THE JESUIT head of the country’s biggest network of Catholic educational institutions admonished alumni of Catholic schools involved in corruption scandals and anomalous government projects on Tuesday, Sept. 30.
Fr. Karel San Juan, S.J., president of the Catholic Education Association of the Philippines (CEAP), said graduates who were involved in the flood control scandal did not live the values imparted to them by their Catholic schooling.
“Nakakahiya naman kayo kung Catholic school graduate kayo, tapos nagko-corrupt kayo. You’re living lives contrary to the very essence of the values that we have taught you in the schools and universities,” he said during the first day of the CEAP National Convention in Pasay City.
San Juan, president of Ateneo de Davao University, urged alumni of Catholic institutions to uphold integrity in any profession they pursue.
“Try to live them out, struggle even with them, and struggle to live lives of truth and integrity and consistency with your faith. ‘Yong pananampalataya na tinuro namin sa inyo, alalahanin niyo ‘yan,” he said.
The Jesuit priest also invited former students of Catholic schools to return to their universities “to rekindle the spirit of truth, decency, social justice and social transformation.”
San Juan praised the alumni of Catholic schools who became “heroes, great public servants and leaders in government, business and other sectors.”
“We have very good lawyers, doctors, teachers [and] nation builders. They innovate. They are compassionate to the poor… we are very mighty proud of them,” he said.
He emphasized that the responsibility of forming good students and alumni extended not only to the schools, but also to the families and communities to which the students belong.
CEAP, composed of 1,500 member schools, has also condemned corruption in flood-control projects and participated in recent protests calling for government accountability, including the “Trillion Peso March” at the EDSA People Power Monument on Sept. 21.
Three UST system alumni are among those tied to anomalous flood control projects.
Among them are Sen. Joel Villanueva, resigned Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Elizaldy Co, and former Bulacan public works district engineer Henry Alcantara. Alexandra Gabrielle C. Masineros
