, Bingao Campus.
 After a three-year development and construction period, the school transferred from the
Bingao Elementary School to its new home.
These accomplishments became the driving force for the school administrators, the
parent-teacher association, the local government unit and the townspeople to achieve greater
goals.
Filipinas National High School enveloped a score of development, it took great effort,
time, talent, sacrifice, dedication, and commitment of the administration, teaching and non-
teaching personnel headed by the principal, Mrs. Belen P. Rivera, with the unwavering support
of the municipal government of San Nicolas under the leadership of the vibrant mayor Hon.
Benjamin L. Madamba and the Sangguniang Bayan members and through the dynamic
leaderships of the PTA Federated President Mr. Monico U. Hernandez to put the school in the
limelight. A noteworthy accomplishment is the establishment of the FNHS stage located at the
north central portion of the school wherein Batch ’85 was the first batch to use it on their
graduation day.
The name of the school resonates not only in Ilocos Norte but throughout the region. In
1987, the school hosted for the first time a regional affair- the Regional Schools Press
Conference with the theme “The Role of the School Paper in Education for National Unity and
Progress.” Likewise in 1992, the school welcomed the delegates of the Regional Science-Math
Fair and Quiz. In 1994, the National Consultative Conference of Chief and Assistant Chiefs in
Non-Formal Education keynoted by DOST Regional Director Saturnino G. Ocampo, Jr. was held
in the school.

As a national high school, there has been a lot of improvement in all phases:
instructional, physical and personnel set-up. When Mrs. Belen P. Rivera retired on December 25,
1987, Mr. PaulinoBatoon, Head Teacher III, became the Officer-in-Charge until he was
promoted as Principal I and was assigned to Lt. Edgar Foz Memorial National High School on
May 18, 1988. Eventually, he was promoted as Asst. Schools Division Superintendent in the
Division of Ilocos Norte. Likewise, Mr. Leonardo S. Valdez, Head Teacher III, became the
Officer-in Charge of Bingao Campus in 1988-1992. In 1992, he was promoted as Principal I in
Batac National High School. The Filipinas National High School happily welcomed Miss
Zenaida M. Arzaga coming back on May 1988 as principal. From then on, Miss Arzaga has
been the principal of the school until she retired on August 28, 2011.

Physical facilities kept on flourishing. Students’ welfare is the primary concern of the
administration.

The school also does not limit to physical structures but also academic excellence. It
continuously inspires personnel to develop their effectivity and efficiency to the fullest through
promotions, awards and commendations. It flaps its wings higher and higher in order to reach the
summit. It implements beneficial programs to the students. It intensifies academic excellence not
only to in-school youth but also to out-of-school youth.
 Another big leap forward in the annals of the history of the school took place on May 13,
1992 when it was renamed San Nicolas National High School through Republic Act 7493, by the
virtue of House Bill No. 23333 authored by the then Congressman Mariano R. Nalupta, Jr.

Improvements were evident as the school underwent a facelift on the northern portion of
the main campus. Its surroundings were landscaped. In Bingao Campus, physical facilities were
not left behind. New buildings were also constructed. Faculty members soared to greater heights
so they may be able to spread their wings and share more knowledge to students.

For another decade, the San Nicolas National High School, the then Filipinas Barangay
High School and Bingao Barangay High School founded in 1966 starting out as a modest four-
room shack housed in elementary school compounds that served as schooling quarters for about
69 starry-eyed youngsters has grown through the years as a famous educational institution in this
part of the country, producing an annual turnout of graduates who eventually carved prestigious
careers in the profession spanning the length and breadth of the academe, trade and industry,
government service, engineering and scientific firms and other business houses not only in the
country but also in the whole world.