Lapuz explains plagiarism: Failure to cite source ‘unallowable’

Jodesz Gavilan

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Lapuz explains plagiarism: Failure to cite source ‘unallowable’
Taking full responsibility for his acts, Lapuz says, 'My heart aches, my heart feels agony and sorrow for these sins of commission and omission in my writings'

COPIED WORKS? Professor Jose David Lapuz says he failed to include quotation marks in his pieces.

(READ: CHED head? Lapuz plagiarized parts of his UST book

MANILA, Philippines – University professor Jose David Lapuz said he “takes full responsibility” for the acts of plagiarism in his numerous works, but insisted that some were committed unintentionally. 

“Of course, I take full responsibility for my actions,” he said in a letter sent to Rappler on Sunday, July 24. “My heart aches, my heart feels agony and sorrow for these sins of commission and omission in my writings.” 

“Definitely and unquestionably, failure to identify the source of borrowed text is unallowable,” he added. “But still, human being (sic) commit slip errors; they carry out flubs and mistakes. Blundering fools we are.” 

On July 20, Rappler reported that at least 20 of the 61 articles in his book, Perspectives in Politics: Public and Foreign; Rationalizing the Irrationalities of Politics were tainted with plagiarized text. 

The book, a compilation of Lapuz’ pieces touching on political and foreign affairs, was published by the University of Santo Tomas (UST) in 2005. 

The Rizal and Political Science professor, according to the sources who requested anonymity, “hacks away chunks of texts, at times an entire page, from certain authors and stitches these to his supposed work.” 

‘Sin of omission’ 

Lapuz said that some passages that he wrote in the 1990s originally had “commas and quotation marks but which we were miss (sic) when retyped in the Standard Typewriter of that time.” 

The book International Relations: The Global Condition in the Late Twentieth Century where he lifted several paragraphs and included in his article, “Foreign Policy Objectives: Towards a Framework of Dignity” sans citation was a book he loved. 

“I was so in love with the book that I became sloppy and careless,” Lapuz explained. “I should have used quotation marks as sometimes one becomes abstracted and inattentive.” 

He, however, said that his “act of omission was unforgivable, unallowable.” 

It’s the same defense he used in explaining the similarities between his article, “Reflections, or Thoughts Coming in of the Tide” and the 1990 Los Angeles Times article by Barry Wood.  

“Held rapt and totally beguiled and enchanted by [Under the Linden Tress] of bewitching Berlin, and transported to my memories of Dr. Jose Rizal, I was so totally taken out of myself that I needed to fill in more details and particular items that I borrowed from another article in a guidebook, or travelogue, or vade mecum about the fantastic city of Berlin,” Lapuz said. “I failed to supply the needed quotation marks for acknowledgement, I was unintentionally forgetful.” 

Below is Lapuz’s reply to Rappler:

‘High-minded’ Lapuz 

Towards the end of the letter, Rodrigo Duterte’s former professor who was reported to be in the running to head the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), started writing in third-person. 

He said that strive to “learn from his mistake so that he can move forward” and not let anything make him “lose sight of his ultimate vision, goals, philosophy, and ideals.” 

“The danger is that in Jose David Lapuz’s attachment to his great and noble idols, he may fail to fully develop the powerful and mighty potential latent in himself,” Lapuz said.

“Lapuz must learn from his mistake so that he can move forward, Lapuz is aggressive, energetic, forceful, commanding, authoritative,competitive and passionate because he is afraid that he may get into a rut and be condemned to a life of dull tasks.”  

Describing himself as “independent and high-minded,” Lapuz explained that he is pleased with himself and will have it no other way.

Lapuz’ former students had previously reacted strongly to reports he was being considered to head CHED. – Rappler.com

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Jodesz Gavilan

Jodesz Gavilan is a writer and researcher for Rappler and its investigative arm, Newsbreak. She covers human rights and impunity beats, producing in-depth and investigative reports particularly on the quest for justice of victims of former president Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs and war on dissent.