Ateneo rejects MVP resignation

MANILA, Philippines - The Board of Trustees of the Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) has rejected the resignation of businessman Manuel Pangilinan as the board’s chairman following the controversy over plagiarized portions of his speech during the recent graduation rites in the school.

Fr. Bienvenido Nebres told a press briefing yesterday at the Ateneo campus in Quezon City that the Board of Trustees met last Sunday and decided to ask Pangilinan to reconsider his offer to resign.

“In conclusion, the Board of Trustees asks Mr. Pangilinan to please reconsider his resignation from the Ateneo Board of Trustees. There is so much to be done, not just for the Ateneo, but for our country and people. His leadership is needed today more than ever,” Nebres said.

Pangilinan is the chairman of the country’s leading telecommunications carrier, Philippine Long Distance Telephone, Co., and its mobile telephone unit, Smart Communications.

Pangilinan has led successful moves to gain control of the country’s leading power distributor, the Manila Electric Co., (Meralco), and the country’s leading miner, Philex Mining Corp. and had recently acquired television station ABC 5.

Nebres stressed that while the board had found serious the matter of plagiarism involved in the commencement address, they have found Pangilinan’s reaction as the appropriate response, which showed his courage and character.

Aside from Nebres and Pangilinan, the board members include Benjamin Ching, J. Roberto Delgado, Fr. Jose Mario Francisco, SJ, Edward Go, Fr. Johnny Go, SJ, Ma. Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga, Fr. Jose Cecilio Magadia, SJ, Fr. Antonio Moreno, SJ, Dr. Mari-Jo Ruiz, former Central Bank governor Gabriel Singson, Fr. Joel Tabora, SJ, Fr. Jose Ramon Villarin, SJ, and Fr. Roberto Yap, SJ. 

Pangilinan had tendered his resignation to Nebres, ADMU president, in a letter last April 4 in the wake of the controversy over the commencement address he gave last March 27.

“I have been told last night that portions of my graduation remarks – in particular to the Schools of Humanities and Social Sciences – had been borrowed from certain other graduation speeches,” Pangilinan said in his letter to Nebres.

“I had taken a look at the side-by-side comparison on Facebook and must admit to this mistake,” Pangilinan admitted.

“I have had some help in the drafting of my remarks, but I take full and sole responsibility for them,” Pangilinan said.

The text of Pangilinan’s graduation speech included portions copied from speeches made by US President Barack Obama, British writer J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series; and US television host Oprah Winfrey. 

The similarities in the speeches have been circulated on the online social networking website Facebook since March 27.

Nebres said the board acknowledges with deep respect Mr. Pangilinan’s immediate and full acceptance of responsibility and apology for this mistake.

“This is particularly admirable, because in acting in this manner, he spared others from this responsibility. This is a rare example of humility, selflessness, and leadership in our midst,” Nebres said.

Nebres said that he personally found Pangilinan’s response to the resulting controversy admirable.

“All of us make mistakes. Especially in this case when it was not his fault,” Nebres said.

“That’s very rare in this country. It is an example of leadership that we need in this country,” Nebres said.

Members of the Ateneo community have rallied behind Pangilinan despite the controversy.

Sonia Araneta, ADMU communications and public relations head, said that Pangilinan had not yet been deemed resigned from the Ateneo board since he merely “offered to resign” in his letter to Nebres.

Araneta added that it was still up to the Ateneo board of trustees whether to accept the resignation.

“He offered to resign. Whether it will be accepted or not is not resolved yet,” she shared.

Nebres said that the board of trustees had looked seriously into the matter and had made their decision to reject the resignation.

“The board considers the matter of plagiarism very serious, particularly for an academic institution. It recognizes that Mr. Pangilinan considered this a very serious matter that has caused him deep embarassment and pain,” Nebres said in his statement.

“With him, the Ateneo community has struggled with the issue and engaged in deep reflection on its own values of honesty and integrity,” Nebres said.

“In its discussion, the Board kept in mind the Catholic moral tradition which for culpability considers not just the seriousness of the matter but also whether there is full awareness and consent,” Nebres said.

Nebres said the unanimous decision of the board is not to accept Mr. Pangilinan’s resignation and the board expressed full confidence in his leadership as chairman.

He said the board also found the honorary degree conferred on Pangilinan as much deserved despite the controversy.

“On the matter of the honorary degree conferred on Mr. Pangilinan, the reasons for the conferment are articulated in the citation. These are his visionary leadership, his love of country and service and commitment to our people, his generous self-giving to our country, the Ateneo de Manila and many other institutions. These remain unchanged,” Nebres said.

Asked if the board’s decision was affected by the fact that Pangilinan has been a big donor of the school, Nebres said that while they recognized this fact, it had not been the basis for the decision.

“Of course we are grateful to him for that...We recognize that,” Nebres said.

He said that the decision was mainly made on the merits, taking into full consideration the case of plagiarism and the reaction made by Pangilinan.

“It is not because he is giving us funds,” Nebres said.