PMMA HISTORY

On January 1, 1820, the Philippine Merchant

Marine Academy, originally named Escuela
Nautica de Manila was created by virtue of a
Spanish Royal Decree through the
recommendation of the Spanish Consulate of
Commerce. It was inaugurated on April 5,
1820 in its initial location at Intramuros,
Manila.

In 1863, before being destroyed by an

earthquake, it began as a school for merchant
marine officers in a building on Calle Cabildo
inside the Walled City of Intramuros for a
time. It was moved several times to different
locations – to Calle San Juan de Letran, to
Calle Palacio and to Binondo,
 During the Philippine Revolution, the
school was temporarily closed. On
December 15, 1899, the American
authorities reopened it to recognize
the value and merit of nautical
school and renamed it Nautical
School of the Philippine Islands.

Later the school was renamed Philippine

Nautical School (PNS), which resumed
classes on June 30, 1900. PNS was
classified as an insular school and was
headed by US Navy commanders until it
was closed in 1907 for lack of support.
In 1913, Don Ramon Fernandez, President of the Ship owner’s Association during the time
recommended the reopening of the school to answer the urgent need for trained merchant marine
officers. It was established as a unit of the Philippine School of Arts and Trades which was
located at Aroceros St., Manila, and then later moved to Roberts St., Pasay City.

In 1913, Don Ramon Fernandez, President of the Ship owner’s Association during the time
recommended the reopening of the school to answer the urgent need for trained merchant marine
officers. It was established as a unit of the Philippine School of Arts and Trades which was
located at Aroceros St., Manila, and then later moved to Roberts St., Pasay City.

In 1963, Republic Act 3680 converted the Philippine Nautical School into the Philippine Merchant
Marine Academy (PMMA), conferring the degree of Bachelor of Science in Marine Transportation
(BSMT) major in Navigation and Seamanship or in Steam Engineering and Electricity, and automatically
granting the Third Mate and Fourth Marine Engineer licenses without Professional Regulation
Commission Examination to its graduates.

The school was relocated at Fort Bonifacio, Makati City in 1968. From then on, it was placed
under the Department of Transportation and Communications. In 1997 it was placed directly
under the supervision of the Commission on Higher Education.
After thirty-one years of stay at Fort Bonifacio, PMMA was transferred to a 602,292 square
meters lot at Naval Station in San Narciso, Zambales on February 2, 1998 pursuant to
Proclamation No. 937, dated December 16, 1996 by former President Fidel V. Ramos. It was
inaugurated on May 25, 1998, in the year of the Centennial Anniversary of Philippine
Independence (1898-1998).