Beginnings

In the early 20th century when there was an outbreak of tuberculosis (TB) in the Philippines, the orphanage was established to shelter the children of the TB patients of the Quezon Institute. It was founded by Victoria Lopez de Araneta in 1936.^[3] Its founding board members include Mercedes McMicking, Conrado Dayrit, Emmanuel J. Dymek, Teodoro Evangelista, Mrs. Carl Hess, Manuel Mañosa, Vincente Marasigan, Paulino Miranda Sampedro, Gonzalo Puyat, Juan Tuason, and Soledad Zulueta.^[4]

Through the leadership of de Araneta, the board purchased the land in Santolan, San Juan, which is four-hectare lot, where the structure would be built.^[5] One of its recognized supporters at that time was President Manuel Quezon and in his honor the orphanage was also known as the Quezon Preventorium. He signed a bill that allowed a portion of horse race revenues to be channeled to the orphanage.^[5]

In 1938, two years after its initial operations, the institution was run under the care of the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul who took in 20 children of TB patients as its wards. The nuns managed the orphanage until they turned it over to the current board in 2004.^[5]

World War II

On 20 June 1944, during the time of World War II, the Japanese took over the orphanage and the nuns transferred the children to Welfareville in Mandaluyong for safety. Although the board gave Sr. Consuelo Muró, then overseer of White Cross, the authority to close down the institution, she continued the mission and fed the children in its temporary home in Welfareville. When the war ended and through the help of the American liberation forces, they restored White Cross and the children and the staff returned to San Juan in 1946.^[6]