XAVIER University (XU) president Fr. Bobby Yap said opinions against the planned campus of the future are being seriously considered, even as he pointed out that “we cannot stay in the past”.
“We understand the heritage concerns, it is very important, Xavier University is rooted in history. But we cannot stay in the past, we should look to the future,” Yap said in a press conference in response to the criticisms of the plan to transfer the university to uptown Cagayan de Oro.
Yap said the concerns are considered in making revisions to the plan. He said they are finding ways to maintain the balance between keeping the heritage as well as looking forward.
The project, which aims to develop a new campus for XU Higher Education Colleges on its 63-hectare Manresa property in uptown Cagayan de Oro, virtually got the approval from the Jesuits father general, the highest official of the Society of Jesus in Rome.
The university has to get the approval from its board of trustees and the Jesuit Father General before the project could begin.
In March 26, Father General Fr. Arturo Sosa said the plan “seems reasonable”, adding he would be open to this alienation and the eventual transfer.
But he added, there should be more in-dept and extensive discernment as well as consultation before the approval of the request. Yap said the Father General might issue an answer to this proposal before the year ends.
“If he will say no, then we can’t do anything about it. But we will be presenting the best case as well as objections in our reports. We will pray,” Yap said.
The university has already concluded a series of dialogues on the matters.
The project has 2 phases and requires a funding worth P5.2 billion. In the first phase, the university will spend P3.5 billion to develop a new campus uptown, while in the second phase, it needs P1.7 billion to complete the project.
The undertaking is expected to be completed in a span of 8-10 years.
To finance the proposal, the university will have to sell first the 14 hectares of the 60-hectare Manresa and consequently, another 4 hectares of the 6-hectares of the Divisoria campus to the project developer Cebu Landmasters Inc. (CLI).
The remaining two hectares will be retained under XU, where the colleges of law, medicine, graduate studies, and the church will still be located, while the rest of the property will be transformed into a central business district. The developer CLI has agreed to call it “Xavier City”.
The rest of the colleges will be moved uptown.
Meanwhile, as a response to the heritage concerns, XU has vowed to work with the National Historical Commission. Yap said some buildings, such as the Science Center and the Lucas Hall’s facade will be retained.
It will also replicate historical monuments in the new campus, and shall put up historical markers in Divisoria.
The proposed masterplan for a campus of the future is in line with the Jesuit university’s strategic plan “to be the best university in Mindanao and in the country especially as Xavier Ateneo moves forward to celebrating its centennial in 2033”.