Submitted by Vox Bikol on
We, members of the Philosophy Department of the Ateneo de Naga University, take exception to the accusations made by Naga City Mayor Jesse Robredo in his resignation letter dated 1 February 2010.
In the course of his resignation as member of the University's Board of Trustees, Mayor Robredo wrote that he "believe[d] the University has allowed itself to be used by certain parties who have an axe to grind against me and my administration." While he did not explicitly mention who were these "certain parties who have an axe to grind" against him and his administration, Mayor Robredo nonetheless identified a particular activity which supposedly intended to cast "in a bad light" the city government which he heads. He mentioned "the Regional Convention on Decoding Philippine Politics" which was sponsored and initiated by the Philosophy Department during the last week of January this year.
The said convention, in fact, was part of this year's "Philosophy Week" celebration of the University, an annual activity of the Department since S/Y 2003-2004.
Mayor Robredo alleged that "for two years running, [the] purported search for the truth [of these parties who have an axe to grind] has unfairly focused on the city government, with the intention of casting it in a bad light."
He further alleged that "[c]oncerned Ateneo faculty and students have conveyed the same sentiment and have asked me why some personalities in the University continue to demonize me and my administration even in the classrooms."
Worst yet, Mayor Robredo has made the very serious accusation that "[m]alicious lies have been spread by the same personalities such as my alleged plan to perpetuate myself in power --by fielding my wife for the mayoralty race in Naga."
As members of the Philosophy Department against whom these unsubstantiated allegations had been imputed, and as members of the Ateneo de Naga University community whose reputation had been besmirched by this sweeping accusations, we demand and challenge Mayor Jesse Robredo to lend substance and evidence to these grave charges he had made.
We demand and challenge Mayor Robredo to substantiate his claim that we, members of the Philosophy Department, have an axe to grind against him and his administration. We ask him: Why would we have an axe to grind against him? No one in the Department is seeking any public office in Naga City or elsewhere. What vested personal benefits are there for us in criticizing the very popular and multi-awarded Mayor, if not to assume the essentially critical position of Philosophy towards politics and politicians?
We demand and challenge Mayor Robredo to name the "concerned Ateneo faculty and students" who supposedly told him that he and his administration were continually demonized in the classrooms. As it is the Philosophy Department and the principles it upholds are out in the open while those whose stand runs counter to it are held in shadows by the good mayor. Unidentified, these individuals are source of hearsays and Mayor Robredo is guilty of believing in hearsay and favoring gossip as basis of his accusations. By not specifying the classrooms in which he and his administration were allegedly demonized, he has cast aspersions on all the classes of the University and all the faculty members who teach in these classes.
We demand and challenge Mayor Robredo to prove the grave charge that we, members of the Philosophy Department, have spread "malicious lies" regarding the Mayor's plan to perpetuate himself in power and, as part of this design, he is fielding his wife in the mayoralty race. We question him to verify the source of the lies. We want to know when, where, and how the malicious lies were disseminated. Without the explanations, the good mayor's words are libelous.
Mayor Jesse Robredo wrote that he welcomed criticisms that are "well-meant" and that they do "not mind being held to a higher standard." Given the foregoing, we dare him to uphold the standards, not only of justice but also of decency. He can only do this by providing evidence to his accusations against our Department and the Ateneo de Naga University community.
Ateneo de Naga University's reputation has been maligned by Mayor Robredo's grand charge that the University "has failed to uphold the values of truth, integrity and fairness." We demand that he be truthful about his accusations. We want to see substance in his accusations.
If these complaints are mere allegations, if there are no proofs at all to these insinuations, then we demand that a public apology and a retraction be issued.
Fr. Wilmer Joseph S. Tria (Chair) Robert Glenn Alipante
John Badong Michael Roland Hernandez
Federico José Lagdameo Victor Loquias
Arman Ogarte Adrian Remodo
Ronald Turiano