By Niña Christelle M. Sumintac, StratCom Correspondent

Bachelor of Secondary Education major in English students of the MMSU College of Teacher Education (CTE) emerged victorious in the First International Business Case Competition (IBCC) hosted online by the Department of Management and Faculty of Economics of the Universitas Sarjanawiyata Tamansiswa in Yogyakarta, Indonesia on October 30. 

Junior students Gaven Qhristian Contreras, Joshua Barruga, and William Curading were declared champions with their proposal titled “Likhabi: Stroke of Culture.” Likhabi is a combination of the words likha (create) and habi (weave). This proposal aims to promote batik, a traditional technique of wax-resisting dyeing applied to the whole cloth. 

Also, sophomore students Hans Euriel Factores, Jonathan Dave Ayala, and Karl Humprey Pagdilao won second place in the competition with their entry “Patterns of Culture: Rekindling the Remnants of Batik Culture through Innovation, Education and Collaboration.” This proposal focuses on making batik profitable by incorporating the different fields and techniques in business. 

Finishing fourth, sophomore students Rodessa Mae Tomas, Jeremy Pascual, and Zenith Adsydee Cid presented, “BAGtik: Incorporating Batik Textile into Fashion.” This proposal highlights the modern marketing and preservation strategies for classical and contemporary batik. They were also awarded as the favorite team of the competition.

Prof. Jeanette Dials and Mr. Michael Sacramed, BSE English faculty, served as coaches of the MMSU teams, who were among the 12 contending groups from the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Vietnam. 

Bannering the theme, “Innovation and Creativity of Millennials on Small and Medium Enterprise’s Empowerment,” IBCC aims to provide opportunities for undergraduate students to hone their skills and abilities in problem-solving and motivate them to improve their capabilities by having an end-goal accomplishment. 

The competition was part of the Indonesia university’s International Management Week 2022 celebration. It served as avenue for students from ASEAN universities to come up with innovative business solutions and collaborative strategies. (HLY/DPTJ, StratCom)