Father Miguel de Benavides was the founder of the University of Santo Tomas, Manila
Father Miguel de Benavides arrived in the Philippines with the first Dominican mission from Spain in 1587. In 1601 he became the third Archbishop of Manila. When Father Miguel de Benavides died in June 1605, he bequeathed his personal possessions and library to create a higher learning institute. The University of Santo Tomas as it became known was the first university in Asia when it was founded in 1611.