By Francis Neil G. Jalando-on
The ownership of the 24-hectare campus was transferred to Central Philippine University on December 25, 1969.
On December 25, 1969, Christmas Day, the American Baptist Foreign Mission Society (ABFMS), or what is now known as International Ministries (IM), turned over the entire university property—land, buildings, and equipment—to the Filipino Corporation of Central Philippine University.
However, before this Christmas gift to CPU was given, some historical developments first took place. In 1965, Russell Brown, a representative of the ABMFS, arrived in the campus and asked if the “safeguards to ensure Baptist control” was in place. The CPU Administration explained , that the provisions of the amended By-Laws of the Corporation as voted by the CPU Corporation on January 22, 1965, approved by the Board of Trustees on May 21, 1965, and ratified by the Convention of Philippine Baptist Churches in its May 1965 Assembly, made “safeguards against CPU ever becoming non-church related” in the By-Laws. The policy of CPU in its Constitution and By-laws stipulates that 33 out of 65 of the members of the CPU Corporation and at least 10 out of 15 of the CPU Board of Trustees should come from member churches of the Convention of Philippine Baptist Churches. Thus, the founding philosophy was concretized and made into law.
Because of the changes to the Constitution and By-laws of CPU, the transfer of properties and leadership to the Filipinos materialized. On May 10, 1966, in the historic meeting of the CPU Board of Trustees, the University’s first Filipino president, Dr. Rex D. Drilon, was elected. Years after, in 1968, another momentous event followed. The ABFMS, in a meeting of its Board in the USA, approved the transfer of properties to the CPU Corporation. This paved the way for the Christmas gift to CPU on December 25, 1969.
From then on, CPU has continued to be true to its founding vision of EXCEL—Exemplary Christian Education for Life. This drive for excellence is evidenced by CPU being granted an autonomous status by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED Memorandum Order No. 32, s. 2001). This status has been maintained by CPU since 2001. The most recent autonomous status granted to CPU is effective from April 1, 2016 to May 31, 2019. As of 2018, CPU is the only university in Iloilo City granted this autonomous status.
For SY 2017-2018, www.localpulse.net ranked CPU #18 in the country and #1 in Western Visayas with two CHED Centers of Excellence and four CHED Centers of Development-designated programs.
Meanwhile, UniRank (https://www.4icu.org), as of October 2018, ranked the CPU website (www.cpu.edu.ph) #1 in the whole Western Visayas. Furthermore, CPU was ISO 9001:2000 and ISO 9001:2008 Certified, and currently, ISO 9001:2015 Certified. ISO (International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards bodies.
Indeed, CPU should celebrate Christmas with a thankful heart not only because the American Baptists had given the whole campus to CPU on this day but, more importantly, we received the Gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ through the missionaries who came and served.