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MANILA - Ateneo De Manila University appears to have been caught off guard by Philex Mining Corporation chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan's withdrawal of support for the Jesuit-run school.
Sought for comment on Pangilinan's letter to Ateneo President Fr. Jett Villarin, SJ, Ateneo officials said the school's president was "surprised" by the spread of the businessman's email online, apparently even before Villarin had personally read the same. Philex vice president for business development, Denis Lucindo, had posted the contents of the letter on Twitter and Facebook.
In the letter, which Villarin acknowledged having received and seen on Friday afternoon, Pangilinan said he was parting ways with his alma mater because of "irreconcilable" differences over mining and the Reproductive Health Bill. Pangilinan premised his concerns on a "Jesuit Paper" that, he said, illustrated Ateneo's positions as diametrically opposed to his personal and corporate visions. (See 'The Jesuit Paper' here.)
Jesuit-run Ateneo has been at the forefront of civil society opposition to mining, and is likewise a key ally of the Catholic Church in bucking the RH Bill.
Ateneo was still crafting a statement as of this posting, but Villarin acknowledged to InterAksyon.com that he was "sad" over Pangilinan's email.
Pangilinan has been a key supporter of academic and sports programs at the Ateneo, where he obtained his college degree. The businessman is the chairman of TV5, for which InterAksyon.com is the online news portal.
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