A GROUP of alumni, teachers, and concerned parents of Xavier University (XU) Ateneo de Cagayan staged a candle-lighting rally over the weekend to protest the sale of the Divisoria campus to a Cebu-based land developer.
XU alumnus and former Agriculture undersecretary Jose Gabriel La Viña joined the demonstration and hit the leadership of the university for the absence of transparency in making the deal.
He also accused the consultations conducted by the university as "staged."
"Nganong ilang gitago, murag gi-magic magic ba, walay transparency. Naa kunoy consultation, pero staged man. Kanang ilang deal, alkansi kaayo ang Xavier, gibinuangan ang Xavier ana," he said.
"Kung ako ang president sa Landmasters, maayo sa ako, pero sa Xavier, wala tay makuha ana, maguba lang ang atong eskwelahan nga historical," La Viña added.
He pointed out that the poor students of the university will be hardly affected if the main campus will be transferred uptown in Manresa.
La Viña challenged the developer to donate an amount instead for the extension and development of XU rather than get a part of its property. In exchange, he said, the university will name a building after the developer.
Anselmo Mercado also voiced out support against the sale, saying he considered Xavier his home for many years.
"Nganong ibaligya nato atong puluy-anan, sakit kaayo. Ang Xavier is crown jewel of Cagayan de Oro," he said.
Alfredo Carcosa, Barangay Balulang councilor, said the development of Manresa located in the upper part of the barangay will adversely affect some 1,500 residents.
Carcosa said the establishment of buildings in Manresa could cause landslides in their barangay.
The former village chair also complained of the water wastes coming from Manresa reaching their barangay.
The group hopes to gather thousands of signatures to complete its petition against the sale. The petition will then be sent to Rome, hopefully to reach Fr. Arturo Sosa, the superior general of the Society of Jesus.
"We recognize the need for a bigger and better Xavier. We believe that Xavier U can still pursue its planned development without having to sell an inch of its valuable asset," the group said in a statement.
The Visayas-Mindanao property developer Cebu Landmasters Inc. (CLI) said it is in talks with Xavier University for a proposed new township project in Cagayan de Oro.
Under the agreement, CLI will develop its 63.5-hectare property known as Manresa into a premier university town over the next several years.
To finance the P.2-billion project, the university will have to sell first the 14 hectares of the 60-hectare Manresa property and consequently, another four hectares of the six-hectare property of the Divisoria campus to the developer.
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."
Xavier University (XU) president Fr. Bobby Yap earlier said opinions against the plan are being 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.