Concept
The De La Salle Santiago Zobel School, also referred to by its acronym DLSZ or De La Salle Zobel (Filipino: Paaralang De La Salle Santiago Zobel), is a private Catholic basic education institution for boys and girls run by the Philippine District of the De La Salle Brothers in Muntinlupa, Metro Manila, Philippines. It was opened in 1978 by the De La Salle Brothers because of the increasing number of students in the grade school department of the former De La Salle College (Now, De La Salle University) in Manila. The first De La Salle School in the Philippines, De La Salle College was opened on June 16, 1911, on Calle Nozaleda in Paco, Manila, at the request of the Archbishop of Manila, Jeremiah James Harty to the Brothers of the Christian Schools. It is interesting to note that Archbishop Harty had a very close affinity to La Salle since he was educated in his elementary and high school years in the U.S. in De La Salle Christian Brother-run schools. In 1921, the school moved to its present site on Taft Avenue and the De La Salle Brothers have since opened schools in Green Hills, Mandaluyong; Antipolo, Rizal; Lipa City, Batangas; two schools (University of St. La Salle and St. Joseph School-La Salle) in Bacolod; Iligan City, Lanao del Norte; two schools (De La Salle University-Dasmariñas and De La Salle Medical and Health Sciences Institute) in Dasmariñas, Cavite, and the De La Salle–Santiago Zobel School in Alabang, Muntinlupa. De La Salle–Santiago Zobel School, a member-school of De La Salle Philippines, Inc., was established on March 29, 1978, after it was decided that the elementary department of De La Salle College be moved to a location that is more suitable and conducive to learning. A high school department was also formed to assure the graduates of Zobel's elementary department of placement in secondary education. The school is located in Muntinlupa's Ayala Alabang Village and was made possible through a joint donation of part of the campus's eleven hectare lot donated by the Ayala Corporation and the Madrigal Family, with the rest of the lot acquired through financing provided by the Filipinas Life Assurance Company.
