The DMMA College of Southern Philippines was established in October 1993 and was then known as Davao Merchant Marine Academy. From humble beginnings, it now has claimed its own site - a 5.2-hectare land which boasts of several important infrastructures: the five-storey Castañeda Building, the three-storey Maritime Building which also houses the Full Mission Bridge and Engine Simulator, the IMO-standard swimming pool, the two-storey Culinary Arts Center Building, the NSA dormitory building, learning-friendly classrooms and other amenities. Indeed, after only 14 years of operation, the college has achieved such a remarkable growth that enabled it to establish a solid reputation not only in the maritime industry but also in the academic world, in general. It has acquired a name that is synonymous to excellence and quality in the field of instruction, training and assessment.

Ever since its inception, the college has always taken big steps to continually achieve its vision of offering excellent enhancement, training and assessment programs which will ultimately improve the quality of life of its students, employees and all those affected in all its sphere of operation. It has continuously provided its teachers, professors and even the office staff and personnel, the opportunity to further their studies and enhance their competencies thru various seminars, workshops and trainings. Throughout its years of operation, it never ceased upgrading its computer facilities and systems. It has always prioritized building and expanding its infrastructures with the aim of providing a more ideal and conducive venue for the education and training of its students. Year in and year out, it has undergone various audit and assessment from reputable government and private accrediting institutions and has passed such audits with flying colors. This in effect led the DCSP management to continually adopt a high standard of quality in its overall operations.

As more proof of its solid reputation in the maritime industry, DCSP is the only school in Region XI that is found in the white list of schools offering BS Marine Transportation and BS Marine Engineering that are said to have "fully complied with STCW '95 requirements for submission to the International Maritime Organization (IMO)" as identified by Memorandum Order No. 34 of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) dated November 12, 1999. Furthermore, DCSP gained a world-class status as the Det Norske Veritas (DNV), an international accreditation body for maritime institutions, gave the college its seal of excellence in July 1999, making DCSP the 11th maritime school in the whole world to have received such accreditation. DCSP has passed the evaluation conducted by the Norwegian Maritime Directorate in March 1999 as well.

DCSP is also one of the seven maritime schools in the Philippines that is accredited by the Philippine Maritime Education and Training Foundation (PMF), the Philippine counterpart of the UK-based International Maritime Training Trust (IMTT). Further, DCSP is one of the five maritime schools in the Philippines that was accredited and granted by the Norwegian Shipowners' Association (NSA) its scholarship program for maritime education.

At this point in its history, DMMA College of Southern Philippines is no longer just known as a maritime institution. From the three initial course offerings: BS Marine Transportation, BS Marine Engineering and Seafarers Rating Course, it has now expanded into other fields as well. The college has finally opened its doors for other course offerings: BS Nursing, BS Customs Administration, BS Computer Science, BS Information Technology, BS Hotel and Restaurant Management and Associate Hotel and Restaurant Management. And very recently, DCSP has started to offer the two-month Culinary Program for Ship's Cook.

True enough, DCSP gives the same attention and priority to both its maritime and general education departments. This is to ensure that their graduates from both departments will have competencies and capacities that can equal the graduates of other top colleges and universities.

The high quality of education and training that DCSP imparts to its students is but proven as its deck and engine cadets manifest world-class competence in their respective vessels and show remarkable results in the licensure examinations. Those who have recently completed their academic instruction and training are set to join the cadetship training programs of various prestigious shipping and manning companies, after they have undergone rigid examinations and screenings.

The College can now boast of its graduates who have already become full-fledged deck and engine officers. Moreover, the college takes pride in its graduates from BS Customs Administration who passed and became top-notchers in the Licensure Examination for Custom Brokers.

Truly, the DMMA College of Southern Philippines is serious and determined in taking great steps to further the name and reputation that it has established in the field of education, training and assessment. With the phenomenal growth that it has achieved after all these years, we can expect far greater things from this organization in the years to come. The people behind this institution, with their great resolve and strong willpower, will continue to make DCSP a world-class learning and training institution.