The University of Baguio School of Business Administration and Accountancy (UB-SBAA) made it to the top 13 finalists for the Philippine National Elimination of the ASEAN Future Sustainable Leaders (AFSL) 2023 competition. Composed of Accountancy students Limuel N. Pudao, Vince Leomar U. Delos Santos, Louise Langsa S. Bangsael, and Krizzia Mae C. Astronomia, the team was coached by Accountancy Program chair, Dr. Candido M. Perez, with the support of the SBAA Dean, Dr. Kareen B. Leon
After the last competition in 2021, the ASEAN Accounting Education Workgroup (AEEW) conducted this year’s ASFL in partnership with KPMG RG Manabat & Co and in cooperation with the Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA) Committee on Student Participation. With the theme, “Living with Sustainability and Inclusiveness”. The Philippine Elimination was launched via Zoom on July 15, 2023. Tertiary students taking up Accountancy-related courses were invited to pitch their ideas for solving worldwide issues relating to the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) through a 10-minute video presentation of their proposed solutions.
Thirteen teams advanced to the Philippine National Finals and had their videos posted in the Philippine Accounting Education Forum for a week to observe public viewer engagement as part of the competition’s criteria. A 20-minute panel interview per team was also conducted on September 30, 2023 via Zoom.
The UB-SBAA team received recognition as a finalist in the Philippine Elimination of the AFSL 2023 for their ‘Trash Transformers Project’ which suggests a Plastic Recycling Facility to be built with the plan of the Local Government of Baguio to privatize their solid waste management and transferring their dumpsite from Tarlac, Pampanga to Urdaneta, Pangasinan. This ‘Trash Transformers Project’ aimed to help solve issues relating to the UN SDG 12 on Responsible Consumption and Production, by reducing the plastic waste generated mainly by the City of Baguio.
Joining competitions such as this emulates the university’s vision of nurturing academic excellence, and the objective of advocating sustainable programs for the community and the environment. The competition also helps to realize SDG 9 on ‘Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure’ as well as SDG 11 on ‘Sustainable Cities and Communities’ as the competition helped bring out innovative ideas from the students for more sustainable technologies that the community needs.
Written by: Louise Langsa S. Bangsael and Aileen Joy L. Basug
