Author: Pauline Dacir

Students often are clueless about how wide their options are when it comes to their careers. When senior members of the Foundation interviewed their graduating beneficiaries, they found out that most are fixated to working as audit associates after passing the boards. The Foundation aims to help open up doors to various career paths for its junior members as early as possible. Hence, it arranges for company and firm tours, career orientations, group discussions with senior members in different sectors, and other fun activities that aim to give their juniors idea on various career path waiting for them.

The foundation has also signed a Memorandum of Agreement with the University of the East Manila and Caloocan, to employ interns as needed. Moreover, businessmen of the Foundation have also been employing interns and regular employees. The senior members are more than willing to mentor their juniors so they can plan their careers early on. The tacit knowledge and guidance they offer are invaluable and something not everyone is fortunate to receive.

Outreach programs and relief operations are activities close to the heart of the leaders of the foundation and Honors societies. The majority of its members came from very humble beginnings and understand the hardships brought by inevitable calamities. When there is a crisis, individual benefactors open-up their giving hands and contribute to the pool of donations. The young members, on the other hand, are quick to volunteer and serve.

The pooled donations often sum up to hundreds of thousands. Such amount can support many families and help them to somehow get through and bounce back.

Outreach in the Aftermath of Ulysses

Undeniably, typhoon Ulysses brought destruction to the lives of many families. In the aftermath of the typhoon, the leaders of the foundation called for donations, and together, they collected Php 822,000. Brod Bert Tagayuna, the president of the foundation along with Brod Mar Quinsaat and Brod Willie Villar spearheaded the relief operations. Sis Mariel Mataya, Brod Von Atienza, and Brod Chito Zoleta offered their support in the purchase of goods, repacking, up to its distribution. A portion of the sum collected was used to prepare cooked meals that were distributed to evacuation centers. The foundation was able to help families in Baras and San Mateo, Rizal.

Fund Raising for the Victims of Typhoon Odette

Despite being far from the victims of the typhoon Odette, the BES-HNS Foundation did not miss to extend help. Sis Lisa Valerio, the Foundation’s VP of Communications, initiated a fund-raising project for the victims. Brought by the shared concern for our kababayan, the foundation was able to pool Php 163,000. The amount was turned over to Couples for Christ Mission Ancop Global Foundation, Inc. which used the amount to buy necessities such as water and blankets. It was then distributed to many families in Cebu that lost their homes.

With its commitment to holistically develop its beneficiaries, the foundation organizes talks, seminars, and webinars not only on technical-related subjects but also on various relevant topics such as personality development, spirituality, communication skills, etc. The foundation also hosts 3-day teambuilding and workshop for the members of the honors society to further develop their leadership and social skills in preparation for what awaits after their university life.

University of the East – College of Business Administration Research Congress 2020 & CFO Lecture Series.

The University of the East Caloocan – College of Business Administration, in partnership with Mahardhika School of Economics and BES-HNS Foundation Inc., hosted “Research Congress 2020: Advances in Sustainable Enterprise Research” last January 20, 2020

Endorsed by the Commission on Higher Education, the said event was attended by Local and International researchers, students, and faculties from several distinct Universities and State Colleges. The Congress’ topics include “Job Crafting and Sustainability Initiatives in the Workplace”; “Future of Sustainability and Integrated Reporting”; “Disruptive Innovation and Sustainable Economy” and a lot more research revolving around sustainable practices affecting the economy.

The program also presented lectures and presentations from the Asian Institute of Artificial Intelligence President-CEO, Dennis Franco M. Layug, and Philippine National Bank Senior Vice-President, Christian Jerome O. Dobles, as the keynote speaker.

Several upperclassmen members from the BES-HNS Honor Society also presented their respective research papers during the congress.

On the same date as the CBA Research Congress 2020, the BES-HNS Honors’ society, in cooperation with the College of Business Administration and with the support of BES-HNS Foundation Inc., launched the CFO Lecture Series. Ms. Winefreda Madarang of BES-HNS Foundation Inc. set the expectations and overview of the project. The Board of Trustees of the Foundation also attended the event to formally induct the CBA’s officials and Chancellor Zosimo Battad as honorary members of the Foundation. The event concluded with a simple dinner with trustees and members of the Honors Society.

3-day BES-HNS Honor Societies Teambuilding and Workshop

For the members of BES and HNS Honors Societies across all campuses, the annual 3-day Bacnotan getaway is something to look forward to. It is a workshop and team-building activity that aims to further enhance the honors societies’ officers’ leadership skills, strengthen the bonds between members, and integrate BES-HNS Honor Societies into the BES-HNS Foundation, Inc.

This activity was first launched last December 20 to 22, 2018 with the members of UE Manila BES-HNS Honors Society as pioneers. The event was held in Jornacion Mansion at Tamocalao, La Union with Brod Oscar and Gilda Jornacion as principal sponsors. Following its huge success, the Foundation organized another 3-day teambuilding and workshop for PUP Manila and UE Caloocan last March 22 to 25, 2019 and December 20 to 22, 2019 respectively.

Virtual Events, Talks, and Recollections

Being in quarantine did not hinder the Foundation to reach out to its members and beneficiaries. Guided by the junior members’ technical know-how on virtual events, the Foundation was able to conduct a series of talks and recollections. Below is the timeline of virtual activities from April 2020 to January 2022.

9/19/2020 BHFI Kumustahan via Zoom
9/23/2020 Sustainability of Business Conglomerates During Pandemic Time: The Role of a CFO by Dr. Fances Canuto
11/28/2020 CFO Lecture Series: Sustainability of Real Estate Developers During the Pandemic by Atty. Joseph Peter Sison
1/23/2021 Online Recollection: Defining Moments as Source for Momentum by Father Deo Galang
2/12/2021 My Funny Valentine, BHFI Valentines party
3/5/2021 Opportunit-East: Stories of Successful Warrior with Sis Lisa and Brod Primo Valerio as Guest Speakers
4/24/2021 2021 Annual General Members Meeting via Zoom
4/27/2021 Online Recollection: Angels and Demons, Their Presence in Our Lives by Father Paolo
5/8/2021 Online Recollection: Discover Your Sense of “Enoughness” by Father Deo Galang
6/5/2021 Thanksgiving Mass officiated by Fr. Deo (for the win of BHFI on our IPO Case)
7/10/2021 Online Recollection: From Doing to Being by Father Deo Galang
8/14/2021 A Convo: Managing the Emotional Impacts of the Pandemic and Other Matters
9/3/2021 40th Day After Death Mass for Sis Linna Mitchell
9/25/2021 Online Recollection: 5 Priorities in Life by Sis Via and Sis Tess Vasay
10/23/2021 How to Overcome the Negatives in One’s Life and Achieve a Positive Attitude by Sis Thelma Siglos
1/29/2022 Online Lecture: Our Sanctuary by Father Deo Galang

Awards await the future Certified Public Accountant Licensure Examination topnotchers that are members of Beta Espsilon Sigma Honors Society and Hiyas ng Silangan Honors Society . Individual members of the BES-HNS Foundation, Inc. pledged the following awards and incentives:

1st place – P 1,000,000.00 or Brand New Car by Brod Oscar Jornacion
2nd place – P 200,000.00 by Brod Philip Judan
3rd place – P 150,000.00 by Brod Primo and Sis Lisa Valerio
4th place – Package tour to Hongkong for Two by Brods Willie Villar and Brod Gil Palad Plus P20,000 cash from Foundation
5th place – P 40,000 by Brod Mar and Zeny Quinsaat for one placer
6th place – P 40,000 by Brod Mars Morales for one placer
7th place – P 40,000 per placer by Sis Linna Mitchell for one placer
8th to 10th place – P 30,000 per placer by Brod Bert Tagayuna

Sis Marian Sacriz ranked seventh in October 2019 CPALE and was awarded Forty Thousand Pesos (Php 40,000) by Sis Linna Mitchell and an Excellence Award Plaque from the Foundation during the November 2019 Testimonial Lunch held at Richmonde Hotel. Glenn Patrick de Leon and Brod Felhner Faelnar were also given cash prizes for getting the ranks 18 and 20 respectively.

The support given by the BES-HNS Foundation does not end after its beneficiaries graduate from college.
To help with the rising cost of review schools, the foundation provides stipends to Certified Public Accountant Licensure Examination reviewees.

Moreover, through the efforts of Brod Ed Reyes, the reviewees were given free premium access to iCPA test bank. In the said platform, reviewees may take mock exams and be ranked among thousands of users. This is a great tool to assess which subject matter to focus on and grasp their readiness to take the actual board exam.

It is to be noted that many of the senior members of the foundation were CPALE topnotchers. To inspire the takers, the foundation would host multiple talks where aspirants can get tips on how to ace the difficult examination.

Last 2021, despite being overseas, Sis Thelma Siglos, a former Grand Lady Chancellor and Top 1 in 19 CPALE gave a virtual talk on how to overcome the negatives in one’s life and achieve a positive attitude. During the talk, she emphasized the importance of having a positive mindset and gave study tips to help examinees pass the board exam.

The Foundation also conducts daily prayers and sponsors masses to ask for favorable exam results for the members of the Honors Societies.

The BES-HNS Foundation provides grants to the top twenty (20) members of the Beta Epsilon Sigma and Hiyas ng Silangan Honors Societies in the University of the East Manila, University of the East Caloocan, and the Polytechnic University of the Philippines Manila per semester. The grants are given as incentives to the top-performing students and to motivate them to continue their hard work. The foundation typically teams up with other charitable institutions to further increase the number of students to be awarded. From 2019 to 2020 for instance, the foundation partnered up with the Bankers Institute of the Philippines which added ten (10) more recipients to the grant.

Apart from this, in 2021, the foundation took a huge remarkable step by supporting the cost of education of multiple students of the University of the East Caloocan Campus. The memorandum of agreement signed last September states that the BES-HNS Foundation is to donate Five Hundred Thousand Pesos (Php 500,000) to the University’s Scholarship Fund subject to yearly renewal. The donation shall be used to pay for tuition fees of selected honors students who lost their academic scholarships due to the new quota policy set by these schools starting the Academic Year 2021-2022

This initiative was followed one after another with the UE Manila and PUP Manila receiving the same commitment from the foundation.

The Foundation also sponsors deserving students to attend national conventions, competitions, and trainings. It is the Foundation’s pride whenever its beneficiaries take home inter-school awards be it in accounting, arts, or leadership.