The College of Management (CM), University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV) made history as the first overall champion and recipient of the Pinnacle Award of Excellence in this year’s MBFI-PANAF Strategic Communications Challenge.
CM’s team is composed of 3rd year and 4th year Business Administration (Marketing) students John Joshua Serra as team leader, Nick Al Francis Bunda, Danica Del Castillo, Nina Francesca Rivas, Dungie Sarasola, Yvette Mae Tanchuan, and Ralph Andrew Tiu. They bested the teams from 7 universities across the country – Polytechnic University of the Philippines, UP Tacloban, Ateneo De Davao University, National University Manila, San Beda University, De La Salle College of St. Benilde Antipolo, and University of Makati. The awarding ceremony was held on April 30, 2024, at the Penthouse of the Manila Doctors Hospital, Ermita, Manila.
The event is the first collaboration between the Metrobank Foundation Inc. (MBFI) and the Philippine Association of National Advertisers (PANA) Foundation, with the objective of helping future practitioners’ develop the ability to apply theoretical marketing theories to real-world marketing situations with a focus on strategy development. The challenge involved two cases. The first is for the MBFI Outstanding Filipinos, one of the country’s most prestigious career-service awards for Filipino exemplars in the academe, military, and police sectors. Second is the National Teachers Month, a movement led by MBFI, DepEd, and various multisector groups, recognizing Filipino educators and their contribution to nation-building. The participating teams were made to craft a comprehensive and strategic communications campaign for each program.
The virtual presentation and defense were held online via Zoom on April 3, during which CM’s team presented their winning campaigns: “Living Excellence, Leaving Legacies” for the Metrobank Outstanding Filipinos program and “Filipinos with EduHeroes” for National Teachers’ Month.
The team was mentored by Prof. Maria Theresa Albaña and Mr. Oscar Jinon Jr., both faculty members of the Department of Accounting.
With the project envisioned as an opportunity for idea sharing and competence building rather than a competition, MBFI and PANAF will execute the winning strategies with a revamped nationwide campaign for both the Metrobank Outstanding Filipinos and the National Teachers’ Month (slated in September) in collaboration with the participating universities.
Cheers to another win for UPV and CM! (With sources from MBFI - PANAF and Prof. Maria Theresa Albaña)
