A history of plagiarism: MVP speeches since (corrected) 2007
From a note on Katrina Stuart Santiago’s fb page:
“plagiarized speeches since 2007
“i used to tell my students that if i catch them plagiarizing one paper, it would put into question all other papers they had written before it. whoever MVP’s speechwriters are, they’ve been giving him plagiarized speeches since 1997.”
At the opening of the new Ateneo library, 2010
MVP speech
Original
Post-Ondoy speech on Corporate Social Responsibility, 2009
MVP speech
Original 1
Original 2
Original 3
Barack Obama: “From the streets of New Orleans to the Mississippi Coast, folks are beginning the next chapter in their American stories. And together, we can ensure that the legacy of a terrible storm is a country that is safer and more prepared for the challenges that may come.”
Manny Pangilinan: “From the streets of Marikina to the flooded plains of Pangasinan, Filipinos should write the next chapter in their stories. Together, we should ensure that the legacy of a terrible storm is a country that is safer, and better prepared, for the tragedies that may come. That’s what CSR is all about.”
Ah! Corporate social responsibility is about ripping off your lines from the President of the United States.
Commencement speech at Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan, 1997 2007
MVP speech
Original 1
Original 2
Original 3
Ateneo, don’t you dare delete these speeches from your website.
Given their history of moral relativism, could those of you with free time save the complete texts?
Who are these homunculi who write Manny Pangilinan’s speeches?
Nailed by Google!
Going by the principle of “Screw me once, shame on you, screw me twice, shame on me”, what about 13 at least three years’ worth?!? (Doesn’t matter how long you’ve been stealing; the point is, You Steal.)
Answers to questions you might be asking, unless you wandered onto this site purely by accident >>>
April 14th, 2010 at 09:12
If the guy does not even bother to check material that he would personally deliver, it is not a surprise then if he does not look over that which he does not personally serve.
No wonder PLDT’s service is so coprophilic.
April 14th, 2010 at 09:22
A couple of ironies here. First, the speeches (except for the post-Ondoy speech) were delivered before students and faculty of a highly esteemed academic institution that supposedly puts much value on knowledge creation. Second, the man heads the country’s biggest telecommunications company, including a broadband network that allowed others to check the originality of his speeches by googling.
Anyway, Bill Gates was said to have stolen Windows from Xerox. But that’s another story.
April 14th, 2010 at 10:01
That’s shocking but still… The schadenfreude, it is sweet. Good thing he already resigned, I guess.
April 14th, 2010 at 10:21
Oh no, the Ateneo won’t let him resign. The Class of 2010 which sat through the stolen speech are begging him to stay. Anyone out there from the Class of 2010?
April 14th, 2010 at 12:07
MVP= May Verily Plagiarize?
April 14th, 2010 at 13:14
Let’s not crucify Mr. Pangilinan, he’s just a boss who trusted his people.
Now those writers, those lazy, serial plagiarists who actually got paid writing those speeches, I’d really really like to…know their names.
April 14th, 2010 at 15:38
Class of 2010 here. It’s the official stand of Batch 2010, but that doesn’t mean that it is the stand of everyone from the batch.
Also, there are professors in Ateneo who are resigning or are planning to resign because of the decision given by the Board of Trustees (BOT). I assure you not everyone is happy with the outcome. I personally think the BOT should have accepted MVP’s offer of resignation. It is the best course of action.
April 14th, 2010 at 15:45
A blog post worth reading from one student in Ateneo: http://justaboutright.wordpress.com/2010/04/13/i-respectfully-disagree/
April 14th, 2010 at 19:47
The guy probably just reads anything that his speechwriters shove in his face. As I have said in an earlier post,why can’t they write their own speeches?
April 14th, 2010 at 20:00
Whoa. Repeat offender much? Whether or not he consciously did this, he’s right, he’s responsible. Let’s give the poor guy a rest and let him resign. We won’t be forgetting this for a while.
(an alum of Batch ’08)
April 14th, 2010 at 21:25
hey jessica! :) thanks for blogging this, so abscbn online messed up, and i ended up actually writing a blog entry too. one more speech is up at my site! http://www.radikalchick.com.
April 14th, 2010 at 21:31
Batch 09 here. Honestly, I initially believed that the speechwriters should be crucified and that MVP should be spared. Given the history of Manny-plagiarism however, I now believe that he should resign. Sigh. But there goes the hundred million donations…
April 14th, 2010 at 22:19
(Jessica Fletcher tone) Since 1997? Surely, someone working under Manny Pangilinan would have thought twice about plagiarizing speeches for his boss if he wanted to keep his job. Four times? Let’s stop thinking about a speech ghostwriter for the meantime and wonder if Manny could actually be the culprit.
April 14th, 2010 at 23:54
This computes. Also, in a city without secrets, the identities of the alleged speechwriters remain secret.
April 15th, 2010 at 00:47
Agree with Ricky. Wouldn’t anyone ghostwriting for one of the most powerful businessmen in the country be afraid of giving him a plagiarized speech?! And four times at that?! Unless said ghostwriter is actually a time-traveling speechwriter who also wrote for Theodore Roosevelt, Martin Luther, Barack Obama, etc. and got too tired of crafting a new speech for his new boss (MVP) so he just rehashed his old work. We need Mulder and Scully to solve this one. Or maybe The Doctor or Capt. Jack Harkness.
April 15th, 2010 at 11:08
They tried to fool us before and put the blame to the “new” ghostwriters… so, what’s now the spin of MVP’s PR men?
Well, we know that he’s a cheater as he admitted cheating in High school and now we also know that he is also a liar.
The recent revelation exposed the true nature of this man… who knows what he has done before through cheating and lying just to make it to the top?
And the new revelation is also a One Big Slap to “The Ateneo” when they absolved MVP. For an educational institution to let go of their principles for a few pieces of MVP’s silver, then it says a lot on the morals of this once fine institution. Ateneo is now going to be known as a Plagiarist’s haven and the coddler of the Most Valuable Plagiarist.
Let us not side-track by focussing on his speechwriters as they are not the issue here. It is just a spin that MVP’s PR men would love us to do and instead focus all our attention to MVP. He proudly acknowledged the “mistake” but with all the excuses and putting the blame on others, I highly doubt the sincerity.
Now it is quite evident that MVP’s “i’m so sorry” apology was not a sincere act but more of a calculated move to preserve whatever credibility he has got.
Enough of the hypocrisies of MVP and Ateneo!
Now we know better… we may forgive but never shall we forget.
April 15th, 2010 at 11:16
and sorry, in the spirit of truth and admitting mistakes, plagiarized speeches since 2007. my bad. though gang badoy posted a 2006 speech that was most plagiarized from samuel l. jackson and jesse jackson. so that’s plagiarized speeches from MVP’s speechwriters since 2006. :)
April 15th, 2010 at 11:32
Could you kindly confirm if the year 1997 in your headline is correct? The earliest example you cited is only 2007, the Xavier University speech. I think this is an important point and deserves clarification. Thanks!
April 15th, 2010 at 18:51
Knowledge isn’t power.. money is.. ;)
April 15th, 2010 at 23:44
I am not surprised. I was treated with the same injustice a few months back. My former thesis adviser used the thrust of my thesis as material for her latest book, which had the same theme as my undergraduate thesis submitted several years ago. The funny thing is, the sources I cited in my thesis were cited, but not my work.
I brought the matter to various offices, which eventually pointed me to the dean’s office. I presented carefully documented proof of the glaring similarities, only to be met with an hour’s worth of insults.
Now if a student used her teacher’s essay as material for her thesis and claimed the idea as her own, all hell would’ve broken loose.
So much for an institution that upholds integrity.
April 16th, 2010 at 10:15
@notinawittymood “We stand on a hill… Down to the world go I…” –> What hill???
April 16th, 2010 at 14:13
@21 keane_g21 : I am glad I never made an effort to learn that stupid alma mater song.
April 16th, 2010 at 14:30
By the way, the melody of that song? Is it the national anthem of Canada?
April 16th, 2010 at 21:38
Jessica, let me quote from the Ateneo website: “Its music is adapted from Calixa Lavalée’s music to the hymn “O Canada”, composed in 1880, which is why many people believe that the Ateneo copied the music of Canada’s national anthem. However, it is interesting to note that Canada only adopted “O Canada” as its own national anthem in 1980. The Ateneo de Manila adopted “A Song for Mary” as its alma mater song three decades earlier.”
April 17th, 2010 at 00:04
@dandingyotoko:
And it just shows the unbelievable arrogance of Ateneo. Why not just admit that their Alma Mater song was copied instead of making those ridiculous spins.
Maybe, that’s an inherent trait as it was repeated again in MVP’s case. They tried to spin the issue by blaming the so-called “new” ghostwriters and singing hallelujahs to heaven highs about the goodness of mvp but look where this blunder brought them.
There’s a moral story to this whole saga. While “money’s cool” and despite the massive PR machination of MVP, you can’t buy everything. In one rare instance…. decency prevails.
Oh, btw, MVP should also return the honorary degree bestowed to him by Ateneo. Where’s the decency accepting an award when you are the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the same school?
…. Talk about delicadeza!!!
April 18th, 2010 at 01:31
“Also, in a city without secrets, the identities of the alleged speechwriters remain secret.”
I get it. The speechwriters of MVP are young, attractive men, possibly scholars of his. These are students who have an excess of brains and ambition, but are lacking in funds. Rather than expose them and reveal their working relationship with MVP, it’s better to execute a PR tactic that will save MVP relatively more face, than risk unraveling his open secret by letting his speechwriters out to dry.