CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Philippines — In the consultations conducted by Xavier University - Ateneo de Cagayan, various stakeholders have expressed their support and excitement over the proposed expansion plan dubbed as “Campus of the Future.”
Among the ardent supporters of this proposal is City Mayor Oscar Moreno. In many occasions, he hailed this large-scale project as “game-changer.”
“Nobody is more excited about this project than me,” Moreno said. “This is really a game-changer as it will open a lot of opportunities not just in Cagayan de Oro, but in Northern Mindanao. This is not just a milestone for the city, it is destiny.”
The consultations with the parents, students, faculty, and staff of the university started with the presentation of Xavier Ateneo president Fr Roberto “Bobby” Yap SJ on the need for a new campus to provide a state-of-the-art learning environment. Small group sharing then followed where stakeholders expressed their feelings and thoughts about the project.
For the general alumni and community leaders, presentations on the new campus and introduction to Cebu Landmasters Inc (CLI) were led by Yap and CLI’s CEO Jose Soberano III and COO Jose Franco Soberano, respectively. Members of the XU Board of Trustees, headed by Francisco Guerra III, were present during the consultations.
Xavier Ateneo plans to develop the new campus for XU Higher Education Colleges on 21 of its 63-hectare Manresa property in uptown CDO. The new campus will also retain the 25-hectare forest reserve in Manresa. To finance the construction of the new campus, XU is proposing to sell around 4 hectares of its 6-hectare property in Divisoria and around 14 of the 63-hectare Manresa property to CLI to turn them into a Central Business District and a University Township, respectively.
Support for the plan
The business leaders in the city are also supporting this project. Irene Floro, president of Oro Chamber of Commerce, congratulated the university in coming up with this masterplan.
“This [project] is really ripe for this time,” Floro said. “We are so happy about this expansion plan. … This is going to be a dynamic market opportunity for Cagayan de Oro City.”
During the Aggie alumni consultation, the El Gaucho plans of the university were emphasized in the presentation. The College of Agriculture facilities (e.g. demonstration farms, workshops, field laboratories) presently located in Manresa is envisioned to be transferred to XU’s 104-hectare property in Puerto called El Gaucho.
Entrepreneur Roberto Ansaldo, also an Aggie alumnus, shared: “I used to have apprehensions over this project, but after hearing the presentation of Fr Bobby, I am more and more convinced that this is a project worth supporting.”
The new campus is proposed to be named the Masterson Campus honoring the great visionary Fr William Masterson SJ who foresaw the potential of Manresa in the 1960s.
Concerns to be addressed
Representatives of various groups also conveyed their concerns over the project, but they remained hopeful that these will be addressed. Among the concerns raised are traffic due to the inadequate road networks, environmental risks (flooding, soil erosion, and drainage), lack of public transportation, security, heritage, and coordination with LGUs and line agencies.
The series of consultations with the various stakeholders, conducted from July 16 to 22, was aimed at providing a venue for dialogue and conversation on the proposed “Campus of the Future” of Xavier Ateneo with the hopes to identify the challenges and risks as well as generate possible solutions.
“I am excited about the project and a 10-year project completion is just timely,” said Audrey Theresse Yu, president of the Central Student Government. “We hope the concerns will be addressed.”
The consultations form part of the process of seeking approval from Jesuit authorities, particularly from Society of Jesus’ Superior General Fr Arturo Sosa. If the new campus project gets approved, it is expected to be developed over an 8- to 10-year period.
In a letter to Xavier Ateneo in March 2019, Sosa wrote: “In general, the plan seems reasonable, and some initial legwork has been done. Thus, I would be open to this alienation and eventual transfer. However, given the magnitude of this undertaking, involving such an enormous amount of money, I ask that more in-depth and extensive discernment and consultation be done before approving this request. … My hope is that this would make this project even stronger, with greater and more solid support from major stakeholders.”
This proposed masterplan for the “Campus of the Future” is in consonance with Xavier Ateneo’s vision to be a leading ASEAN university especially as it moves forward to celebrating its centennial in 2033.∎