THE movement against the sale of the Xavier University (XU) campus received a significant boost as the First Community Cooperative (Ficco) threw its weight behind the opposition during its general assembly on March 2.
Ficco, a nationwide cooperative with 105 branches across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao boasting half a million members, passed G.A. Resolution no. 2024-08 expressing support for the opposition against the sale of the Xavier University main campus and Manresa Farm to Cebu Landmasters, Inc. (CLI).
Established in 1954 at the XU main campus by Rev. Fr. William F. Masterson, SJ, and the XU personnel community, Ficco has deep historical ties with Xavier University. Fr. Masterson, credited as the Father of the Cooperative Movement in Mindanao, laid the foundation for Ficco’s inception.
The cooperative’s function hall in the newly-built Ficco admin building is dedicated to Fr. Masterson. Additionally, Fr. Masterson founded the XU College of Agriculture and Manresa Farm, commemorated by Fr. Masterson Avenue in uptown.
Recognizing the cultural and historical significance of the XU campus, Ficco believes that its sale would diminish its heritage legacy. Consequently, Ficco called upon its general assembly to rally behind the opposition to the XU-CLI project.
The primary opposition, led by the Concerned Parents, Teachers, Alumni, and Communities Against the Sale of Xavier Campus (Coptac), has vehemently voiced its objections, citing City Ordinance no. 14339-2022 passed by the city council on June 27, 2022.
According to Coptac president Anselmo B. Mercado, EdD, the ordinance’s approval violated existing laws and regulations, including Section 54 of Zoning Ordinance 13032-2016, which mandates a review by the Local Zoning Review Committee (LZRC).
The opposition argues that the passing of the ordinance by the city council breached public trust and disregarded established guidelines, fueling their determination to halt the sale of the cherished Xavier University campus and Manresa Farm.
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