Is This The Ateneo Way?
When was studying in Ateneo, I was told that if i got caught plagarizing someone else’s work, I could be expelled. I took that to heart.
When Manny Pangilinan got caught plagarizing Obama, Oprah, and O’Brien, at the Ateneo college graduation, he did the honorable thing–he resigned from the university’s Board of Trustees. In doing so, he took responsibility for an act of intellectual dishonesty, even if in all likelihood that speech was written for him by some staffer. He has not leaked the speechwriters name, has not publicly blamed him, and has taken it all on himself. That’s not just honorable, that’s leadership.
Unfortunately for the Ateneo community, university president Bienvenido Nebres and the Board of Trustees has unintentionally undermined MVP’s attempt to hold himself accountable by rejecting his resignation. He has even taken pains to praise Pangilinan for owning up to the deed. Since when does someone deserve utmost praise for getting caught and owning up to wrongdoing?
When I was studying in Ateneo, I was taught that punishing someone when they do wrong not only serves as a disincentive for bad behavior, but it also reflects the broader values that a society believes in. When you let someone off the hook after they have admitted wrongdoing, you trivialize the wrongdoing and send a message to your community that there are no negative consequences for bad behavior.
In the case of Manny Pangilinan, he is a big supporter of the school, sharing his time, effort, and, yes, resources. Does that give him a pass? For some in the Ateneo community, yes. But is that right? When the president of the university publicly advocates not punishing someone who was perfectly willing to be punished for doing something wrong, it sends the wrong signal to the students–that you can get away with it.
April 15th, 2010 03:30
Ricky, you give MVP too much credit. Please call a spade a spade. It’s laziness and stupidity. He was too lazy to write his own speech so he must pay the price of embarrassment and what else to follow. Using “honorable” and “leadership” to describe his act is chutzpah. Whether or not MVP employed speechwriters is irrelevant, the buck stops at MVP.
April 15th, 2010 04:43
why are these speeches so important that they merit such a hardline response?
he apologized. he concedes he was wrong. why isnt this enough?
what is the purpose of such a punishment?
one interesting answer is: “I was taught that punishing someone when they do wrong not only serves as a disincentive for bad behavior, but it also reflects the broader values that a society believes in. When you let someone off the hook after they have admitted wrongdoing, you trivialize the wrongdoing and send a message to your community that there are no negative consequences for bad behavior. ”
i agree. what are these broader values? is part of these values that all lies are of equal value? is plagarizing a speech the same thing as plagarizing a test? a thesis? arent they different, fundamentally?
Was there a message that there are no negative consequences for bad behavior? didnt MVP apologize and tell everyone that he was wrong? isnt that a consequence? why is that not enough?
ethics/morality is a thorny subject. usually, people believe that some sins are less sinful than others — thus punishment is tailored to the sin. this is the notion of the law — when a man kills another, its not death penalty immediately; context matters.
what do you think ricky? is a speech the same thing as school work? what kind of values are supposed to be held by society?
April 15th, 2010 07:36
GabbyD,
I actually wrote this piece last week but had not posted it because i wasn’t sure if I were making too big a deal about it. But then I saw this. http://mvpresponse.blogspot.com/2010/04/response-to-statement-of-ateneo-de.html
I felt the need to reinforce what they said because I also feel the same way.
Bottom line, we make a rule, we follow it. MVP understood that, that’s why he offered to resign. The Ateneo Board didn’t understand that. It sets a bad example.
April 15th, 2010 07:48
MVP did the right thing. Ateneo board did not. MVP realized his mistake and is rectifying it. Ateneo board is not helping by making this stupid decision.
April 15th, 2010 09:06
thanks for the clarification, but alas i’m still confused.
1) the standard they set is their academic standard: “As a University, we should have applied the standards we usually apply to cases of plagiarism, the same standards we use in handling acts of intellectual dishonesty among our students, staff, professionals and faculty. ”
but this ISNT an academic case. Why apply a different standard?
unless they (and you) believe that a commencement (or whatever kind of) speech IS an academic case because it was in a academic/school setting?
thought experiment: what if MVP had instead plagarized his speeches in his exclusive country club of which is a member. would the Exec comm of said country club kick him out, even if said club had a sterling reputation? even after he apologized, vowed never to do it again, etc…? wouldnt that be enough punishment?
2) less important, and more of an aside, but is striking to me: “In fact, a higher standard must apply in this instance because Mr. Pangilinan is the Chairman of our Board and as such, he is the co-head of the University along with our President. ”
this is an interesting moral principle, that on its face is very appealing. more powerful people should be held to a higher standard of behavior.
i’m not sure i’d immediately agree. arent we all bound by the same law? arent we all called to follow it, love our country, etc?
i’m hesitant to sign on to an ethical system that calls for varying standards of behavior based on your status in the organization. we are all citizens after all.
if cheating (say, on a test) is bad if done by the weak, it is equally bad if done by the strong. If a rich student and a poor student both cheat, both should receive the same punishment.
this is more of a philosophical difference i suppose, that reflects my “conservative values”.i could be convinced to change my mind. all i’m saying, i guess, is that i’m hesitant to agree to this because i see another side to it.
3) Some final thoughts: i personal take is that alot of this is the emotional reaction to a situation where we feel that the rich and powerful “get away” with light punishment (when the rich and poor should be equal under the law — see #2).
so there is a visceral need to see strong punishment, esp when the evidence for wrong doing is so plain 2 see, and acknowledged by all ( even the perpetrator!), and the offender is such a high profile person that strong punishment acts as a signal of seriousness.
i actually agree with this observation about society — but we’re focusing on such a poor,weak example of this phenomenon,
Why?
The offense isnt clearly appropriate to the punishment thats being clamored for. the standard they use isnt obviously appropriate either.
If the application of standards can be tilted against a specific class of people, would that be fair? even if said tilting is for “signaling” purposes; a “broken window” theory of public morality?
moreover, might that signal something potentially perverse– that for small time wrong-doing we are all-out, but for big wrong-doings, we are relatively lax?
April 15th, 2010 09:25
oh, one last comment, both on your original blog and the ADMU faculty response.
you both mention this: “Mr. Pangilinan’s offer to retire was an honorable act. Not accepting Mr. Pangilinan’s offer to retire dishonors that action.”
the first sentence i undertand. i even understand WHY its honorable — it allows the board, the appropriate arbiter of what punishment to mete out, a free hand in deciding the punishment, up to the limit of asking him to retire.
thats classy and honorable. a dishonorable action by MVP would be “I’m sorry about it, but i dont think i should be punished because of reason X… ”
this is what we see in public servants all the time — the lack of shame/embarrasment. a rejection of owning up to, or even merely acknowledging, the wrong action.
but the second sentence baffles me. if the first action is about freedom to set the punishment, WHY is the board CONSTRAINED from setting a punishment other than the most extreme punishment ?
why would that dishonor the original act of offering to leave?
April 15th, 2010 09:50
GabbyD,
You’re right, it an emotional reaction, at least for me. Ateneo for me was a place where we tried to live up to an ideal, despite what the outside realities were. Now, here’s a guy, trying to live up to that ideal, and here’s the Board of Trustees basically saying…Naahhh you don’t have to do that.
The Board’s decision was (in my view) rooted on practical reality–the prospect of losing a big supporter. It was far from the ideal that we sought to establish.
April 15th, 2010 10:27
I totally agree sir!
April 15th, 2010 11:06
Some thoughts:
1. Do famous musicians, directors or writers always tell that all of their work/s were all inspired by some little or great way by another work or artist??
2. Granting that plagiarism exist in this case, are we the public have the right to cry foul about it?? I think Oprah, O’brien, and Obama are the parties whose should be crying about the alleged plagiarism and not us.
3. Lastly, i agree that ADMU Board did not accept his resignation because he’s too big of a supporter to give up.
It’s like Bill Clinton admitting doing it with Whitehouse intern Monica Lewinsky and still being accepted as President of the USA or Kobe Bryant admitting adultery and still be retained by the L.A. Lakers in their roster as long as he wants to.
If MVP do really wanna resign as Chairman, then it should be an irrevocable resignation or he can stop attending or discharging the functions of his office in the Board……
April 15th, 2010 11:09
GabbyD, I have some questions for you:
Do you teach for a living? If you do, have you gone through the motions of filing a case of plagiarism against a student?
If you don’t, have you personally encountered an act of plagiarism? What did you do then?
Also, on “Mr. Pangilinan’s offer to retire was an honorable act. Not accepting Mr. Pangilinan’s offer to retire dishonors that action”:
MVP’s offer to resign was, in my view, honorable only inasmuch as it was expected. Taking responsibility (command responsibility in this case) for one’s action (for the actions of those under one’s command in this case) is expected of ANY adult (psychological incapacities excluded).
Not accepting MVP’s resignation—that is, not accepting his way of taking responsibility for what happened—takes value and weight away from the act of taking responsibility for one’s actions in general. This is why not accepting MVP’s resignation dishonors what MVP had wanted to do. More precisely, it renders impossible MVP’s attempt to take responsibility for what happened. Or, simply, like what Ricky said, it’s practically as if the Board said, “Nah, you don’t have to do that.”
In addition, and by extension, MVP’s offer to resign is his way of upholding the INTEGRITY of Ateneo as an ACADEMIC institution. (Read: “Yes, commencement exercises count as an ‘academic case.’ It is THE ultimate ‘academic case’ of any education, for crying out loud.”) Let MVP get away with what he did, and you throw out the academic integrity of Ateneo, particularly by nullifying the validity of all previous decisions on plagiarism cases against students.
April 15th, 2010 11:41
from “the professional heckler” blogspot
The Ateneo De Manila University Board of Trustees has decided to reject the resignation of its chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan. Consequently, the board announced that the university is adopting a new slogan. From “Lux Domino” (Light in the Lord), the new slogan will be, “Plagiarius est non bonus tamen nos postulo viaticus” (Plagiarism is not good but we need cash).
April 15th, 2010 15:22
I agree with you, and I’m disgusted with the Board. Mukhang pera lang ang katapat ng “academic integrity” sa Ateneo. They make me feel embarrassed to be an Atenean.
April 15th, 2010 15:54
I guess we went to a different school from the Ateneo of Class 2010.
I went to Ateneo, too, and pretty much felt the same way you did. Down to how letting him off trivialized everything.
April 15th, 2010 16:03
@JD
no i’m not a teacher. why dya ask?
“Not accepting MVP’s resignation—that is, not accepting his way of taking responsibility for what happened—takes value and weight away from the act of taking responsibility for one’s actions in general.”
as you yourself said, he didnt resign. he OFFERED to resign. had he been asked, he would have.
having said that, i dont understand your argument. MVP offered to resign to give the board a free hand to determine the punishment. isnt the appropriate (dare i say it, honorable?!) thing to do is to determine the CORRECT punishment? your argument presumes the conclusion — that the correct argument is only that one thing.
moreover, and this is the critical thing: how can OTHERS’ actions TAKE AWAY the import/honor of OUR ACTIONS? when we do something good, doesnt that exist independently of whatever other people do? ex: when we do something heroic (or nice, or anything really), doesnt that stand on its own?
now, i’m not sure if a commencement ceremony is an academic exercise. are grades given out after the ceremony?
April 15th, 2010 16:29
Pera-pera rin pala.
April 15th, 2010 20:18
Turning down the resignation also opens up the possibility that it’s some moro-moro between MVP and Ateneo where the former offers to resign and the latter is expected not to accept.
MVP should know that there is such a thing as an irrevocable resignation.
April 16th, 2010 01:26
Perhaps Padrino system is in effect at Ateneo’s Board of Trustees and it seems that their ethics and moral values are price elastic. Otherwise, they would have impeached MVP and strip him of his honorary degree.
April 16th, 2010 03:30
Show me or name me a CEO who actually writes his /her own speeches or even his/her letter to stockholders.
April 16th, 2010 07:53
GabbyD, as you yourself put it, “no i’m not a teacher. why dya ask?”
Enough said.
c. lima, Sarah, OneTamad, TitoBoy, and Zelbo. I read this somewhere—on Facebook, I think—and it’s quite a sharp thing to say about the entire issue: “Manny talks!”
Mon, as far as I know, nothing has been said against hiring ghostwriters.
April 16th, 2010 08:21
@J.D.
i dont understand.
are you telling me non-teachers are unable to understand the concept of plagiarism?
surely u jest.
April 16th, 2010 08:52
GabbyD,
The whole issue is based on the context of when the plagiarism occurred. It happened in the commencement exercises of an academic institution. Ateneo, as an academic institution, is tasked to be a vanguard of intellectual honesty and integrity. If Ateneo highly values this, then its response should be commensurate to how important intellectual honesty and integrity is to it. So when a board member of an academic institution is caught plagiarizing and whose offer to resign was not taken up (and by MVP’s reasoning, as well, to spare Ateneo from the embarassment of what he did), then there is something wrong there. In the practical sense, it might make sense to appease the patron, but the ideal situation is Ateneo defends the values it is tasked to promote. So does an apology promote intellectual honesty? Does the status quo send the message to the community that plagiarism is wrong and unacceptable in any scenario? This much publicized decision makes it seem to the community that an apology is enough for plagiarism. (Even if he admitted to not writing it on his own, the fact that he assumed responsibility means he should be accountable for whatever consequences that may arise from this event. The community has to understand that.)
And even if he weren’t part of the Board, I’m sure MVP would still continue supporting the school.
April 16th, 2010 08:59
GabbyD, kindly re-read your previous “arguments.” Surely, then, you will understand. You will also find the answer to your last question.
(Hint: In your own words, “context matters.”)
April 16th, 2010 09:28
@JD.
why the ” “?
these are good-faith arguments i’m using to try to understand this outcry.
ricky has said that its emotional. if its emotional, then i have nothing left to say: this means, technically/logically the reaction is exaggerated coz its an emotional issue regarding class, expectations, and school pride.
coz logically, there is NO case for such a strong punishment, unless he was being graded on the commencement speech or something like that…
unless his public embarrassment isnt enough for people?
yes, context DOES matter. i’ve explained why the context here need not call for such punishment
if u have time, please humor me for a brief explanation as to why i’m wrong.
also, note that i’m not defending plagiarism.
EVERYONE knows he’s guilty. MVP knows it. NO ONE should plagiarise. its the punishment thats the issue.
April 16th, 2010 10:28
I completely agree ricky. I have a 6 year old son studying at the Ateneo. I chose the school because I believe in the Ateneo education and more importantly the values a Jesuit education offers. It is extremely disappointing that practical reasons weigh heavier than honesty and integrity to the president nd the board of trustees. How will the ateneo professors now punish a student caught plagiarizing ? How will they teach students that plagiarizing is wrong. Integrity has no exceptions .
April 16th, 2010 10:41
after reading through the comments – I realied that it is futile teaching people integrity. If some cannot tell right from wrong we cannot force the issue. I am a professor and it is very hard to defend a sanction, infraction, punishment if you have no standards to base it on. The graduation is a culmination of an entire academic accomplishment,an entire academic process. The choice of the keynote speaker is in fact a reflection of the ideals you want that graduating batch to emulate and live by. The speech in itself will not make or break a batch but the consequences of plagiarism at the Ateneo will now forever be remembered.
April 16th, 2010 10:55
jayjayvg, I completely agree with you and I share your sentiments.
April 16th, 2010 11:11
Oh and yes the punishment being the acceptance of his resignation is such because of his position in the board of trustees. There is no way you can suspend, penalize a person in such a position.
Thanks J.D.
April 16th, 2010 11:21
Wow! What an amazing discussion. Plagiarism is simply wrong. Plagiarizing parts of a speech to a group of graduating students is wrong times 10. It doesn’t matter who actually wrote the speech, the guy who spoke the words did so in his own name.
This is another example of what is wrong with our society. We seem to think that “saying sorry” cancels out wrongdoing. In the Philippines, people who engage in corrupt or crooked acts can always find forgiveness if they just “say sorry”.
Sure, it wasn’t an inherently criminal act. And it wasn’t like stealing 728 million pesos. But it should still be treated as the unethical thing that it was.
Whether Ateneo accepts his resignation or not, Pangilinan should still consider himself resigned. It was the right thing to do, in a world where too few people do the right thing.
A final thought: His positions as Trustee and as a financial supporter of the school are 2 different things. He can easily resign as a Trustee but continue to support the school financially. To me, that would truly demonstrate that he is an honorable man.
April 16th, 2010 13:26
its interesting that money keeps cropping up.
“he’s rich. he’s a donor. it HAS to be because of his money that this happened. utang na loob, and all that.”
i’m curious, which lead me to formulate this thought experiment:
thought experiment: same thing happened, man of ordinary means (i.e. not a multi-millionaire) did the same thing as MVP. he said he was busy and hired people to write a nice speech for him. he said he was sorry and said he would willingly retire from the board if the board elected 2 do that.
should this man be forced out?
using the same arguments, the board would have also accepted the apology.
would the board still be wrong? would we still second guess the board’s decision?
i think the word for what we’re seeing here is cynicism. like conan obrien, its one of my least favorite traits.
April 16th, 2010 13:27
mon (#18),
mvp could have instructed his speechwriters not to plagiarize. and if they have to quote the works of others, to cite them in the speech. i don’t think that will diminish the message..
April 16th, 2010 13:54
Guys,
I’ve heard that MVP has just tendered his irrevocable resignation. The choice to do the right thing was his and not the Ateneo board’s.
Lets give him that. As for the Board…..
April 16th, 2010 13:58
This just in: MVP tenders his irrevocable resignation from the BoT of AdMU.
April 16th, 2010 14:40
Well,well… looks like the man has more character than his Board, after all.
April 16th, 2010 14:51
Hats off to MVP on his irrevocable resignation. That shows delicadeza.
April 16th, 2010 14:58
I admire MVP for being firm on this matter. I agree with ricky that the issue was ultimately integrity. MVP made a mistake and took full responsibility for the speech (even if the act itself was committed by the speechwriter). The president and the board’s decision to disregard this is the issue. MVP regained my respect.
April 16th, 2010 18:03
I am in complete agreement with you Ricky and was thinking exactly along those lines when I heard the board did not accept his resignation. MVP showed extreme delicadeza and yes, even leadership. I believe, that the board not accepting his resignation made matters worse for MVP and it trivialized both the wrongdoing ( the plagiarism) and MVP’s act of repentance (his resignation) in one fell swoop.
In GabbyD’s first comment he/she wrote and if I may extract.
“people believe that some sins are less sinful than others — thus punishment is tailored to the sin…”
I agree with that completely. But in this case I have to believe that the punishment was not tailored to the sin but to the sinner. Had this been someone else, perhaps a politician currently running for office, or any other prominent figure who was “less supportive” of the Ateneo, I am not convinced the board (nor the public for that matter) would have reacted and down played the situation the way they did. This idea is bothersome to me.
April 17th, 2010 04:09
I never studied at Ateneo. Thank’s God. If you plagiarize other people’s work. It means, you are not using your brain to write and give your own ideas and opinions. Share your own thinking. You let others do the thinking for you. You are either lazy to think; or refuse to use your own brain…
April 17th, 2010 12:08
Ateneo just plainly sold out. It practically told its students, “Do as I say, not as I do. It’s okay to cheat so long as you have the money. Forget about morals; the almighty moneda speaks louder!”
April 18th, 2010 08:14
from the news, it seems that the division that the board caused among the members of the community forced MVP’s hand.
the board and the faculty should have a long talk and think about their arguments and premises; get their collective act together.
April 18th, 2010 12:47
are we not all “plagiarist”?
paano ka natutu magsulat..saan mo nakuha ang idea…? di ba may pinanggalingan din yan.. sa teacher ng teacher ng teacher..ad infiniytm ..mo..(nabasa mo man o nakwento sa yo)..so lahat na natutunan mo copiamos a todos. meron ka bang originality? anong tinuturo mo sa anak nmo..sa iyo ba of me pinagcopiahan ka..are you not then a plagiarist also? so what’s the heck?
that is how communication evolve.. you have to modify what is there to suit your needs..upgrade like a computer?
sa ano ang gusto nyo..ipako sya sa cruz?
April 18th, 2010 22:02
I would not glamorize MVP for having made his resignation irrevocable eventually. He should have made it irrevocable from the beginning in the first place. It seems to me that he made the original tender wide open for the board to decide, and the board ultimately made the wrong call. In the special world of the academe—especially the academe—plagiarism is taboo and a sin. MVP committed the mortal sin of omission.
April 19th, 2010 07:44
No. Apparently the Ateneo way now is one of self-righteousness.
People like seem incapable of believing that a group of well-educated and well-informed people like the BOT are capable of making a good decision in a situation like this.
To accuse them (and Ateneo in general) of making this decision based on financial motives alone is very serious accusation that lacks any shred of evidence. I know quite a few people on the BOT and they are NOT the kind of people who would do this.
Ateneans like you give the rest of us a bad name.
You never ever went down from the hill, passing judgment on the rest of us common folk.
April 19th, 2010 08:36
If Pangilinan REALLY wanted to make ammends, should he have made his resignation irrevocable?
I agree with the thought that he was given too much credit.
April 19th, 2010 12:09
Why does he need to add the word “irrevocable” to make his resignation count?
Only in the Philippines is a resignation not final until you say “irrevocable”.
Only in the Philippines can you sign a document, or a petition, or a bill, and then “withdraw” your signature later.
Only in the Philippines is a court decision not final until it is issued “with finality”.
That’s like saying that an act is not really illegal until we make it “absolutely illegal”.
Let’s grow up guys. A signature is a signature. A resignation is a resignation.
April 19th, 2010 12:38
I said earlier that MVP seems to have more character than his Board In Ateneo.
I will take that back. I recently saw a new TV program on his just purchased new TV5 channel. It’s called “Face-Off”.
I was shocked. It is a Filipino version of that vulgar American TV show of Jerry Springer.. where guests with complaints against each other are brought in to face each other and shout and rant and bad-mouth each other for the whole world to see.
This kind of TV show has finally reached the Philippines. And it was Manny Pangilinan’s TV network that brought it here. It is disgusting. It has no place on Philippine TV. This kind of show degrades the Filipino character. It is a kind of show that cultivates and spreads disrespect, vulgarity.
Character? I take it back. Manny Pangilinan has chosen to do what no other Filipino network has dared to do… degrade the Filipino in the most despicable profit-oriented way.
April 19th, 2010 14:23
jayjayvg (posts 24, 25, 27)
Well said! (especially post 25)
Too bad not everyone can understand and appreciate the value of honesty and integrity.
April 19th, 2010 17:00
what happens if all what you wirite is with citation as to the source,, all our researches, all you speak…
you learned abc..their shoulc be a source attributed to that..so so teach you children abc,citing say jose rizal as the source..
you teach your children a song do re me..then notforgetting the source..sound of music writer..????
all what you say and write..must have come fom somewhere as you were not born with the original words of wisdom..
everything you see around came from somewhere.. is this plagiarism? then if so.. we are all plagiarist.. get real then..
April 19th, 2010 17:07
nonglapuz,
lets be fair naman. iba ang mga halimbawa mo.
to everyone,
but its clear how divisive this issue is.
is it OK, kung puwede, not to call other people who dont agree lacking in honesty and integrity? as isip-pera lang?
as far as i can see, the board and the faculty have arrived at their positions in good faith.
can we agree that right-thinking people can have LEGITIMATE differences in how we think we should punish plagiarism in this context?
kung puwede lang?
April 19th, 2010 19:58
same context: punish plagiarist??
just encountered this site..tue or not?? i had no basis…just faith… nice to read..
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.the-truth-seekers.org/Moses_files/image012.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.the-truth-seekers.org/Moses.htm&usg=__-EQc1wjfIHVEl95N0_7wZY8p-9I=&h=270&w=386&sz=24&hl=en&start=14&itbs=1&tbnid=4erjIY3X5IdqmM:&tbnh=86&tbnw=123&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dyahweh%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DX%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:1
April 19th, 2010 20:54
@ GabbyD,
Plagarism is Plagarism. And its simply wrong.
We even made a law to make sure its wrong–the copyright law.
You said “he apologized. he concedes he was wrong. why isnt this enough?”
It was enough. But ADMU made a stupid decision of refusing his resignation.
@ c.lima–you’re very funny…But your statement is actually sad but TRUE. (post 11)
To everybody else: This is RICKY CARANDANGS blog.
if you dont agree, make your own.
April 19th, 2010 22:41
Pwede GabbyD! Lets!
April 25th, 2010 08:10
simply put, and regardless of ones alma mater or stature in in life for that matter, it is a fact and a reality that many of us have “screwed up values” today.
And media, as one of the tools to propagate the “marketing priciples,” is a major player for this screw-up.
you and i either want to “sell” something, or “buy” something. either way the “exchange” transaction is the emphasis.
forget about “principles!” it can’t feed you and i!
bottom line, “pera-pera” lang yan!
April 25th, 2010 14:31
Money talks, and it talks loudly.
May 8th, 2010 21:35
perhaps MVP is well aware of the kind of “Ateneans” there are in mainstream politics right now…. if not all… then most….
maybe he is trying to show what it means to follow… the Ateneo way…. living up to principles and not get corrupted and be corrupt…
…. we all know there’s a lot of them out there…
good example though… cheers MVP!
May 12th, 2010 11:58
Is MVP a plagiarist? I don’t think so. Plagiarism is an act of consciousness. One has to knowingly use another’s work without attribution to qualify as a plagiarist. Clearly MVP did not know parts of his speech was cadged.
His speechwriters were the ones who plagiarized, not MVP. This is an important distinction. Yet he has not used this to escape responsibility. He did not name names, not the least perhaps because one utterance from him would could destroy the future of his speechwriters. He offered to resign and did.
Was MVP wrong? Yes, of not vetting his staff better, and trusting his writers to be honorable. It is really for this, and not plagiarism per se, that people demanded his resignation. I think that’s not proportional punishment.
To me, his public humiliation is worse than any punishment — accolades such as an honorary degree or the prestige of board chairmanship are worth nothing compared to one’s good name and honest reputation. So I feel he has suffered enough by the mere exposure of his gaffe. But if this is how segments of the Ateneo community want to treat someone who has been unstintingly generous in his support to the institution, then I feel sorry for them.
I think the Board of Trustees did exactly right. But public opinion from within the institution hounded MVP to irrevocably resign. The pound of flesh has finally been extracted, and the Ateneo is the poorer for it.
May 18th, 2010 22:37
What you sow shall be reaped.
i hope this will all serve us a lesson. to both parties
June 9th, 2010 21:56
[...] @MannyVPangilinan sir, i think the advice u gave noynoy wasn’t original. That’s a quote from Nelson Mandela. You must apologize! 2 minutes ago via [...]