THE JOHN Gokongwei School of Management (JGSOM) Sanggunian, together with De La Salle University’s (DLSU) Business College Government (BCG) and the University of the Philippines-Diliman’s (UPD) Business Administration Council (BAC), formally launched the Alliance of Business Councils (ABC) on February 22 at the Green Meadows Clubhouse.

The ABC is an initiative of aimed at promoting collaboration and networking among business-minded individuals between the three member schools.

The concept of an alliance between the three schools has been four years in the making.

However, due to unforeseen circumstances and numerous delays with regard to planning, it was only this school year that concrete progress was made by the involved student council leaders, who were also credited for co-founding the alliance.

For this school year, DLSU BCG President Juancho Del Rosario was named chairperson of the ABC, while JGSOM Sanggunian Chairperson Alex Tanjangco and UPD BAC Chairperson Jet Padernal were named co-chairpersons.

According to Tanjangco, the chairpersonship of the alliance will rotate among the three schools at the start of every school year.

JGSOM Department of External Affairs Chair Peepoy Racines organized the ABC launch, along with his counterparts from the DLSU BCG and the UPD BAC, Lemuel Urieta and Sheena Lorenzo, respectively.

Benefitting from each other

In his opening speech, Del Rosario discussed the potential impact that an alliance between the three schools could have in terms of making a concrete contribution to the business society.

He said, “It made sense for the premier business schools in the country to come together to form something really great.”

Del Rosario hopes that this alliance will help bring out the best qualities that each school has to offer. “What we want to do… [is] we want to push each other to get better,” he said.

In terms of concrete plans, Del Rosario noted that the ABC is still in its infancy, and thus, projects under the umbrella of the alliance are still in its conceptual stage.

“There is a purpose to this [alliance]; we’re trying to figure what ABC can do for you moving forward, [and] we hope that in the coming years, succeeding student councils would direct all their efforts to the students,” he said.

In an interview with The GUIDON, Tanjangco hopes to use this opportunity to collaborate with other member schools as a way to improve each other’s student councils.

“Honestly, we’ve learned a lot from the two schools; they have very different systems and processes and protocols, some of which I have already adapted into my school board,” she said.

In addition, Tanjangco said that JGSOM students will benefit from this alliance because ultimately, all business students have the same end goal: To contribute to the existing business community.

“Even if we have different core competencies, it’s good to learn from others,” she added.

Full support

Various members of the business academe attended the launch, with student organization leaders and university professors in the audience.

In her speech, Acting JGSOM Dean Pindy Mendiola urged the members of ABC to take advantage of this alliance, which has united “the most prestigious schools in the Philippines.”

“Hopefully, what you do is… you use your influence. Influence the government, influence reforms and influence [your fellow] students as well,” she added.

The UPD College of Business Administration Undergraduate Programs Director Ivy Suan also shared her excitement at the potential of the alliance during her speech. “I hope that this alliance will continue to flourish and grow stronger in the years to come.”

“I’m confident that this collaboration will introduce a wonderful exchange of ideas that will lead to the advancement, not only of UP, Ateneo and La Salle, but also the society as a whole,” she added.

Furthermore, DLSU lecturer Angela Abaya-Garcia reminded the members of the alliance to never forget the bigger picture when it comes to making important decisions.

“What are you going to do with the money and the resources that are going to be within your reach within the next decade?” she asked. “Your resources and your privileges, everything that you have access to, all of this comes with great responsibility.”

In addition, Abaya-Garcia said that in order to make the most out of the given opportunities, one must show their caliber through grit.

“Your school has trained you to be top-notch; when you go out into the real world, I need you guys to recognize that grit, in the long run, is the thing that people need the most,” she said.

She added, “Show the future of the Philippines a new breed of business leaders who have the grit that it takes to go on.”