The idea of having a school of his own came to the subconscious mind of Tabaco College Founder Dr. Antonio Z. Biglaen when he was just two years old. This unique circumstances came about when his mother, a public school elementary teacher known for her dedication and love for the teaching profession, brought her only child to school in her classroom regularly up to school age.

This early exposure to the world of learning must have ignited the child’s sense of wonder and intellect and henceforth instilled in him a deep precious love for learning. Little did the mother realize that a mother and son bonding was taking place which become more indomitable through thick and thin through the years. In most trying times such mother and son bonding, came across as moral courage, resiliency and tenacity of purpose. These family values served top management and came in handy in dealing with the school’s first baptism of fire during its first two years of operation, 1982 – 1984.

At this point in time the founder had to contend with the stringent Dep.Ed. requirements not to mention the perks and pitfalls of bureaucracy. Faculty and student radicalism which started in the early 1970’s in Metro Manila became widespread and then into the provinces. In its first two fragile years of the school operation, Tabaco College was not spared of student activism as well as faculty radicalism. In fact, this critical phase almost broke its camel’s back, so to speak, if not for these family values strongly entrenched which served top management well and eventually helped to prevail and overcome problems.

Today, Tabaco College stands as a living testament, a success story of its founder, a visionary’s dream come true, a distinct landmark in Tabaco City and in this part of the Region, the school is meteoric growth in just two and a half decades in terms of physical facilities and enrolment has caught the attention of both its clientele and competitors. What is it that makes Tabaco College tick is the unspoken question in the public mind.

As the school celebrates its Silver Jubilee (1982 – 2007) top management prides itself of its strong advocacy for corporate social responsibility as reflected in its faculty development, research and community extension programs, both graduate and undergraduate levels. Again, the question that comes to mind is: “How does top management cope with present conditions: the economic crisis worldwide, the existence of public and private schools in the immediate vicinity, the prohibitive cost of accreditation, among others?”

In retrospect one can only watch and marvel at the power of thought, the force of an idea or dream; its hold on the person’s becoming and the unfolding of an institution of learning as conceived in the mind’s eyes toward its realization. People and events seem to inspire towards the attainment, the realization of a moving target. It was Mahatma Gandi who said: “A man is but a product of his thoughts; what he thinks, that he becomes.”