History

History of PGCHS

Polangui General Comprehensive High School traces its humble beginning as Albay High School of Polangui (AHSP). It started its operation in 1948 and was one of the four Albay High Schools in the province of Albay. The three of which are the Albay High School of Guinobatan (now Marcial O. Rañola Memorial School), the Albay High School of Legazpi (now the Bicol University College of Education Integrated Laboratory School) and the Albay High School of Tabaco (now Tabaco National High School). Enrolment was initially at 234 students, with nine teachers, a clerk and a janitor. Mr. Sisenando Reantaso was its first school head. In 1953, Mr. Victor Pineda became its principal.

For about two years, AHSP held classes in the municipal building and in a rented house. Thereafter, it acquired a site in Barangay Centro Occidental, along Buhi-Polangui provincial road going to Barangay Lidong. The site was a 66,607 square meter lot purchased from Mr. Eleuterio Basquiñez with funds generated by the PTA through representation of the municipal council per Resolution No. 76 passed on August 14, 1953. The Provincial Government by Resolution No. 141 validated said sale on September 3, 1953.

Of the total area, 17,899 square meters (Lot 2) provided campus for the School for Philippine Craftsmen (now Bicol University Polangui Campus) under authority of Resolution No. 93 approved November 13, 1956 by the municipal council of Polangui, duly certified and concurred with by the Division Superintendent of Schools, Pastor Escalante, on February 12, 1959.

Mrs. Aurora R. Encisa ascended to principalship from 1963 through 1980. It was during her term when President Diosdado P. Macapagal signed Republic Act 3993 into law on June 18, 1964; transforming AHSP into Polangui General Comprehensive High School (PGCHS), a national secondary school. The “new” school was patterned after the comprehensive high schools in Detroit, Michigan, USA. It was to be a community school offering a wide range of subjects aimed at meeting the diversified interests and needs of both students and community. It was also during Mrs. Encisa’s time when PGCHS held its first extension classes in Ponso, Polangui in 1965. During the school year 1972-1973, extension classes were opened in Oas. But in 1984, the latter was phased out to give way to the foundation of the Oas Polytechnic School. Earlier though, in 1978-1979, an extension school was set up in Balogo, a barangay of Oas in the northern mountain ranges of the province. And in 1991, another extension school was established in La Medalla, Polangui.

Mr. Vicente Batbat provided an administrative transition from 1980-1981 when Mrs. Encisa left due to a promotion. In 1982, Mrs. Felicitas Ll. Olondriz assumed the position as Principal III. Upon her retirement in 1996, Mr. Wilfredo E. Pura took over. In, 2004, Mrs. Coreta O. Marollano became principal after the retirement of Mr. Pura, but also left the year after for retirement. In, 2005, PGCHS was under new administration with principal Osias S. Monforte. It was during his term when President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo transformed all barangay high schools to National High Schools, thus making all PGCHS’ extension schools a school of their own.

From 2010 to 2015, the school was under the supervision of Dr. Sancita B. Peñarubia, subsequent to Mr. Monforte’s departure due to promotion. At the time, Dr. Peñarubia acts as Officer-in-Charge concurrent to her official designation as Education Program Supervisor for Mathematics of the Division of Albay. She was then followed by Dr. Emma R. Morasa who served as principal from 2015 to 2018, then by Dr. Alicia R. Lim from 2018 to 2019. From July 13, 2019 to January 21, 2020, the school was under the leadership of Dr. Lourdes R. Bigcas who was then promoted as the principal of Daraga National High School. At present, PGCHS is again under Dr. Alicia R. Lim as its Principal IV.