The VSB Community proudly celebrates our distinguished alumni. The awardees were recognized in the Alumni Homecoming program on 7 December 2024.

• Maria Carolina V. Dominguez (BSBA 1984)

• Maria Corazon D. Purisima (BSBAA 1999)

• Jazmin Vinculado (BSBAA 1995)

You are all cordially invited to attend the research lectures of:

• Prof. Arturo Benedict M. Ilano on December 12, 2024 (Thursday) at 10 AM in VSB Rm 108 entitled Testing the Double Jeopardy Effect in Student Fast-Food Consumption

• Prof. Ben Paul B. Gutierrez on December 13, 2024 (Friday) at 11 AM in VSB Rm 108 entitled Diversification Strategies of the Aboitiz and Consunji Business Groups in the Philippines

• Prof. Debbie Chua Bun Pho on December 17, 2024 (Tuesday) at 11 AM in VSB Rm 106 entitled Company Profile of Listed Philippine Property and Industrial Companies Using the Fair Value Model on Investment Properties

• Prof. Daniel Vincent H. Borja on December 18, 2024 (Wednesday) at 8 AM in VSB Rm 106 entitled Liquidity Funding Risk

• Prof. Helena Agnes S. Valderrama on December 18, 2024 (Wednesday) at 2 PM in VSB Rm 106 entitled Governance and Related Party Interests in the Philippine Power Sector:  An Exploratory Analysis

Five (5) BS Business Administration & Accountancy students of the Virata School of Business were recognized as champions in the 24th Intercollegiate Finance Competition (ICFC) on 22 November 2024 held at De La Salle University Manila. The ICFC is one of the most prestigious annual academic competitions for finance, banking, and economics in the Philippines organized by the Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines (FINEX) which aims to determine the best finance teams in the country through a two-stage competition proper. 

The team comprised Brian Dominic C. Dela Cruz, Mary Francine G. Estoesta, Marco Antonio P. Paez, Dominic O. Segunial, and Nemesio Justine dF. Torres, Jr. Prof. John Lester H. Aratea from the Department of Accounting and Finance coached the team.

Besting 98 other schools from six different locations nationwide, this year's win brings VSB's total to 14 championships out of the 24 times the competition has been held. NCR's host, De La Salle University, was recognized as the first Runner-up, while the second Runner-up was the University of San Carlos from Cebu. Congratulations to the team

Deadline for submission of all application documents: March 31, 2025. For application details: https://www.vsb.upd.edu.ph/phd-program/admission.

Gold news from the Netherlands! Five (5) BS Business Administration and Accountancy students from the UP Virata School of Business were awarded the Gold Prize at the Wing Lung Bank International Institute for Business Development (IIBD) International Case Competition 2024 held last November 7 in the town of Zwolle, the Netherlands. With the theme “Water for the World,” this year’s competition was jointly hosted by the Windesheim University of Applied Sciences and the Hong Kong Baptist University.

The team members are Chelsea Denise T. Cregencia, Karla S. Lorena, Ma. Angelica Grace L. Rapal, and Aleisha Hailey O. Uy, and were coached by Prof. Mikhael B. Magana. Lorena was also recognized as the Best Presenter of the competition. The team aced the first round and was chosen as a finalist from more than 50 global teams. In the finals, the jury was impressed with the team’s presentation for a fresh produce company, emphasizing the sustainability of farming practices and the financial viability of the proposed strategies.

The Wing Lung Bank IIBD is an international consortium comprised of 18 member universities in Australia, Canada, Sweden, Thailand, the Netherlands, the Philippines, the UK, the US & China. IIBD’s mission is to facilitate the growth and development of international business education activities through the cooperation and joint ventures with its global network. (From the IIBD Official Website)

The school will honor its alumni who have outstanding accomplishments in the field of business management, and/or entrepreneurship, and/or public service. The awardees will be honored during the annual alumni homecoming on Saturday, December 7, 2024 (9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.) at the UPVSB Building. 

This year, the honoree classes are: 1974 (Golden), 1979 (Sapphire), 1984 (Ruby), 1989 (Coral), 1994 (Pearl), 1999 (Silver), 2004, 2009, 2014, and 2019. All MBA, MS Finance, MS Management, PhD graduates and graduates of Classes 2010-2024 are also cordially invited.

Selection Criteria

1.  The nominee must have demonstrated outstanding achievement as a professional manager in an industry, and/or;

2.  The nominee is a successful entrepreneur whose firm has a respectable size in terms of Total Assets and/or number of personnel; and/or

3.  The nominee has rendered distinguished public service.

Past recipients of the DAA will no longer be considered for this award. The nomination form can be accomplished through https://tinyurl.com/VSBDAA2024. Complete nominations should be accomplished and sent no later than Monday, November 4, 2024, 12:00 noon.

Three UP Virata School of Business faculty have been conferred with the distinction of UP Scientist 1 under the UP Scientific Productivity System (SPS) Batch 2023-2025. The faculty are:

• Dr. Erik Paolo S. Capistrano

• Dr. Dave DG. Centeno 

• Dr. Maria Regina Lucia M. Lizares

The announcement was made by the Office of the Faculty Regent following the UP Board of Regents meeting today, 26 September 2024 (Thursday).

Congratulations to Dr. Erik, Dr. Dave, and Dean Gina!

All VSB Undergraduate students (BSBA and BSBAA) are encouraged to download a copy of the UP VSB Undergraduate Student Handbook from the link and QR Code below. The Handbook serves as your guide through most academic and non-academic policies and processes in the University and the School.

https://tinyurl.com/VSBUGHandbook

*Details in the Handbook may change without prior notice. Please consult the Undergraduate Programs Director if unsure.

You are all cordially invited to attend the following research lectures.

Using a Sari-Sari Store to Contextualize Accounting in the Philippines

- Prof. Remvert Bryan G. Placido - 14 June 2024 (Friday) | 10:00 AM | VSB Rm 106

We congratulate the 43 graduates of the BS Business Administration & Accountancy (BAA) program who passed the recent Certified Public Accountants Licensure Examination (CPALE) held from May 26 to 28, 2024.

The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) released the results last June 1, with 3,155 out of 10,421 examinees passing the examination for a national passing rate of 30.28%. UP Diliman registered an exemplary passing rate of 89.58%.

BS BAA Class of 2024 graduate Micolai Kate T. Odronia placed 10th with a rating of 89.17%.

To all our new CPAs, PADAYON!

Two UP Virata School of Business students have been awarded the Gawad Tsanselor para sa Natatanging Mag-Aaral 2024. The awardees are:

• Ron Simon B. Lomibao, a 4th Year BS Business Administration student and current Chairperson of the Business Administration Council, and 

• Mark Anthony S. Angeles, a 3rd Year Master of Business Administration student and Founder & President of Noypreneur

From the UP Diliman Information Office:  The Gawad Tsanselor para sa Natatanging Mag-Aaral is the highest, most prestigious University award given to students who have attained a high level of academic accomplishment, demonstrated good leadership, and exemplified “honor and excellence in the service of the people.” 

Congratulations, Simon and Mark!

Team Emerald Equities, representing UP Diliman, were proclaimed champions at the CFA Institute Research Challenge 2024 Local Finals held on February 23, 2024.

The team is composed of 4th year students Patek Dee, Gabriel Ditching, Alex Pates, Kara Santiago, and Aleisha Uy.  They were coached by Prof. Mike Magana. The team will represent the Philippines in the Sub-Regional stage later this year.

Congratulations to the team and best of luck in the next round of the competition!

UP Virata School of Business met with the University of British Columbia (UBC) Vancouver, Canada, on 11 January 2024. Ms. Jennifer Dinh from UBC’s Student Services and Recruitment Team discussed their 2024 Summer Program, which will be held from June to August.

Dr. Gina Lizares, Dean, and Asst. Prof. Mike Magana, Undergraduate Programs Director, along with Ms. Noelle Rivera and Mr. Justin Alcantara from the UP Diliman Office of International Linkages, met with Ms. Dinh.

VSB students who are interested in applying for the program may coordinate with Asst. Prof. Magana.

The VSB PhD Program was established to train highly motivated people to conduct frontier research in business and prepare them for a career in the academic sector. Through a rigorous selection process, the program chooses the individual who has a strong inclination to teach and a drive to excel in research. The program has graduated thought leaders in Philippine and global business research, including stalwart faculty members of the VSB. 

The application for AY 2024-25 is ongoing until 30 April 2024. For application details, you may visit: https://www.vsb.upd.edu.ph/phd-program/admission

For more information, please email Dr. Lorna Paredes, PhD Program Officer-in-Charge at liparedes@up.edu.ph.

Microsoft Philippines is hosting a free orientation and laboratory workshop on Microsoft Azure Machine Learning, Microsoft's public cloud computing platform that provides tools and ML frameworks for developers to create their own machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) services, on January 22 (Monday), 9 AM-12 PM in the UP VSB Computer Lab. Ziggy Zulueta, a Microsoft-certified Azure Solutions Architect and AI Engineer, will handle the training and workshop. 

Interested attendees may register at tinyurl.com/VSBAzureWorkshop or scan the QR code below. Only 40 attendees will be allowed due to classroom size. Attendees may use computers in the Computer Lab or bring their own laptops for the workshop proper. MS Teams will be required.

Please note that only applicants from the BSBAA to BSBA program will be entertained this semester. Interested applicants can visit tinyurl.com/VSBshiftinginternall or scan the QR code below.

The deadline for submission of requirements through the online form is 26 January 2024, 11:59PM.

Five (5) BS Business Administration & Accountancy students of the Virata School of Business placed first runner-up nationwide in the final round of the recently concluded 23rd Intercollegiate Finance Competition (ICFC). The tilt was hosted by the Financial Executives of the Philippines (FINEX) last 24 November 2023 at the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas in Manila. The team was composed of Joyce R. Belleza, Rose May A. Denila, John Elrich R. Gamboa, Karla S. Lorena, and Nicole Valerie A. Tan.

The team was coached by Mr. John Lester H. Aratea from the Department of Accounting & Finance.

Congratulations to the team and their coach!

You are all cordially invited to attend the following research lectures.

1. Profile of High-Equity Members of and its Policy Implications to UP Provident Fund - Prof. James Ryan O. Jonas - 13 December 2023 (Wednesday) | 1:30 PM | VSB Rm 110

2. BPI: Building a Digital Marketing Strategy - Prof. Arturo Benedicto M. Ilano - 13 December 2023 (Wednesday) | 2:30 PM | VSB Rm 110

3. Prof. Debbie Chua Bun Pho, PhD - 18 December 2023 (Monday) | 11:00 AM | VSB Rm 110

4. Prof. Ben Paul B. Gutierrez, PhD - 19 December 2023 (Tuesday) | 11:00 AM | VSB Rm 110

All UP VSB Alumni are invited to the Alumni Homecoming on 2 December 2023 (Saturday) in UP Diliman. Honoree batches may coordinate with their respective batch coordinators and RSVP by 20 November 2023. For Sponsorship Package inquiries and guests from other batches, email rmavante1@up.edu.ph.

Last November 14 and 17, 2023, representatives from the UP Virata School of Business and the Office of International Linkages Diliman - OVCAA, UP Diliman met with their counterparts from 전남대학교 (Chonnam National University), South Korea, and Kasetsart University, Thailand. These two meetings explored future opportunities for international exchanges via student and faculty mobility. Through these, we hope we can expand our opportunities to have valuable international exchanges, for our students and our faculty and staff.

The school will honor its alumni who have outstanding accomplishments in the field of business management, and/or entrepreneurship, and/or public service. Nominations for the 2023 UP VSB Distinguished Alumni Awards are now open.

The awardees will be honored during the annual alumni homecoming on Saturday, December 2, 2023 (9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.) at the UP VSB Building. This year, the honoree classes are: 1973 (Golden), 1978 (Sapphire), 1983 (Ruby), 1988 (Coral), 1993 (Pearl), 1998 (Silver), Classes of 2003 (China), 2008, 2013, and 2018. All MBA, MS Finance, MS Management, PhD graduates, and graduates of Classes 2009-2023 are also cordially invited.

Selection Criteria

• The nominee must have demonstrated outstanding achievement as a professional manager in an industry, and/or;

• The nominee is a successful entrepreneur whose firm has a respectable size in terms of Total Assets and/or number of personnel; and/or

• The nominee has rendered distinguished public service.

Past recipients of the DAA will no longer be considered for this award. The nomination form can be accomplished through: https://tinyurl.com/VSBDAA2023. Complete nominations should be accomplished no later than Monday, October 30, 2023, 5:00 PM.

For ease of communication, please use the following addresses for all communication to the respective Department Chairs of VSB:

Department of Accounting and Finance - daf.upd@up.edu.ph

Department of Business Administration - dba.upd@up.edu.ph

You may also reach the Office of the Department Chairs at +632 8981 8500 local 3458 or visit us at Rm 101, UP Virata School of Business, Diliman, Quezon City

Dear colleagues,

We are proud to announce the launch of Cases in Risk Management in the Philippines, published by the UP Business Research Foundation, Inc. and Development Center for Finance, Inc., edited by Arthur S. Cayanan, Corazon R. Estrella, and Helena Agnes S. Valderrama.

The book contains a selection of 19 case studies that were chosen to cover a wide variety of risks that companies in the Philippines face. The volume includes cases from the following authors: John Lester H. Aratea • Daniel Vincent H. Borja • Erik Paolo S. Capistrano • Arthur S. Cayanan • Rhey Joseph S. Daway • Diogenes C. Dy • Rowena N. de Guzman • Erlinda S. Echanis • Corazon R. Estrella • Jerold Jay M. Flores • Ben Paul B. Gutierrez • Luis Diego Dans Lee • Calen Martin Legaspi • Regina M. Lizares • Mikhael Anjelu B. Magana • Marc Kevin L. Morales • Justin Reginald Nery • Elisabeth Joan A. Ognita • Josel Richa Ann D. Rivera • Mia Pang-Rey • Rafael A. Rodriguez • Dani Rose C. Salazar • Ivy D.C. Suan • Helena Agnes S. Valderrama • Lawrence G. Velasco • Al-Habbyel B. Yusoph. 

Congratulations to the editors, authors, and the project team behind the book!

The book is available through the UP Business Research Foundation, 2nd Floor, UP Cesar EA Virata School of Business, UP Diliman, Diliman, Quezon City.

You are all cordially invited to attend various research lectures of the VSB faculty for June and July 2023. For Zoom lectures, kindly register for the events by clicking on the links below. 

Prof. Pamela Lloren-Alcantara (Ph.D. Candidate)

• Dissertation Public Seminar - 25 July 2023 (Tuesday) | 10:00 AM | RM 206, Virata School of Business 

• Final Defense - 31 July 2023 (Monday) | 1:00 PM | RM 206, Virata School of Business

Prof. Andrei Relente (Ph.D. Candidate)

• Dissertation Public Seminar - 27 June 2023 (Tuesday) | 1:00 PM (Zoom Registration: https://tinyurl.com/RelenteDissertation)

• Final Defense - 4 July 2023 (Tuesday) | 1:00 PM | RM 206, Virata School of Business

Prof. Manuel C. Manuel III (Ph.D. Candidate)

• Dissertation Public Seminar - 29 June 2023 (Thursday) | 1:00 PM (Zoom Registration: https://tinyurl.com/ManuelDissertation)

• Final Defense - 5 July 2023 (Wednesday) | 1:00 PM | RM 206, Virata School of Business

VSB Faculty Grant Lectures

• John Lester H. Aratea - 26 June 2023 (Monday) | 3:00 PM (Zoom Registration: https://tinyurl.com/ArateaGrant)

• Prof. Dani Rose C. Salazar - 29 June 2023 (Thursday) } 10:00 AM | RM 206, Virata School of Business

• Prof. Rhey Joseph S. Daway - 30 June 2023 (Friday) | 10:00 AM (Zoom Registration: https://tinyurl.com/DawayGrant)