Editing UP College of Engineering (section)

=== The College and WWII ===

During the war years, engineering classes were conducted in the Pharmacy building on Herran (now Pedro Gil) street. Offices of the faculty members where in the shacks behind the College of Medicine building. Despite the hardships of the times, a handful of students enrolled in the various disciplines. A total of 101 students graduated during the war years. The faculty and students kept going to classes until February 3, 1945, when the American army entered Manila from the Northern outskirts of Manila.

Once more classes were interrupted. The Battle of Manila practically demolished all the University buildings in the Padre Faura campus which had been occupied by the Japanese army forces.

The College and few other units of the University reopened in August 1945 under very trying conditions on account of the destruction of the engineering building, shops and laboratories. Classes were held at the Cancer Institute Building facing Padre Faura street. Twelve members of the faculty were recalled. Three hundred forty seven (347) students enrolled, 127 of whom were freshmen.

The task of rehabilitating the College started immediately after. Repair work of the Engineering Building along Calle Florida was started in 1946, and was reoccupied in August 1946. To accommodate the increasing enrollment, more pre-war faculty members were recalled and there were new appointees. The Dean was still Dr. Vidal A. Tan and the Secretary was Prof. Ernesto T. Mendoza. Negotiations were made with the Government Procurement Commission for the purchase of machinery and equipment for the engineering laboratories. Also in 1946, the School of Surveying, which heretofore was a distinct unit of the University under the College of Engineering, was officially converted into the Department of Geodetic Engineering. Early in that year two heads of departments died. Professor Justo Arrastia of Civil Engineering and Professor Maximo P. Lachica of geodetic engineering. Professor Angel Martinez and Professor Angel Tronqued succeeded to the positions, respectively. Addition of full-time faculty members included Enrique Ostrea, Rodolfo Bulatao, Cristy R. Hernandez, Angel Villasor, Norberto S. Vila, Jose Ma. Segovia, Perfecto K. Guerrero. Professorial lecturers were Homobono Gonzales, Alejandro Villanueva, Francisco Banawa, and Angel Esguerra.

The rehabilitation of the Physical Plant of the College was carried on in the following years including the Engineering Library which received donations of books from the U.P. Alumni Engineers as well as from universities abroad. Equipment for the various engineering laboratories and shops were acquired from the Surplus Property Commission, the Japanese Reparation Commission and the Bureau of Lands. The College of Law occupied the third floor of the rehabilitated engineering building as the University Hall had not yet been repaired.

At the start of school year 1948-1949 there were 23 members of the faculty and ten lecturers. The enrollment numbered 500. After classes closed for Christmas recess in 1948, the University moved to the Diliman campus which heretofore had been occupied by the U.S. Army. The College of Engineering was assigned to occupy the Quonset huts and temporary buildings in the blocks bounded by North Avenue, North 1st street, Broadway and Bataan Road. (These streets are presently Osmeňa Avenue, G. Apacible, Magsaysay Avenue and Emilio Jacinto Streets.) A Quonset hut which housed bowling alleys was converted into engineering offices. A small Quonset hut was repaired for the Library. Equipment and machines acquired for the various laboratories in Florida Street were hauled to the new campus and installed in the makeshift buildings.