The University of Perpetual Help System DALTA (UPHSD) (Filipino: Pamantasan ng Laging Saklolo Sistemang DALTA; Perpetual or Perps) is a privately owned, non-sectarian co-educational institution of higher learning run by the DALTA Group of Companies with campuses at Las Piñas, NCR; Bacoor, Cavite; and Calamba, Laguna in the Philippines. The university offers programs in preschool, primary, secondary, tertiary and graduate levels, as well as short term vocational, technical, and special programs.
The story of the University of Perpetual Help System DALTA started in 1968 when Jose de Guzman Tamayo and his wife, Josefina "Nena" Laperal Tamayo, both doctors, founded a school system which is now known as the University of Perpetual Help System JONELTA, which has five campuses. The first campus, the Perpetual Help College and Hospital, was established in Manila to meet the local and international demand for nurses. Two years later, the Perpetual Help College and Hospital in Malasiqui, Pangasinan, was founded in response to the "government's program to promote health and educational development in the rural areas". This was followed by the founding of the third Campus at Perpetual Help School of Laguna, in Biñan, Laguna in 1976, and its medical school, the Perpetual Help School of Laguna Foundation. Thereafter, the Perpetual Help Campus at General Mariano Alvarez in Cavite and the Perpetual Help Campus in Cauayan, Isabela were established, bringing the number of campuses to five.
Inspired by the noble cause of his parents, businessman and former Vice Mayor of Las Piñas Dr./BGen. Antonio "Tony" Laperal Tamayo (born October 24, 1945, Malasiqui, Pangasinan) alongside his wife, Dr. Daisy Moran Tamayo (born June 10, 1942, Manila), and a business associate, Dr. Ernesto Palanca Crisostomo, founded their own school, the Perpetual Help College of Rizal (PHCR) along Alabang-Zapote Road, in the municipality of Las Piñas, which was then a part of the province of Rizal. The school was housed in a four-story building constructed in just four months.
One year after opening of the PHCR, they established the Perpetual Help Medical Center (PHMC) about 200 meters from the school grounds.
The initial academic offering of PHCR is Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Upon opening of the program, 700 students immediately enrolled. This humble beginning opened the way for the infant school to expand in terms of curricular programs, faculty, research, community service, infrastructure, and professional development. Such developments gave recognition to the college, and in April 20, 1997, the Commission on Higher Education granted PHCR university status, leading to its name being changed as University of Perpetual Help Rizal (UPHR), achieving the distinction of being the first and (so far) only university in the recently chartered City of Las Piñas.
To reflect the distinction of leadership between the DALTA System (led by Dr./BGen. Tony, and Dr. Daisy Tamayo), and the JONELTA System (led by Jose, and Nena Tamayo), UPHR was rechristened as the University of Perpetual Help DALTA System (UPHDS) in 2004, making a slight reorganization a year later, leading to its official and business name of University of Perpetual Help System DALTA (UPHSD).
The term DALTA in the name of the university is the acronym for Daisy [and] Antonio Laperal TAmayo, the conjugal founders.
On February 5, 2026, in coincidence of the institution's 50th academic year (Academic Year 2025 - 2026), UPHSD will be celebrating its 50th founding anniversary, with the theme: Celebrating DALTA: Diversity, Altruism, Leadership, Technology, and Adaptability.
Complementing the leadership and management functions of Dr./BGen. Tony, and Dr. Daisy Tamayo are their two sons:
The Las Piñas Campus, which is the site of the former Perpetual Help College of Rizal, is the largest among the three campuses of UPHSD, and is the flagship campus of the entire University of Perpetual Help System. It has a student population of around 14,000 students and employs about 1,370 teaching and non-teaching staff. It offers more than 70 undergraduate and more than 10 postgraduate academic programs in addition to its Basic Education Department (Grade School, Junior Business High School, and Senior High School) offerings, which is among the largest in the Philippines.
The Las Piñas Campus houses multiple academic buildings and open spaces, namely:
The Las Piñas Campus can be accessed from two (2) entrances:
A third entrance, the Manila Times Village entrance (colloquially referred to as "Times"), was closed after complaints of noise from residents of the namesake of the entrance. A special access gate was later opened just at the end of the University Lane for students and employees who live in the said village.
The Molino campus was founded on May 1995 on a 6-hectare property along Barangay Molino III, Bacoor, Cavite, with an initial enrollment figure of 700. It caters to an estimated student population of 6,000.
The Calamba campus was established in 1996 in Barangay Paciano Rizal, Calamba, Laguna, with an initial enrollment figure of 360 students. To date, UPHSD-CAL's enrollment has increased to 7,500 enrollees.
Students and employees of the institution refer to themselves as Perpetualite(s) (Filipino: Perpetualista). It is with this united identity that all stakeholders are geared and focused to strive and achieve its primary principle of Character Building is Nation Building, and of being Helpers of God.
Assistance for tertiary students at the University are the primary concern of the Student Personnel Services Office.
The SSC, through its Officers from various colleges, and its Adviser, is geared towards student empowerment and self-reliance. It aims to help the student voice out their concerns and express themselves in the proper way. They enjoin students in civic and social affairs, harnessing pure Filipino culture. The officers of the SSC are elected on a yearly basis.
The ACO is the umbrella organization of all artistic activities in the field of performing arts for student-artists from various colleges of UPHSD.
The Perpetual Chorale is the official chorale group of the UPHSD-LP. It is composed of student-artists from various colleges of the university. It aims to propagate, preserve and develop Philippine culture and arts through music. The Perpetual Chorale performs different genres of choral pieces such as Broadway, Classical, Foreign and Local Folk songs, Philippine Ethnic Songs, Contemporary Music, OPM and Sacred Music.
The Perpetual Chorale has been invited and performed in several events, and has made it to the stages of the Cultural Center of the Philippines for its open house festival: PASINAYA 2010 and PASINAYA 2011. The group has also been invited on many occasions to perform in the popular morning TV show Umagang Kay Ganda on ABS-CBN and also performed during the plenary session of the Senate of the Philippines in 2016 and 2017. This has been a venue for the group to showcase their talent in a televised setting.
The Sanlahi Pangkat Mananayaw takes its name from two coined words, (One Race). Composed of students from various colleges of the University.
Dulaang Perpetual is the official resident student theater organization of UPHSD-LP. It is a collective of young Perpetualiate artists and performers who create stage plays from different theatrical genres, from contemporary to classical, and from experimental to guerilla performances (street performances) which shows the flexibility of the company and its student-actors.
The PDC is the official street/hip-hop dance team & representative of UPHSD-LP. The team was formed on August 20, 2015, and was founded by Mr. Bobby John H. Salinas the Performing Arts Group Coordinator, and their current moderator, Coach Cristin Cruz Gapasin.
UPHSD is a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) since 1984, bearing the sports team moniker Perpetual Altas. As an active member of the NCAA, UPHSD seeks and trains young athletes to compete in all sports events of the league, representing the entire DALTA system, including the Molino, and Calamba campuses.
The moniker Altas comes from a Latin word that translates to English as âÂÂhigh,â symbolizing UPHSD's aspirations for further greatness. At the same time, it comes from the initials of the school founder, Dr./BGen Antonio L. Tamayo.
The senior varsity teams for men are named Perpetual Altas. The junior teams are the Junior Altas, while the women's teams are the Lady Altas.
Since it has joined the league, the Altas basketball team had won two General Championships in two consecutive seasons from 1995-1996 to 1996âÂÂ1997. They were able to reach the final four in the semifinals of Season 80, and Season 88 under coach Januario âÂÂAricâ del Rosario. The most recent time that UPHSD hosted the tournament was Season 94, in the 2018-2019 school year.
The Altas Perpsquad nabbed the 1st Runner Up position in the National Cheerleading and Dance Championship National Capital Regional Qualifiers College Coed Division held from February 2 to 3, 2013 at the Music Hall of SM Mall of Asia in Pasay.
They also hold the most win in NCAA Cheerleading Competition with a total of 9 wins, 2 back-to-back wins and a three peat wins. They also won in the South East Asian Cheer Open in 2015 bagging a Gold Medal.
Aside with the Altas Perpsquad, The Altas Perpscussionists serves as the school's main pep band and is highly involved during basketball and volleyball tournaments in the NCAA, and during cheerleading competitions. The band celebrated its 21st anniversary in 2019.
The Altas men's pair, Jay Dela Cruz and Sandy Montero, seized their first ever championship crown. The Junior Team, Jherald Martinez and Cristopher Soriano, placed second in their barefoot fight in the beach volleyball finals.
In Season 88, the ALTAS and Lady ALTAS grab its two-peat Back to Back Championship. The Lady Altas nabs its back-to-back championship and the ALTAS continued its reign of the Championship crown for three consecutive years (NCAA Volleyball Season 86th, 87th, and 88th).
The University of Perpetual Help System DALTA-Bilibid Extension School at the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa is one of the major corporate social responsibility programs of UPHSD and the Bureau of Corrections. The program was founded by Dr./BGen. Antonio Laperal Tamayo, Chairman of the Board and CEO, and former Bureau of Corrections director Vicente Eduardo in 1984. Throughout its run, it has produced more than 400 inmate-graduates, many of which have been released from prison and are now gainfully employed.
As of May 2025, it currently has 124 college students, and 98 Senior High School students, being taught by a total of 37 faculty members.
The Bilibid Extension School held its very first alumni homecoming on January 16, 2025, which was attended by 76 alumni, and faculty.
Currently, the UPHSD Extension school offers academic programs in Bachelor of Science in Entrepreneurship, Bachelor of Science in Business Administration Major in Marketing Management, and Computer Hardware Servicing Course, as well as a full Senior High School Program (Grades 11 and 12) catering juvenile and coming-of-age detainees.
Another of UPHSD's corporate social responsibility programs is the University of Perpetual Help Mindoro Mission School, located in Sitio Lawaan, Lumangbayan, Abra de Ilog, Occidental Mindoro. It provides the Mangyan indigenous people in the area with free education, inclusive of their uniforms, school supplies, learning materials, clothing and other personal necessities.
It was envisioned by Dr./BGen Antonio Laperal Tamayo to help the Mangyan people gain an upper hand in the social ladder of life. Thus, instilling in them ideas of citizenship and promote further social and intellectual development.
The school has embarked into a Functional Literacy Program last June 9, 2012 and officially received its Certificate of Recognition last September 13, 2012 from the Department of Education (DepED) of Region IV â MIMAROPA Division of Occidental Mindoro, Mamburao, thereby becoming a part of the Alternative Learning System (ALS) and Projects.
As of October 2024, it now has five classrooms, and has an enrollment rate of 124 students for the School Year 2024 - 2025.