Dr. Virginia N. Santos
Retired as VPAA on 11 July 2011


Dr. Santos hails from Sta. Cruz, Zambales where she finished her Elementary and High School education as a consistent honor student garnering honors such as Valedictorian. She pursued her B.S.E.Ed. degree at the Philippine Normal College (now Phil. Normal University) which would prepare her to mold the minds of the youth. She passed the Teachers Examination given by the government in 1967. She took postgraduate studies in education until she received in 1992 her Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) degree, major in Administration and Supervision, at the National Teachers’ College (NTC) where she earlier received her Master of Arts in Education degree majoring in the same field.

At the Pasay Chung Hua Academy, Dr. Santos served as a teacher (1967-1976), was appointed as Guidance Counselor (1976-1983), and promoted as Academic Coordinator (1983-1986). She continued to rise from the ranks as she was harnessed by another school, the Holy Trinity Academy to occupy the position of Principal (1986-1991). Again, she rose up another notch in the same school when in 1991 she was elevated to the position of Assistant Directress.

Her exemplary performance and dedication paid off. In 1993, she was offered to become the Dean of Student Affairs of PLM and was subsequently designated as concurrent Presidential Executive Assistant for Special Concerns and University Relations. She had served both posts for over six years until returning in 1999 to her first love -- full-time teaching at the PLM College of Education, her mother unit, when it was time to relinquish after fully serving the 6-year maximum term for a Dean. Her stint as Dean was a truly rewarding job as she became an active member of the Asia Pacific Student Services Association (APSSA), a national association of Deans of Student Affairs from prestigious colleges and universities. She was also appointed as head/chairman of different Committees that required her to officially represent (within/outside) the University. After serving as OSA Dean, she became involved in other intellectual pursuits like teaching part-time both in the undergraduate studies in various universities/colleges, serving as resource speaker, thesis and dissertation panel member, and visiting professor in other Asian countries.

As a concerned citizen, she has involved herself in various civic and socio-cultural endeavors. She had been very active in Lingkod Bayan and Women’s advocacy, a participant to the International Congress on Women’s Role in History and Nation Building, and Treasurer of the United Nations Association of the Philippines (UNAP), a non-government organization primarily engaged in information dissemination through echo seminars on various global issues like the environment, crime and drug addiction, among others.

Professionally and academically, she had published research studies proven significant in improving students’ study and learning skills, among which are: Development of Instructional Materials in Mathematics and Social Studies (1992); The Journalism Program of Private Parochial Schools in Manila: an Assessment; Rearing Children: Filipino Parenting Styles (1995); and Manual for Student Activities.

In May 2000, she was appointed to a more challenging position as the PLM Vice President for Academic Affairs which she holds up to the present. While serving concurrently as VPAA, she also served as the OIC-President (2001-2002) of the then-City College of Manila (CCM, now the Universidad de Manila), PLM’s sister-school, during which she also served as the National Secretary of the Association of Local Colleges and Universities (ALCU). Serving CCM was a sort of a homecoming as she had briefly served concurrently earlier in 1996 as Presidential Executive Assistant under its Office of the President. After yielding the Presidency of CCM in 2002, she was designated as concurrent Dean of the PLM College of Human Development (2002-2004), and thereafter as concurrent Dean of the PLM Graduate School of Arts, Sciences and Education (2004-2006).

For her years of stint in education, the PNS/PNC/PNU Alumni Association, Inc. conferred upon her the “Outstanding Accomplishment as University Administrator” award on 24 April 2005, capping her almost four (4) decades of dedication to educating the Filipino youth in the metropolitan Manila.

In 2008, beaming with a broad base of membership across the country, the ALCU Board of Directors re-appointed her as ALCU’s National Secretary and head of its National Secretariat.