Fr. Jett Villarin SJ has invited Imelda Marcos into the hallowed grounds of Ateneo de Manila University as guest of honor to deliver a speech on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Ateneo Scholarship Foundation (ASF).
Many alumni from around the world has condemned his action saying that he was insensitive to the feelings of alumni who were tortured and killed during the Marcos regime. So maybe it was a mistake he committed by inviting the survivor of the ‘Conjugal Dictatorship’ that ruled the country for 20 years. So what if she is a benefactor of the ASF!
Did he have a valid reason to invite Imelda?
But we do not know what was in his mind when the good priest extended the invitation to the former first lady. We do not know what reasons he had. Surely, a man of his calibre and intelligence must have weighed the positive and negative repercussions of what has become an unpopular decision. After all, he graduated summa cum laude at the Loyola School of Theology on top of being class valedictorian when he graduated magna cum laude in 1980 at the Ateneo de Manila University. He later obtained a PhD in Atmospheric Sciences from Georgia Tech in 1997.
So he committed a mistake but should it be a fatal mistake? He has made a public apology but still, many people are after his blood. Numerous alumni are asking for his resignation as president of Ateneo.
I too, am an alumnus of Ateneo and maybe I am among the few who believe that he should not succumb to this public demand. Everybody commits mistakes. We are but human capable of making a wrong decision. I believe he deserves a second chance.