Onofre R. Pagsanghan

He is the founder and was the moderator of Dulaang Sibol until 2017. However, he is not the moderator of the organization currently.

From 1980 onwards, Pagsanghan became the moderator of class 1-A, the honors class of first year. In teaching, he combines theater and music into literary works such as “Julius Caesar” and “The Little Prince.” He makes sure to use the entire classroom while acting out certain portions of readings to catch attention. Songs are also incorporated into lessons, usually used when introducing a new one. In tests, which are always written on manila paper, he focuses on “why” questions since he considers understanding why something is such as the most important part of learning. In addition, religion and morality are always applied.

Throughout the years, Pagsanghan gained numerous awards for his work in education and theater. In 1970, he was awarded the Gawad Balagtas Award and the Patnubay ng Kalinangan award for his theater work. In addition, “Sinta” bagged the award for the Best Musical Film in the 1977 FAMAS. In honor of his 45th year of teaching, the Dulaang Sibol Theater was renamed to the Tanghalan Onofre R. Pagsanghan by Ateneo. In 1985, he received the first Metrobank Outstanding Educator Award, one of the most prestigious awards that can be given to a teacher. In 2003, he was awarded the Bayaning Gurong Pilipino Award by the ABS-CBN Foundation.

Pagsanghan began teaching theater in 1956. He founded the Ateneo High School Dramatics Society, which was later renamed Dulaang Sibol in 1966. Under his guidance, numerous critically acclaimed plays were staged, such as “Doon Po sa Amin”, “Ang Paglilitis ni Mang Serapio” and “Sinta!”; all of which he translated from their English counterpart and adapted to the Philippine context. The group became nationally renowned for its polished and professional presentations.

Pagsanghan decided to become a teacher after graduation. He was inspired to take this vocation by his own high school teacher, Fr. John Delaney, S.J. Fr. Delaney asked him to become a teacher during his high school days, and Pagsanghan took up the challenge in 1951, after graduating college. He applied to be a teacher in Ateneo High School. However, the principal back then, an American Jesuit, was unsure if he could last as a teacher because of his frail and weak structure. The principal eventually accepted him, under the condition that during lunch breaks, he would sleep in one of the unused rooms in order to gain his strength. Pagsanghan agreed, and began teaching English and Filipino to freshmen high school students. He chose to teach in first year high school because this was the time children could be molded the most, and he wanted to influence and change his students in the right way

Onofre R. Pagsanghan (born June 12, 1927) is a teacher and screenplay writer from the Ateneo de Manila High School, Philippines. An Ateneo alumnus himself, Mr. Pagsi, as he is fondly called by students and colleagues, began his teaching career in his alma mater in 1951. He teaches English and Filipino to high school students. In addition, he is also the moderator of the theater group Dulaang Sibol, which he founded in 1956. Now on his 63rd year of teaching, he has received numerous awards in the fields of teaching and theater.

Pagsanghan was born in Tondo, Manila, on June 12, 1927 to parents Hipolito Pagsanghan and Vicente Rivera. Raised in poverty, Pagsanghan was able to study in Ateneo through a scholarship. When he was 13, his grandfather met a priest that knew the president of Ateneo. He was able to get a 50% discount which though this was a big help, he still could not afford this, so the priest handled the other 50%( based on an interview with him). Unfortunately, his schooling was halted due to the invasion of the Japanese. Classes eventually resumed in 1945 and he was able to graduate high school in 1947. He pursued a degree in education soon after. He graduated with an AB in education in 1951. Years later, he earned his MA in English in 1984. He married Florinda Duran in 1960 and they had three children namely Stella, Joel and Sylvia, who is also teaching in Ateneo High School.