MANILA, Philippines - The Anthony and Justa Lee Student Leadership Center was inaugurated last March 9. The benefactor, Richard Lee, and his mother Justa Lee, led the ribbon cutting and unveiling of the dedication marker, assisted by Fr. Johnny Go, SJ, school president; Fr. Jose Cecilio Magadia, SJ, Jesuit Provincial; Johnip Cua, chair of the Xavier School board of trustees, and Greg Yu, chair of the Xavier School Educational and Trust Fund.
The building is named after the late Anthony Lee, founder of Universal Motors Corp., which assembled Mercedes Benz in the 1950s (the first assembly plant outside of Germany) and eventually, Nissan vehicles since the 1970s. He is recognized as one of the pioneers of the automotive industry in the Philippines. His wife, Justa, devotes her time to various charitable causes and was conferred the Ecclesiastical Award of Dame of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre for her philanthropy.
The building houses the expansive 2200 sqm Samuel L. Lee Library, also donated by Richard Lee and dedicated in memory of his departed youngest brother. It includes two audio-visual rooms and the school’s ICT hub. At the second level is the John Tiu Ka Cho Multipurpose Center. The late John Tiu Ka Cho was an eminent industrialist and a loving father to Ben, Ruben, Jerry, Rosalinda, Evelyn, Manuela, Dexter, Alexander and John Tiu.
With the inauguration and blessing of the Anthony and Justa Lee Student Leadership Center, the first phase of development of the Nuvali campus has been completed. It follows the Henry Sy Sr. Primary School Building and the Ramon S. Ang Gymnasium, both inaugurated in June 2012, and the Oratory of St. Francis Xavier, the new chapel also blessed on the same day.
Xavier School Nuvali is gearing up for a significant increase in the number of students next school year. In addition to the Kinder, Grades 1, 2 and 3 levels that opened in June 2012, the school will also open Grades 4, 7 and 8 for enrollment. The school accepts both boys and girls and welcomes applications for scholarships, under its mandate of assisting a target of 25% of the student population through its Grant-in-Aid program.