Wars reshape physical landscape. Bridges collapse. Homes vanish and leave trails of burnt rubbles. Like the human psyche, institutions either collapse or adapt to the environment of marching soldiers, rolling tanks, and diving planes. Roads break and reveal the brown soil beneath where they had lain. After the conflict, however, all return to their peaceful form; cars replace tanks, and billboards replace the idle bomb sirens.

During the Second World War, Lasallian structures, as well as those who governed them, changed. Many were rebuilt. Some could only now be viewed on old photographs.

Damages
The main entrance of De La Salle College suffered from American and Japanese explosives. Smoke stains and shrapnel remains stuck on the crumbling walls of the buildings. A sight of a gate accidentally rammed over by a van can already cause a headache to officials; Br. Lucian Athanasius, the president at the time, had to stare at the face of the Lasallian School in battered Manila. He must have complained and worked fearing the future in his mind. Uncertainty often forms aftershocks towards the end major setbacks. Immediately, at the conclusion of major predicaments such as war, people must show courage and resilience, and Br. Lucian, with the other presidents to succeed him, invoked all the necessary virtues from their vocation and the grace of the Lord.

Destruction manifested in the vicinity of De La Salle College. It seemed that the rooms have foregone their function, as the students resumed their classes on the corridors and outside the chapel. Some sat with their teachers on the damaged choir loft. Improvisation became a useful trait of teachers and pupils. Most school furniture had burned, but the brothers who looked for knowledge still found several black boards, boxes of chalk, and erasers to continue the youth's education. Difficulties mounted and reeked even in the most cheerful letters of the brothers.

Brother Felix's last letter of August 7 was chatty, amusing and somewhat informative…I'll condense herewith a few news items from Brother Felix's letter from Brother Hugh's on August 23. Brother Ferdinand Anthony departed on a cargo-transport from Stockton, California, on August 1 with "school supplies and whatever he thought the Brothers would need." —Br. Raymund

Enthusiasm remained with the Christian Brothers who continuously traveled from Manila to the United States, bringing whatever they required for an effective provision of brilliance for their students. They began with the gathering of simple supplies, while reconstruction of pillars ensued. Books arrived from the United States, and some brothers followed their companions to teach in the Philippine Islands. Soon, as Br. Castillo has stated, students left the corridors and sat within the small tents pitched on the basketball courts of the De La Salle campus. Activity continued piling, studies and rebuilding happened simultaneously. Although adversity encompassed the efforts of each who wanted to restart their normal peaceful lives, at the end of the year, with graced effort by the Lasallian lay and religious teachers, at least sixty boys from the High School graduated—a notable feat given the tough situation of the time.

Memories Speak of Duty
What the Christian Brothers did for the Air Corps prior to evacuation of Manila was of course small compared to their heroic deeds during the Japanese occupation. No Americans will ever forget the martyrs of De La Salle College, Brother Xavier and the fifteen others who died… The name of De La Salle College and the work of the Christian Brothers will be remembered in the Philippine history. —Col. Richards

Compensation for the efforts of the Lasallian Brothers also came in the form of gratitude. Br. Bonaventure John, who became president in 1946, further fulfilled the role of the congregation. The progress of repairs went on, and certain revivals of old Lasallian organizations rallied the students: Boy Scout Troop 19 was reassembled, and the first group of Cub Scouts trained young gentlemen for leadership. Nonacademic functions began to preoccupy the Brothers of the Philippines. Amidst the focus on learning and recovering from the years of death and ignorance on December 20, 1946, a cleansing ceremony of the Chapel of the Most Holy Blessed Sacrament honored the souls of the massacred civilians and Christian brothers.

Before the war, the Christian Brothers had already been giving decades of quality education to the Filipinos. A steady increase of students added to the vibrancy of the De La Salle College. During the prewar years, success brought many of the Lasallian congregation's agents to Manila. Lay people assisted the Lasallian clergymen; new courses and classes formed. During the Japanese occupation, however, numerous advancements diminished and experienced stagnation, along the overall development of Philippine education.

Years after the war, when reconstruction regained a more stable stature, the growth of the school, once again, built more expansive opportunities and nourished a higher demand for assistance. In November 1946, Br. Vicenzo, Br. Connery, and Br. Honorius, and Br. Hugh arrived and met an assembly of students.

More efforts to improve the still decadent structures of De La Salle continued. This time, the focus went to the restoration of the football field. Later, "bomb craters, air raid shelters, roads and unexploded shells were removed." (Castillo, 1969) The result made the campus look bare land. More work had to be done, and another Lasallian clergyman who would also become the High School principal, Br. Mark, brought his troop of sea scouts and planted trees for the beautification of the College. The brothers hired workers to repaint the center and the wings of the De La Salle College's main building. With reconstruction reaching its end, opening another school in Bohol became a prospect of the Christian Brothers. However, due to the needs of the Lasallian institution in Manila and the lack of personnel, the plan was never formalized.

The improvement of the De La Salle College, despite a frustrated intent to expand, continued with the extension of some of its departments. Br. Lambert Edward decided that the simple commerce program must undergo modifications. Working as a dean, he brought success by earning for De La Salle a qualification to offer a new degree: Bachelor of Science in Commerce. Consequently, the school of Business Administration was opened, and then expansion took a quicker pace.

In 1948, the Engineering Department opened and accepted students interested in the technological rehabilitation of the Philippines. By the end of the 40s decade, the Christian Brothers successfully rebuilt the Lasallian institution in the country. More classes opened, facilities were restored, and the sports programs were reintroduced to the pupils of the postwar generation.

Commemoration of Heroes
The Christian Brothers decided on the need to search for the remains of their massacred companions. The laborious work to revive the school proceeded, while a team, led by Br. Alphonse, searched for the burial grounds of victims of war. They discovered a lamentable burial ground where the buried corpses had no mark of identification. Intending to honor heroism and the pain suffered by those who were killed, the Brothers searched and found a common grave located in Canonigo Street, Paco Manila.

On February 12, 1949, the bodies of the massacred were taken to De La Salle College Chapel for a Requiem Mass. The mourners then transferred the remains to the La Loma Cemetery. The fifteen Lasallian brothers who became victims of the war now lay in the grounds of Brothers' Memorial Cloister, within the La Salle Novitiate in Lipa City, Batangas.

Since the arrival of the Christian Brothers in 1911, the De La Salle institution has focused on fields of mathematics, business, the sciences, and the Catholic religion. This system originated within the background when most Filipinos needed practical assistance to survive the difficulties that outflow from the Philippine-American War and the fast expansion of protestant churches.

More challenges emerged during the 50s decade, and the brother administrators decided to assess the necessary role of De La Salle to place it on a dynamic vehicle. Br. Lambert Edward started the liberal arts program with a new system with "a more comprehensive vision and deep understanding of reality, vitalized by the competence in the basic areas of learning, religious studies…" (Castillo, 1969) Although the college offered many courses under this improved program, the concentration lay on the study of the social sciences.

New Biology Book
De La Salle recognized that biology maintains a good position among the sciences as one of the most practical fields. The Christian Brothers of the Philippines began a project to rewrite a textbook for Filipino students and, along the process, recognized the need to have advance assistance.

In January of 1956, Br. Charles of St. Mary's College, Winona, Minnesota arrived in the country to assist in the writing and publication of an updated science manuscript. Br. Eusebius, who also studied biological knowledge, left Bacolod on February 3, and joined his companions who were already working on a revised version of the biology textbook.

The process of writing and revising took more than a year to finish. Upon the work's completion, the brothers went to President Ramon Magsaysay and presented the final product. In May 1957, United Printing Company accepted the new biology book for publication.

Ecclesiastical Studies
De La Salle's role kept it concerned with assistance to both lay people and clergymen. It willingly gathered resources when the Apostolic Nuncio requested it to provide educational aid to the priests of the Philippines. On January 15, 1955, Br. Edward Lambert opened a three-month course of Ecclesiastical Finance. This study provided manuscripts and talks about the difference financial needs of Church organizations in the country.

Forty-seven priests completed this course and returned to their areas, having learned about the system of the Lasallian brothers. They received honor from the San Carlos Seminary Choir in the De La Salle College gymnasium and special diplomas from the Apostolic Nuncio at the Chapel of the Most Blessed Sacrament.

The Free School
The Christian Brothers always recognized their mission to teach the poor. In 1956, a grade school for the destitute opened and named Brother William Memorial Free School. This endeavor began with Br. Athanasius Francis and was eventually fulfilled by his successors. Although this school was unable to continue its noble goals, almost three thousand children received Lasallian education by the first year of its foundation.

De La Salle Philippines achieved great expansionary success during the years when the country enjoyed its most tranquil decades. Laboring out of slow recovery, the Christian Brothers expanded the school in Manila and went beyond infrastructural improvements. The developments of these years attest to the responsive quality of Lasallian excellence and service—that it moves along with changes, if not become a pioneer model for the community.

University of St. La Salle (1952)
The De La Salle Brothers came to Bacolod City in response to the invitation of the Negrenses who felt that there was a need for the type of education, which Lasallians provide. On a ten-hectare donation of Mr. Alfredo Montelibano Sr., the construction what is now known as University of St. La Salle was finished.

La Salle Academy (1958)
The presence of La Salle in northern Mindanao happened as the Christian Brothers honored the invitation of Msgr. Patrick Cronin of the Prelature of Ozamiz City to take over St. Columban's Academy in Iligan City, the same school that used to be Woodrow Wilson Junior College in 1947. The school was located in downtown Iligan, beside the Cathedral. A growing student population and the need for a bigger campus necessitated the purchase of a three-hectare lot in Pala-o belonging to the estate of Pedro Nuñez. The transfer to a new site happened in 1960 where thousands of students experience Lasallian education every day. In that same year, the Bureau granted the request to change the name of the school to La Salle Academy.

La Salle Green Hills (1959)
During the early fifties, the Christian Brothers found themselves unable to accommodate the growing number of requests for admission to the elementary grades. A deliberation to solve the dilemma happened, and they reversed an earlier policy of branching out to the provinces instead of expanding in the Greater Manila Area. In June 1959, the school opened its doors to two preparatory sections and one section each for the Grade I and II levels, but the groundbreaking ceremony for the first permanent school building took place on 1 February 1961. In August 1964, five years after its founding, LSGH opened its doors to high school students. It was also this year that the newly constructed grade school building was blessed.

St. Joseph School – La Salle (1960)
To carry out the mission of St. John Baptist de La Salle for the poor and the working class, the De La Salle Brothers, with the assistance of a charitable institution, "The Young Ladies Association of Charity," established the Immaculate Conception Free School in 1954. It started with two classes of first graders housed in a two-room building. Numerous benefactors gave their financial support.

Named after St. Joseph, the patron saint of the workers, St. Joseph's High School was established in 1960. It started with the 45 graduates of Immaculate Conception Free School who were charged minimum fees. Affluent families of Bacolod City financially supported the construction of classrooms, library, science laboratory, work education building and the other needs. With all these, the school gained momentum to serve both the graduates of the Immaculate Conception Free School and the adjacent public school – the Barrio Obrero Elementary School in the succeeding years.

De La Salle Lipa (1962)
De La Salle Lipa belongs to the third generation of schools founded by the De La Salle Brothers in the Philippines. The school was built on a 5.9-hectare lot along the National Highway. Financed by interest-free loans from Caltex and Shell corporations, construction of three one-storey wings of classrooms, a gymnasium, auditorium and the Brothers' House began on 29 January 1962.

The new school was blessed on 10 June 1962. During its first year, De La Salle Lipa operated as the Boys' Department of the Maryknoll Sisters' Our Lady of the Rosary Academy (OLRA). Hampered by difficulties, the Maryknoll Sisters began to close. With the Brother's assistance, however, the school obtained a temporary permit to operate as La Salle High School. While OLRA continued to send its boys to La Salle, a large percentage of students began to come from the various public elementary schools around the city. The Brothers and administers understood the expansion the school required, and elementary grades were opened in 1967—the first major expansion of De La Salle Lipa was completed.

The Philippine District
The achievements of the Christian Brothers in the Philippines showed an improved ability to manage the local affairs. Almost every year, their supervisors in Rome can expect a laudable development in the Lasallian mission in the archipelago. Charity beamed in small accomplishments, such as free radio repairs by the engineering club of the 60s, and ambitious founding of colleges outside Manila. Soon, it was not enough to merely be a sub-district of the De La Salle Institute of San Francisco, USA. On February 2, 1970, the group of Filipino Christian Brothers became an independent district and now recognized as the De La Salle Brothers in the Philippines.

Voltes Five!