writers of manny pangilinan’s plagiarized speech – 2 ateneo students!

from PDI:

2 new writers

Pangilinan—who also chairs telecommunications giant Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT), where Nebres serves as independent director—is known in media circles to use the services of at least two staff members as his speech writers.

But public relations men who claimed to represent the tycoon in this crisis said Sunday morning that the draft for the March 27 speech was prepared by “two new speech writers.” No names were given.

A PR practitioner who works for Pangilinan on certain projects said the two new writers were “Ateneo students” who “wanted to impress” the tycoon.

“They wanted to come out but Pangilinan insisted that he will take responsibility,” the PR practitioner said on condition of anonymity.

A portion of Pangilinan’s letter to Nebres reads: “I have had some help in drafting my remarks, but I take full responsibility for them.”

source: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20100405-262426/Pangilinan-offers-to-quit-as-Ateneo-board-chair

this is exactly the kind of irony that we were hoping we will not have – pangilinan’s plagiarized speech was written not just by 1 but 2 ateneans! we had previously written here of our fear that the speech writer could be an atenean. we were afraid of this as there are many ateneans in the staff of PLDT.

according to PDI, they are  two ateneo students and they wanted to come out but pangilinan insisted on taking the responsibility. again we applaud pangilinan on this gesture.

we encourage the two ateneo students who wrote pangilinan’s plagiarized speech to come out and identify themselves. we will post their names in this blog and will publish their statements on the matter.

the plagiarized speech has obviously harmed the reputation of one of the country’s most successful and most admired business tycoon. it has also harmed the reputation of your own school, the ateneo. coming out and owning up to your error is the right thing to do and will begin restoring the lost reputations of pangilinan and the ateneo.  save pangilinan, save the school and save yourself.

it’s time to own up – The Ateneo Way.

~~~~~

make a comment in this post or send us an email at wawam.email@gmail.com if you want to publish a statement on this matter or if you have information on it.

——-

also read:

• writers of manny pangilinan’s plagiarized speech are 2 ateneo students! OMG!
• fr. nebres gives pangilinan an excuse slip  for the plagiarism
• manny pangilinan delivers commencement exercise speech at ateneo plagiarized from jk rowling, oprah, conan o’brien  and barack obama’s speeches
• manny pangilinan’s ateneo commencement address transcript and the plagiarized parts
• manny pangilinan speechgate: who is the idiot speech writer who wrote the plagiarized commencement exercise speech at the ateneo?

who is the idiot speech writer who wrote the plagiarized ateneo speech of manny pangilinan? : the manny pangilinan speechgate

this is also one of the most important questions regarding this speechgate – who is the idiot speech writer who wrote manny pangilinan’s plagiarized speech at the ateneo commencement exercise? please post in the comment section if you know who this speech writer is.

we are sure this speech writer has been fired by manny pangilinan but we like to know who this person is. (also hope to the heavens that this speech writer did not graduate from the ateneo! we hate ironies of this kind!)

what was this speech writer thinking? or perhaps the more apt question – why did this speech writer did not think at all?

the speech actually has two parts – the inspirational part and the tidbits about manny pangilinan’s life. obviously pangilinan read and wrote parts of the speech as it included personal anecdotes about his life.

pangilinan must have not known and he was probably not told parts of it were plagiarized where some were almost exact copies from other people’s speeches. we wonder if that was how it happened?

why did the speech writer not re-write them? he/she could have just picked up the thoughts but he could have made an effort to re-write them. was that lack of time? laziness?

the speech writer must have known this will be delivered at the ateneo. ateneo students are not exactly known for being naive.  most probably all the graduating class at the ateneo owned a laptop and has internet connection. for sure at least one of them must have read some of these speeches where they were plagiarized from.

we are also very amused that pangilinan found out about the plagiarized parts of his speech at facebook. it is a very modern way of finding out about it. this is the equivalent of your home sex video circulating in the internet (hello, katrina halili? hayden kho?)

it made us wonder – what? manny pangilinan has a facebook account????

also read:

• writers of manny pangilinan’s plagiarized speech are 2 ateneo students! OMG!
•  fr. nebres gives pangilinan an excuse slip for the plagiarism
• manny pangilinan delivers commencement exercise speech at ateneo plagiarized from jk rowling, oprah and barack obama’s speeches
• manny pangilinan’s ateneo commencement address transcript and the plagiarized parts
• manny pangilinan speechgate: who is the speech writer who wrote the plagiarized commencement exercise speech at the ateneo?

fr. nebres gives manny pangilinan an excuse slip for delivering a plagiarized speech at ateneo graduation rites

we applaud manny pangilinan for doing the right thing – admitting his error and resigning from the ateneo.

he should however fire his speech writer. we don’t understand how this speech writer can even consider plagiarizing other people’s commencement exercise speeches, most specially celebrities. copying it from others by itself we think is really dumb but plagiarizing the speeches of celebrities is simply stupid.

this speech writer did not think of the humiliation he/she is putting his/her boss in delivering a plagiarized speech. this is the ateneo, it is easy to expect the students are very much well read that at least one of them have read obama’s, oprah’s or rowling’s speeches.

manny pangilinan did the right thing but we do not understand how fr. ben can not do the right thing here.

in fr. ben’s letter to pangilinan, fr. ben was too forgiving and even went out of his way to provide pangilinan an excuse for his error.  fr. ben puts the blame on pangilinan’s unnamed speech writer and exonerates pangilinan from the error as  he may have not been “fully aware”.

we have a simple question for fr. ben to answer –  based on ateneo policy and principles, what does the ateneo do to an ateneo student if they find out the student plagiarized?

the ateneo way is the principled way. it teaches it’s students and prides itself in being very principled. it protects and upholds principles, what is right and honorable regardless of consequences, even unpopular ones.

ateneo as a school also holds the highest and completely unflinching standards of excellence on it’s students.  grade school students as early as grade 3 are  taught that should they use a quote from someone or from the internet, the students should identify it’s source be it the author or the web link in homework or projects they submit to their teachers.

this is said in all grade school documents for homework and projects. all the students follow this and it is always checked. not doing this will get the student a lower if not a failing mark for the assignment or project.

we wonder why all of a sudden fr. nebres is not following these same standards and principle with manny pangilinan.

pangilinan is not a student, we understand that but he did perform a very important role at the school during the commencement exercise. his role is supposed to provide inspiration to the new graduates and when you do that it is expected that you do it at the highest standards that is why only men or women of substance or only those who are deserving are invited to make speeches like that.

fr. nebres in his letter to pangilinan sounded very willing to bend or even ignore the very same principles that it teaches its students to follow and abide by.

pangilinan knew what he did was wrong and he knew it’s gravity and how the plagiarism has hurt the school. he knew it so well that in his letter  he said  ”wala talaga akong mukhang ihaharap pagkatapos.”

but fr. nebres disagreed with pangilinan’s statement of contrition. pangilinan is an ordinary citizen, fr.  nebres is a priest and yet pangilinan knew the sin he committed and the  moral shame he has caused the school and himself  while  fr. nebres  a priest and president of the university can so easily can ignore it. this is really very hard to understand.

plagiarism is dishonesty. and plagiarism committed in a university destroys the very foundation of what a school of learning is. it is from universities where many  great things in our world begin. copying it from someone else is no great achievement nor does it contribute anything. it is a shame.

the situation seems like everything is turned the opposite way or upside down. the sinner owns up to his sin that he knows to be a sin while the priest ignores it is a sin and lets it pass, reluctant to accept the act of contrition. the sinner already admitted the sin, can the priest not accept it?

we do not belittle who manny pangilinan is. he has done so much for ateneo and we admire him for it and are very thankful for his efforts.

but like pangilinan, we will call a spade a spade. he screwed up and what he did was shameful. we know he had not intended it but as he has said so  himself, the damage has been done. and it was a very meaningful damage.

for his mistake, we think it is right for him to resign his position at the ateneo. if he still wants to serve and help the school, he should continue to do so but not having the same title and function he used to have. if he continues to serve and help the school, we will continue to admire him and be thankful for his efforts.

his letter to fr. ben and his resignation from his position in the school is his mea culpa and meant to bring back honor to the school. he should be allowed to do so. why is fr. ben stopping pangilinan from doing so? and why is fr. ben so freely accepting of  the sin done on the school’s gradutaion rites?

graduation rites at its core is about achievement and excellence. glossing over a plagiarism committed at these rites we think destroys a lot of the meaning and celebration the event deserves very much. henceforth, graduation rites 201o will be known in the school’s history for the next 150 years and beyond  as the one that had dishonesty in it. and fr. ben did not censure it.

we think manny pangilinan has done the right thing  in owning up to his error, apologizing and  taking the right action of resigning from the school, fr. nebres has not. we applaud pangilinan but we can’t say the same thing for fr. nebres.

what is The Ateneo Way?

Letter of Pangilinan to Fr. Bienvenido Nebres, president of AdMU

Dear Father Ben

Easter greetings!

I have been told last night that portions of my graduation remarks – in particular my address to the Schools of Humanities and Social  Sciences – had been borrowed from certain other graduation speeches.

I had taken a look at the side-by-side comparison @ Facebook, and must admit to this mistake.

For this, I wish to express my sincerest apology to you, the University and to the 2010 graduating class.

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

In mitigation perhaps, the body and substance of my speech represented my own story and my thoughts.  And I have labored long hours to get those speeches done.  It is my hope that their impact has not been lost on the graduates. That said, this post  fact event I am certain has devalued the words I have uttered at graduation – whether original or copied.

I am told further that comments posted on Facebook have started to spill beyond graduation, and are now alluding to my misconduct with respect to Meralco, with former President Erap, and so forth.  Under the circumstances, it is best for the Ateneo and myself to shorten the life of this controversy and prevent it from spinning out of control.

Fr Ben, this has been a source of deep personal embarrassment for me.

I am truly regretful for it.  I already have too many battles to fight, and some of them I wish not to have to fight.  In this instance, I do not want to, and would seek only the honorable  and principled way out.  The matter at hand may rest after this public apology, but it gives me a lot of  personal discomfort to continue to be closely involved with Ateneo affairs after this incident.  I am afraid the damage has been done – wala talaga akong mukhang ihaharap pagkatapos.

With much regret, Fr Ben, I would wish to retire from my official duties at the Ateneo.

With all good wishes to you and to our graduates.

M. V. P.

Letter of Nebres to Pangilinan

Dear Manny,

I received your apology just a few minutes ago and feel how deeply embarrassed and pained you are by this event. We realize that this was a mistake and we respect and appreciate your taking responsibility and your immediate apology.

At the same time, we know that this happened without your full awareness, though you take full and sole responsibility.  Thus this does not diminish our admiration and respect for your person and for your care and accomplishments for our country and for the Ateneo. In fact, your acceptance of responsibility and apology command our utmost respect.

In reading again through your speeches, we also see that indeed the main part of your speeches were your story and your thoughts. We thank you for taking so much time to craft them and to share them with us and our graduates. We are deeply touched by this sharing of yourself.

Again I realize how profoundly embarrassed you are by this event and that you believe that resigning from official duties at the Ateneo is the principled thing for you to do. However, reflecting on the events and circumstances, I cannot quite agree, and I believe with many others that what is appropriate is the apology you have given.  Neither can I agree with you that “wala talaga akong mukhang ihaharap pagkatapos.”  I would thus like to take up your retiring from official duties at the Ateneo with our officials and Board of Trustees and discuss it further with you.

It is Easter Vigil and may the Risen Christ be Light to you.

Fr. Ben, S.J.

also read:

• writers of manny pangilinan’s plagiarized speech are 2 ateneo students! OMG!
• fr. nebres gives pangilinan an excuse slip  for the plagiarism
• manny pangilinan delivers commencement exercise speech at ateneo plagiarized from jk rowling, oprah, conan o’brien  and barack obama’s speeches
• manny pangilinan’s ateneo commencement address transcript and the plagiarized parts
• manny pangilinan speechgate: who is the idiot speech writer who wrote the plagiarized commencement exercise speech at the ateneo?

the manny pangilinan speechgate – pangilinan gives a graduation rites speech at the ateneo plagiarized from jk rowling, oprah, barack obama, conan o’brien’s speeches

this is shocking. how can this happen to one of the country’s most successful business tycoons in one of the country’s most respected universities?

ateneo prides itself as principled and doing the right thing, The Ateneo Way. this one happening on a commencement exercise?

it is karma, irony or a message being sent that one of the most successful filipino tycoon delivers a speech at one of the most respected universities in the country during one of the most important period in the university’s history, the sesquicentennial (yes that is a word, means 150) and it is marked by one of the foulest  intellectual sins – plagiarism!

The Ateneo Way?

——-

click links below to read the speech transcript, the plagiarized parts and the letters sent by  pangilinan and fr. nebres.

MVP admits mistake in speech, offers to retire from Ateneo

MANILA, Philippines – Businessman Manuel V. Pangilinan (MVP) has offered to “retire” from the Ateneo de Manila University (AdMU) after acknowledging that portions of his commencement address to the school’s sesquicentennial graduates last March 26 and 27 were copied from speeches of celebrities.

In a letter to AdMU President Fr. Bienvenido Nebres, S.J. posted Saturday on the AdMU website, Pangilinan apologized to the university and to the 2010 graduating class for giving a speech that “had been borrowed from certain other graduation speeches.”

“I had taken a look at the side-by-side comparison @ Facebook, and must admit to this mistake. For this, I wish to express my sincerest apology to you, the University and to the 2010 graduating class,” he said. “I have had some help in the drafting of my remarks, but I take full and sole responsibility for them.”

Several posts on Facebook said portions of Pangilinan’s speech were allegedly copied from celebrities such as JK Rowling, Oprah, and Conan O’Brien. (Read portions of the speech here: MVP: Money’s cool, but so is meaning)

Pangilinan said the incident “has been a source of deep personal embarrassment for me,” and he asked Nebres to allow him to “retire from his official duties at the Ateneo.”

http://abs-cbnnews.com/lifestyle/04/03/10/mvp-admits-mistake-speech-offers-retire-ateneo

also read:

• writers of manny pangilinan’s plagiarized speech are 2 ateneo students! OMG!
• fr. nebres gives pangilinan an excuse slip for the plagiarism
• manny pangilinan delivers commencement exercise speech at ateneo plagiarized from jk rowling, oprah and barack obama’s speeches
• manny pangilinan’s ateneo commencement address transcript and the plagiarized parts
• manny pangilinan speechgate: who is the speech writer who wrote the plagiarized commencement exercise speech at the ateneo?