In the early 1920s, young people in Maasin who finished their intermediate grades had nowhere nearby to continue to secondary school. The only option was the national high school in Tacloban City.
Rev. Angel C. Espina knew this hardship from his own search for knowledge. He had been fortunate to study at Silliman Institute, now Silliman University. Inspired by that experience and by his dedication to quality Christian education, he founded the Maasin Institute on August 25, 1924.
