HISTORY OF CCIS

Catarman Chamber Integrated School (CCIS) was previously called Philippine Northern Samar Chinese Elementary School (PNSCES) and at one time had both the old and new  加膽曼 華僑小學 Catarman Chinese Chamber Elementary School or CCES names inscribed in the school logo.  The school was named after the Catarman Chinese Chamber of Commerce, an association of Filipino-Chinese businessmen in Catarman and surrounding towns of San Jose, Bobon and Mondragon. CCES is the oldest existing private school in Catarman, and perhaps in the entire province of Northern Samar.

The school was founded in 1938, but the circumstances of its founding have been lost to history. The only reference left is the year shown in the original school logo. The exact date of its foundation cannot be fully verified, but it has been traditionally celebrated on October 10 Shuang Shi Jie; or double 10, which is the anniversary of the Xinhai Revolution and the Wuchang Uprising.  The school has continually operated since then except during the Japanese occupation between the years 1942-1945. The first known school building right after the war was a nipa-hut located at the center of Catarman’s business district. The school then rented a space on the second floor of a large house just a stone-throw away from the original site.

In 1946, Chan (Sy) Sing Liat, from Catbalogan who moved to Catarman during the war, became the head of the Chinese Chamber and in his leadership, a parcel of lot was bought by the Members of the Chamber and Chinese community. The purchased lot included a large wooden two-story house. The house was converted into the school building.

​The school was a product of the Chinese community’s cooperative endeavor and in fact was the main focus of activities of the Catarman Chinese Chamber of Commerce. The 100 or so members of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce contributed money or in kind, from rich Chinese families including their Chinese employees to small sari-sari store owners and peddlers. The amount of contribution differed but each one gave his or her share.   The money was used for the teacher’s salary, lodging and food (some of the teachers were “imported” from Bicol and Manila), the school’s operational expenses, and school repair. Donated items were teaching and school supplies, students’ uniforms, band equipment, fuel for lighting, student’s snacks, and even boxes of match sticks. The contribution was enough so that every student had their education for free, for it was paid for by the community/school.  With the increase in student population, another two-story building was constructed in 1964 next to the old building.  This time it was made almost entirely of concrete. It was the first concrete private school building in Catarman. This was made possible through donations collected by the members of Catarman Chinese Chamber from their business partners and suppliers in Manila and Cebu. Other structures followed, including the canteen, the covered court, and the playground.

In 1976 the Philippine Department of Education (DepEd) required all Chinese schools to remove the word Chinese in the school's name in compliance with the implementing rules and regulations drawn up to implement the Constitutional provision on the Filipinization of Chinese schools.  Thus, the School’s name was shortened to Catarman Chamber Elementary School.   In 2012 the school’s DepEd Permit was to expire, and because of very limited funding from the Fil-Chinese Business Community brought about by the dormancy of the Catarman Chinese Chamber of Commerce, the question of whether the school should stop operations was being asked. When a few Alumni of the school visited to see the status of the school, they saw the very low number of students and the deterioration of school facilities. The Alumni and descendants of the original donors of the school, most of whom are school alumni, decided that the school must continue to help with the education of the children in Catarman. Thus, CCES Foundation Inc. (CCESFI) was established to help comply with the requirements of DepED and help formalize the school organization.  Then the CCES Alumni Association (CCESAA) was also established by the Alumni to help support the school.

In 2018 the school applied for and got approval to change the name with the SEC and DepEd from Catarman Chamber Elementary School, to Catarman Chamber Integrated School.