A BRIEF HISTORY OF NORTHERN CHRISTIAN COLLEGE, INCOROPORATED

Since 1946, an institution of higher learning in Northern Luzon has been unselfishly dedicating itself to Christ-centered development not only among the youth that come to be educated but also among the hordes of believers hungry for spiritual nurturing and enlightenment. This is the Northern Christian College (NCC) with its unique mission of turning out professionals steeped in moral and spiritual values and ministers who are dedicated to and focused on their faith and ministry.

After the liberation of the Philippines in 1945, a group of evangelical leaders in Ilocos Norte thought of putting up a college offering both religious and secular courses. The plan, upon presentation to the Convention of the Churches of Christ of Northern Luzon in 1946, was met with great enthusiasm and came into being on March 14, 1946. On July 8, 1946, Northern Christian College opened its doors to the youth of Northern Luzon.

On August 19, 1946, the College was incorporated under the laws of the Philippines as a cooperative through the efforts of Rev. Silvestre Morales, Dr. Juan F. Santos and Atty. Evaristo Tagatac with the following members of the Board of Trustees: Bishop Cecilio Lorenzana as chairman; Rev. Pablo Bringas, vice chairman; Atty. Evaristo Tagatac, secretary; and Mrs. Manuela R. Ablan and Mr. Cesrio Paguyo, members. The first administrators were: Dr. Juan F. Santos, president; Rev. Silvestre Morales, vice president; and Atty. Alfredo Batuyong, registrar-treasurer.

Offered during its first year of operation were the first-year preparatory courses in Law, Medicine, Nursing, Business and Commerce, Education, Engineering, Junior Normal, General Course, and the Ministry, all recognized by the government and with emphasis on Christian character. The graduate course leading to the degree of Master of Arts in Education was granted government recognition on July 3, 1967; Master in Public Administration on March 14, 1997; and Doctor of Education on August 12, 1994. Through the initiative of Prof. Adela N. Agnir, the College of Theology started to offer the Master of Theology degree in 2004. 

Research by the History Committee appointed by the Board of Trustees shows that Dr. Silvestre Morales was the first acting President in the earliest years of NCC. Research and documentation continue.

After Dr. Morales, Dr. Juan F. Santos became President and served in this position for 32 years. For ten years under his leadership, the College operated as a cooperative until 1956 when it became a non-stock, non-profit corporation, and a church-related educational institution.

Dr. Filemon Lagon was installed as the second president on July 16, 1978. Under his leadership, the College acquired accredited status in the Liberal Arts, Commerce, and Teacher Education. An institutional development program was undertaken with the support of the Fund for Assistance to Private Education (FAPE), the Association of Christian Schools and Colleges (ACSC), the United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia (UBCHEA), and Evangelisce Zentralstelle fur Entwicklungshilfe (EZE).

The third president, Dr.  Rueben Batoon, was installed on September 26, 1987. The College pursued continuing accreditation of its curricular programs with the objective of having all the colleges, including the laboratory high school and elementary, achieve accredited status.

The fourth president, Dr. Faustino Quiocho, who was elected in a special meeting  of the Board of Trustees, took over on June 1, 1992. His administration made quality education as its cornerstone. 

In 1995, the NCC’s Board of Trustees invited Dr. Caesar I. Agnir, a retired corporate manager, to become president, veering away from its established tradition of getting a professional educator or a minister to head the institution. His investiture was led by his University of the Philippines-Diliman College of law classmate and friend, Senator Edgardo Angara. He assumed office on September 27, 1995 to become the College’s fifth president.

President Agnir revitalized the College financially, rescuing it from severe financial distress. Inheriting an accumulated loss of nearly Php 6 million, a depreciation account deficiency of nearly Php 7million  and  a bank loan of almost Php 1 million, he retired the loan in three months and erased the accumulated losses and depreciation account

deficiency in three years and three months, with a combination of astute business sense, judicious resource  management, resolute will, and the firm belief that God had placed him in NCC for this purpose.  From then on, NCC has enjoyed unprecedented financial prosperity. 

Under Dr. Agnir’s leadership, NCC has deployed  millions for capital expenditures, including massive renovations on the Adamson Hall; the Founders Hall (in the latter, a mini hotel with an air-conditioned room was built for the practicum use of hotel and restaurant management students); the construction of new buildings such as the new fully air-conditioned media center and the cafeteria; extension of the auditorium to twice its original size; and the addition of 12 new classrooms, two atop the media center and ten atop the auditorium extension. The open EZE building roof deck was also extensively rebuilt  into a multi-purpose hall, complete with a sturdy roof and protective side meshing, thus virtually converting it into a fifth floor.

Other major constructions under President Agnir’s leadership are:

• The five-story Science and Technology building to house the Science and Speech laboratories;
• The multi-purpose covered court and the ecumenical chapel;
• renovations of the former Science building, the second floor of which serves as the President’s Quarters and the third floor  developed into a penthouse  with three guestrooms  and a kitchen-dining area , and a spacious multi-purpose al fresco function area;
• the improvement of the second floor of the EZE building which now serves as the offices of the College of Theology, College of Nursing, Office of Student Affairs, Office of Guidance and Counselling, and the Quality Assurance Office;
• the fourth floor as a fully-equipped hospital simulation which has all the departments and facilities such as an emergency room, an operating room, a recovery room, a scrub room, a delivery room, a labor room, and a nursery room as well as obstetrics, surgical, medical, pediatric, and orthopedic wards and an isolation room for the College of Nursing. All these make the NCC College of Nursing arguably one of the country’s state-of-the-art colleges of nursing.

Other school facilities such as laboratories and the College library have also been extensively improved and equipped, the most notable of these being the Computer Laboratory (with new flooring, air-conditioning, and computers) in the EZE building and an internet room with 26 units wired to the internet for the exclusive use of the students.

With NCC’s newfound financial stability, all internally generated and with no external fund grants or real-estate loans, NCC has raised salary scales and academic standards. In 1999, the Laboratory High School, renamed Basic Education School, qualified for Level II accreditation. The College of Nursing and the Graduate School followed a year later, also at Level II bringing the total number of accredited programs to six and making NCC one of the most accredited private schools in Ilocos Norte, and the only accredited junior high school program in the province. It is also the only HEI in Ilocos Norte that offers a BS Social Work degree program. Faculty members enrolled in Masters or Doctoral studies at NCC enjoy full scholarship. They also enjoy generous scholarship assistance if they pursue their graduate education elsewhere in courses not offered by NCC.  In addition, children of NCC employees studying in NCC are granted 50% tuition-fee discount.

One of the best testaments to NCC’s growth and contribution to the province and to nation-building is that many national and international leaders accepted invitations to speak at NCC’s baccalaureate and graduation ceremonies, among them:

• 1996 – Supreme Court Associate Justice Abraham F. Sarmiento
• 1997 – Supreme Court Associate Justice Hugo E. Gutierrez, Jr.
• 1998 – BIR Commissioner Liwayway Vinzons-Chato
• 1999 – Supreme Court Associate Justice Leonardo A. Quisumbing
• 2000 – Senator (then Governor) Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.
• 2001 – SEC Chairman Perfecto R. Yasay, Jr.
• 2002 – Court of Appeals Justice Hilarion L. Aquino
• 2003 – Senator Panfilo M. Lacson
• 2004 – Supreme Court Chief Justice Hilario G. Davide, Jr.
• 2005 – Supreme Court Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno
• 2006 – Senator (then Congressman) Francis G. Escudero
• 2007 – Supreme Court Associate Justice Eduardo B. Nachura
• 2008 – Senator Loren B. Legarda
• 2009 – Former AFP Chief of Staff General Dionisio R. Santiago, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency Director General
• 2010 – Supreme Court Associate Justice Jose P. Perez
• 2011 – Hon. Loretta Ann P. Rosales, Chairman, Commission on
• Human Rights
• 2012 – Hon. Feliciano R. Belmonte, Jr., Speaker, House of Representatives
• 2013 – Hon. Rodolfo C. Farinas, Congressman, First District of Ilocos Norte, House of Representatives
• 2014 – Supreme Court Associate Justice Marvic F. Leonen
• 2015 – Dr. Teoticia C. Taguibao, Director IV of Commission on Higher Education (Region 1)
• 2016 – Dr. Cherrie Melanie Ancheta-Diego – Director IV of Commission on Higher Education (Region 1)
• 2017 – Hon. Linabelle Ruth R. Villarica, Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives
• 2018 – DepEd Secretary Leonor M. Briones
• 2019 – Atty. Carmelita P. Yadao-Sison, MNSA, Ph.D., CESE OIC, Executive Director IV, UniFAST (Unified Student Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education)
• 2022 – Joel B. Lopez, Ed.D., CESO V, Schools Division Superintendent, City of Batac
• 2023 – Dr. Alfredo P. Valdez, Jr., MD, FPCP, MHA, former mayor of San Nicolas

Other leaders who have accepted invitations to speak at other NCC ceremonies are:

• Court of Appeals Justice Wenceslao I. Agnir, Jr.
• Senator Heherson T. Alvarez
• Senate President Edgardo J. Angara
• President Gloria Macapagal M. Arroyo
• Speaker Feliciano R. Belmonte, Jr.
• Department of Education Secretary Leonor M. Briones
• Senator Juan Ponce Enrile
• Ilocos Norte Governor Rodolfo C. Fariñas
• CHED  Chairperson Ester A. Garcia
• Justice Leonor Ines-Luciano
• Secretary Oscar M. Orbos
• CHED Commissioner Cristina D. Padolina
• DOST Secretary William G. Padolina
• Secretary Ricardo “Dong” V. Puno, Jr.
• Senator Santanina T. Rasul
• Senator Ralph G. Recto
• Senator Raul S. Roco
• Secretary Alberto G. Romulo
•  Movie Star Charito Solis
• Sandiganbayan Justice Raul V. Victorino
• Dr. Nathan Tirosh – Dean, Harvard Extension School, Israel
• Congressman Salvador B. Belaro, Jr., 1-Ang EDUKASYON Party-List
• Dr. Melanie Grace P. Valdez, MD, FPCP, FPSEDM, FACE, former mayor of San Nicolas

President Agnir was voted President-for-Life by the Board of Trustees (BoT).  Twenty years after he assumed the presidency, however, Dr. Agnir requested the BoT to consider electing a new president, citing the desire to write his memoirs and spend more time visiting family members who reside abroad.  

In December 2015, the BoT, in an unprecedented move, upon the insistence of Dr. Agnir, held a “blind” evaluation (i.e., all names were erased from the submitted résumés of nominees for consideration). The reason for Dr. Agnir’s insistence upon such a “blind” evaluation became clear when, after the BOT had chosen a candidate and had voted unanimously for said candidate to take over as president, it was revealed that the wining candidate to take over as NCC’s next president and CEO was his daughter, Dr. Lucris Carina N. Agnir-Paraan.

“Dr. Louie”, as she is affectionately called, has degrees in Philosophy (AB), Language and Literature (MA), and English Studies, major in Language (Ph.D.) from the University of the Philippines (UP).   She received the Pinakamahusay na Disertasyon sa Antas Gradwado award from the UP-Diliman (UPD) College of Arts and Letters for her doctoral dissertation The Filipino Communication Style as Reflected in Politeness Strategies in Administrative Memoranda in the Philippine Workplace. Dr. Louie also completed all academic units and a successful Master’s thesis proposal defense toward a Master of Educational Psychology degree.  She has taught at all levels, from preschool to graduate studies, and holds seminars (locally and internationally) on professional communication, English for International Communication (EIC), and refresher courses in English pronunciation and business writing for such clients as the United States Embassy in Manila, the Finance and Administration offices under Executive Secretary Ochoa in Malacanang, Coca-Cola, Chevrolet, PJ Lhuillier, Medicard, Anflo Management Corp., and UCPB Gen. She has presented research papers here and abroad, and her work has been published in the UP Journal of English Studies and Comparative Literature. She has also held international seminars on EIC to help Filipino immigrants abroad, most notably for the Philippine Quincentennial celebrations in Canada, the Marid-Crost Law office in Chicago, and via webinars with audiences in Asia, Europe, and the USA.

On December 11, 2015, Dr. Lucris Carina Agnir-Paraan was elected by the BoT to take over as the sixth president after an agreed-upon four-year term as Vice President of Academic Affairs beginning July 2016, as soon as her retirement from her post in Manila took effect. In 2019, the BoT promoted Dr. Agnir-Paraan to the position of Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, a year before she took over as President on July 31, 2020, at the same time that she took over the presidency of the Soroptimists International-Ilocos Norte chapter,  earning her the monicker of “Pandemic President”.

As “Pandemic President”, Dr Louie saw to the continued payment of full salaries for all employees during lockdown and throughout community quarantine, one of Dr. Caesar Agnir’s final mandates before he stepped down as president.

Furthermore, even while instruction continued via delivered learning packets and online instruction, Dr. Agnir-Paraan insisted on the refund of all unused miscellaneous fees, which translated to an entire quarter’s worth of the school year.

This led to various invitations to speak in radio broadcast, which caught the attention of the national broadsheet Business Mirror, which consequently made NCC the focus of its editorial in their National Heroes’ Day issue (https://businessmirror.com.ph/2020/08/31/prioritizing-people-over-profit/), to wit:

Amid the constant threat of job losses, there are a few companies doing the heroic thing of keeping their workers employed. Not all of these businesses are big companies with huge cash reserves.

Take, for instance, the Northern Christian College, a small private school in Laoag City, Ilocos Norte, which was founded by a group of evangelical leaders, aided by foreign missionaries and benefactor-families.

Its raison d’etre has always been to minister to the less privileged. As such, the great majority of its students belong to the C, D and E social strata, except their Nursing students, which come from B families.The school never enforced the no-work-no-pay policy, not even for their office personnel who, unlike the teachers, were doing no work at all.

They only have less than 2,000 students and their average tuition is a mere fraction of what many private colleges and universities are charging.

And yet, despite its smaller income stream, this school paid all the salaries of its regular and permanent employees (teaching and non-teaching staff) throughout the lockdown. Even their part-time teachers were paid their full salaries from March until the end of May, which comprise the school months missed owing to quarantine measures.

The school never enforced the no-work-no-pay policy, not even for their office personnel who, unlike the teachers, were doing no work at all.

The school also refunded miscellaneous fees to students, in particular one quarter’s worth for BES (Basic Education School), half a semester’s worth for college, and part of the unused graduation fees for the Graduate School.

It did not increase tuition for the incoming school year, even if the school was also facing the prospect of a massive drop in enrollment and even if its tuition is much less than the miscellaneous fees many private schools are charging.

Not all schools even considered refunding their unused miscellaneous fees, and not all schools paid in full their teachers and non-teaching personnel, even their part-timers, during the quarantine. But the school officials of Northern Christian College felt the word “Christian” in their name would have been a complete mockery if they had not done their best to help their employees, students and parents during this pandemic.

The way this small school has responded to the Covid crisis is a defining moment that will be remembered by its stakeholders for decades.

Aside from holding the positions of President and CEO of the Northern Christian College, Inc. in Laoag City, Ilocos Norte, Dr. Louie is Director for Communication Programs at the Center for Global Best practices in Alabang. She also sits in the Board of Directors of the COCOPEA (Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations) and the ACSCU (Association of Christian Schools, Colleges, and Universities). She is also a member of the Region 1 Health Research and Development Consortium and sits in the Management Committee of the Multi-Sectoral Governance Council for Ilocos Norte’s MMMH-MC. She is also Ilocos Norte Co-Chair of the Department of Labor and Employment Industry Tripartite Council for the Management sector in Education.

As the first woman president of private HEIs in Ilocos Norte, Dr. Louie was the cover feature  of the Bannawag magazine’s Women’s month issue in March 2021with the headline Adda Puso a Mangimaton. She continued to be true to this “leadership with a heart” when she said ‘Yes’ to the request of the Department of Health Provincial health Office (DOH-PHO) to use NCC spaces and facilities as the mass vaccination site for the province beginning August 2021. She also agreed to the same request of the Region 1 office of the Commission on Higher Education, to use NCC as the ceremonial mass vaccination site for college students of private HEIs in the province in October 2021.

Because of this, the DOH-PHO conferred the “Hero Award” via a certificate of commendation on in October 2021 to Dr Louie:

…in grateful appreciation and recognition of your compassion, generosity, selfless support, gracious hospitality,  and professionalism in response to the magnitude of the challenge of COVID-19 pandemic. Indeed, COVID-19 is today’s supervillain, but it also encourages our real-life heroes to emerge and step up in extending a helping hand in battling the invincible nemesis in these extraordinary times. Above and beyond expectations, you offered immense sacrifices, invaluable dedication, commitment, and unwavering efforts for the benefit of the nation. Many may not fully comprehend the sacrifices you have made both personally and professionally, but you have worked excellently together with the healthcare team in providing the best services to our people during the CIVID-19 Mega-vaccination roll-out. You are a true hero and one of our humanitarian partners who is committed to combating the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2021 and 2022, at the height of the pandemic, NCC topped the Nursing Board exams in the entire province and produced topnotchers in each of the two exams for two consecutive years-–a testament to NCC’s commitment to delivering quality instruction, come what may. The following year, NCC produced a sixth placer in the national Midwifery Board exams.  NCC has continued to produce at least one topnotcher in the Nursing Board exams since then, up to the present. Aside from its achievements in Nursing education, the provincial government of Ilocos Norte, in its website INvest and bid to become a digital city by 2025, also cited NCC for being the only HEI in the province with a baccalaureate degree program in Social Work, further evidence of NCC’s commitment to the formation of youth with a heart for service to country and humanity.

NCC is a small college with an enrolment under 2000, but its unparalleled accomplishments in the area of academia, outreach, socio-civic work, and healthcare, are testaments to its commitment to quality education, service to humanity, and the formation of youth who are Nurtured in Christ, Centered in Christ, and Commissioned in Christ.