National University campuses to rise in Visayas, Mindanao

MANILA,Philippines — The SM Group is planning to expand National University (NU) outside Metro Manila, its chairman Hans Sy said in an interview on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Family Business Conference 2019.

In 2008, the SM Group of Companies acquired majority ownership of NU, one of the oldest universities in the country.

Sy said the focus is to expand NU to have a wider reach, in fulfilment of his father Henry Sy’s advocacy to help Filipinos gain access to education.

NU is a private non-sectarian university in Sampaloc, Manila that has since expanded following the entry of the SM Group.

The expansion kicked off with the NU Sports Academy in Laguna, NU Mall of Asia and NU Fairview.

“We will continue to expand,” Sy said.

The next campus to be established is NU Baliwag, which is targeted for next year, and NU Cavite.

Moving forward, the SM Group also hopes to bring NU to the Visayas and Mindanao.

“Our focus is Metro Manila, greater Metro Manila and northern and southern Luzon. After that we will go to Visayas,” Sy said.

The cost in putting up an NU branch can reach up to P400 million, according to the chairman.

“It’s a combination, with SM Prime providing the location and building. Just literally, the construction cost should be about P200 million to P300 million. That’s only the shell. Then, NU will come in on its own with about P100 million for every school,” he said.

Sy added that the idea is to make it sustainable so that the SM Group could expand NU and fulfil their late patriarch’s advocacy to advance education in the country.

In all, the SM Group plans to build NU branches in various locations all over the country, especially where its malls are present.

SM Prime has 74 malls in the Philippines and seven malls in China.

NU was built in 1900 and founded by Mariano F. Jhocson Sr., who established the institution as Colegio Filipino in Quiapo, Manila.

The 119-year-old university is one of the pioneering members of the University Athletics Association of the Philippines.