Occidental Mindoro National College is the only state college in the province of Occidental Mindoro located in the heart of the municipality of San Jose, which is a stone’s throw away from the Municipal Hall and the St. Joseph, the Worker Cathedral. The town on the other hand, is located 130 kilometers southeast of the Provincial Capital and in approximately 230 nautical miles from the National Capital Region.
The College had its humble beginning as a Barrio High School in 1966 patterned after Dr. Pedro Orata’s Barangay High School, an idea conceived by San Jose Pilot Elementary School PTA President and also town Mayor Juan G. Santos, Sr. and worked out by the Schools Division Supervisor, Mr. Mariano Ramirez. Mayor Tirso Abeleda in 1967 approved Resolution No. 23 adopting and constituting the self-supporting public secondary school as the San Jose Municipal High School.
The late Congressman Pedro C. Medalla, Sr. authored R.A. No. 6568, which elevated San Jose Municipal High School into San Jose National High School (SJNHS). Mr. Bernabe Macaraig was appointed Principal. Enrollment grew significantly during that time reaching up to 3,000.
On June 24, 1983, by the virtue of Batas Pambansa Blg. 531, sponsored by the late Congressman Pedro T. Mendiola, Sr. SJNHS was elevated into Occidental Mindoro National College with Mr. Bernabe Macaraig as its first Superintendent.
On April 1, 1986, Ministry of Education Culture and Sports (MECS) Minister, Lourdes R. Quisumbing appointed Mrs. Viginia A. Sicat, then Assistant Principal, as Officer-In-Charge of OMNC. On the same year, Dr. Ofelia A. Rebong was installed as the first President of the College. It was during her seven year’s term as College President that staff development was given due consideration.
In the school year 1991-92, the College Absorbed the Occidental Mindoro Community College, Mamburao as a satellite campus offering baccalaureate and non-degree courses. It had likewise acquired the 98.8725 hectare lot from the Organization for the International Scientific and Cultural Advancement (OISCA) through the Provincial Board and Provincial Development Council. The satellite campus became known as the OMNC-Mamburao Campus.
After the retirement of Dr. Rebong, the then Vice-President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Graduate School, Dr. Sofronio S. Sanqui, was appointed College President on December 19, 1994 and sworn into office on December 29, of the same year by DECS Secretary Ricardo T. Gloria.
Focusing on human resource development and student’s welfare Dr. Sanqui’s management priorities brought about significant shifts in the social, cultural, and economic structures of the College.
OMNC has grown tremendously and has opened up four (4) service areas namely: the Damayan Center constructed in a 2-hectare land donated by Mr. Romeo Lumbo in San Isidro, San Jose, Occidental Mindoro; OMNC-Mamburao, the Experimental Forestry – a 28.4974 – hectare land adjacent to the Damayan Center; the Caminawit Extension Program in Caminawit, San Jose, Occidental Mindoro and the Agro-Forestry Center which is now fully developed located at a 8.7 hectare land at Brgy Labangan, San Jose, Occidental Mindoro.
In the year 2000, R.A. 8760, otherwise known as the General Appropriations Act brought about significant reforms in the educational system specifically to OMNC. It became the host to CHED supervised institutions in the province, namely; the Occidental Mindoro Polytechnic College (OMPC) in Murtha, San Jose, Occidental Mindoro and the Pedro T. Mendiola, Sr. Memorial Technological and Polytechnic College in Brgy. Bagong Sikat, San Jose, Occidental Mindoro. With the integration, OMPC became known as the OMNC-OMPC Campus, while the PTMSMTPC, was renamed to OMNC-PTMSMTPC and now situated in the Labangan Campus.
The metamorphoses of the institution from a Barangay High School into a host SUC in the province, poses a continuing challenge for its official and the academic community as it serves the youths of Occidental Mindoro and its neighboring provinces.
