BERNARDO COLLEGE is the brainchild of SANTIAGO G. BERNARDO FOUNDATION, INC., which was duly incorporated with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 2, 1981 under SEC Registration No.102121.

 

The main reason for the creation of said Foundation is to perpetuate the memory of Santiago G. Bernardo, who notwithstanding his being an ordinary labourer but because of his strong character, industry, frugality, good business sense and appreciation of the great blessings of higher education, induced and enabled him to send his only son and heir, DR. MARCELINO V. BERNARDO from the primary to the University of the Philippines and the graduate school of the University of Illinois, Illinois, U.S.A., for his M.S. and Ph. D. in Economics, class of 1926 and 1929 respectively.

 

In 1984, prominent Las Piñas City  resident, Dr. Marcelino V. Bernardo established the Bernardo Foundation Institute as a tribute to the memory of his father, the late Don Santiago Galvez Bernardo. A well-learned man with an impressive background in commerce and economics, Dr. Marcelino Bernardo envisioned an educational institution committed to providing quality and relevant education for the youth of Las Piñas City.

 

With his wife Cristeta, Dr. Marcelino Bernardo organized a core group of competent administrators and dedicated faculty, and set up a modern school facility spread over one hectare of family-owned land at Pulang Lupa I, Las Piñas City, a mere stone's throw away from Quirino Avenue.

 

Initially, the Bernardo Foundation Institute offered a Bachelor of Arts degree, a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree, and non-professional degrees in Secretarial and General Clerical courses. Encouraged by the positive response from students coming from the neighboring towns of Las Piñas City, Parañaque City, and Cavite, the Institute went on to open a high school level in 1991, soon followed by pre-school and elementary levels in 1993.

 

In 1992, the Institute formally assumed the name BERNARDO COLLEGE, owned and operated by the Bernardo heirs through the Santiago G. Bernardo Foundation, Inc. With the new name came corresponding changes: a higher student population, additional course offerings in college, more faculty members, and the construction of new school facilities.