Ricky’s brief Ateneo stint

MAYNILAD president/CEO Ricky Vargas was the last person I expected to bump into during an intimate birthday luncheon in a farm in San Pablo, Laguna, last Saturday.

But there he was seated at a round table, dressed in a fire engine red t-shirt with the words “Genghis Khan  Polo Team” printed in front. Sharing Ricky’s table  were Peachy Guioguio and Paul Mata, both of TV5’s Corporate Communications department.

I was ushered in by the celebrant to his table where the topic of conversation was Ricky’s return to school.

From the little that I heard, it sounded like the Maynilad official had taken a special course at the Ateneo de Manila University.

* * *

“You went back to school? What on earth for? You’re already the president/CEO of Maynilad. What else do you want to learn?” I asked him.

“Wait till you hear who my classmates were,” he replied. “Doy Vea was one, Polly Nazareno was another and oh, Manny V. Pangilinan was also a classmate.”

Vea is president of Smart Telecommunications, Nazareno of PLDT while MVP is chair of both and other giant companies like Meralco, Maynilad, etc.

Curiously, Ricky had no name for the special course.

“It’s not in the Ateneo curriculum. It’s a special leadership development course designed by the Jesuit educators of Ateneo for the heads of MVP’s various concerns.

“It was supposed to be a gift from the Jesuits to MVP on his birthday last July.”

* * *

Needless to say, MVP appreciated the gift and felt that the course would be of help to his highest ranking executives, whom he rounded up after carefully studying the contents of the leadership course.

Ricky said the Jesuit fathers allowed students enrolled at Ateneo to join the classes.

“We were supposed to share our insights with them. They would learn from us and we from them,” Ricky said.

“After studying the curriculum,  MVP announced: ‘Let’s all go back to school, guys!’ We were supposed to attend five sessions in all, from 8 a.m. to noon, before we received our diplomas. There were a number of subjects included in the course. Among them were philosophy, art appreciation and metaphysics.”

“Metaphysics? You mean the paranormal?” I asked.

Ricky nodded his head. “One of the things we were taught is that not everything in this world can be scientifically or logically explained. There are mysteries that the human mind cannot fathom.”

* * *

Ricky said the classes were very enjoyable and really educational. What they valued most of all, he said, was their interaction with the real students.

“After our classes, MVP would invite everyone to lunch. Niligid namin ang eating places around the campus. The students enjoyed talking with MVP, they were delighted to learn so much from him,” Ricky said.

Part of the fun, he said, was in role-playing. In the first session, he came  dressed as a destitute student. He was practically in rags. His parents were supposed to be very poor and he was studying on a scholarship grant. In the second session, he came dressed as a rich man’s son wearing Prada shoes, Armani garb. Third session, he was just himself.

What about the fourth and fifth sessions? What role did he play?

Ricky said the sessions ended after the third.

“Nobody finished the course, none of us got a diploma. We all ended up undergrads,” said Ricky.

The  breakup, the parting of ways with Ateneo, happened after the third session. The course was discontinued.