Cebu schools urged to aim for financial competition finals

The Junior Finance Executives (JFinex) Business and Education hopes more schools from the Visayas will make it to the finals of this year’s Intercollegiate Financial Competition (ICFC).

“That’s the challenge for us, that we have to be represented in the finals,” Dr. Challones Mateo, JFinex co-chairman, told school representatives who attended the recent JFinex general assembly.

The competition exposes colleges and universities to world-class finance education standards and ascertain quality and level of finance education worldwide.

During the 16th ICFC, over 90 schools competed but only three schools from the Visayas landed among the top 20 national finalists. They were University of San Carlos-Cebu, Southland College and University of the Philippines in Iloilo.

The University of San Carlos-Cebu placed 5th and was the only Cebu school to reach top five. In 2015, it ranked 4th.

Mateo hoped to have more schools from Cebu enter the national finals and place in the top 10.

The provincial elimination will start in October in each of the participating regions. More schools are expected to attend this year’s competition.

The finals will take place in Manila in November. Several international finance schools are also expected to compete.

“Through our activities, we are not just bridging the gap between schools, we are also preparing you to be future financial executives, as vanguards of wealth in any organization,” said Kenneth Go, director of JFinex Business and Education.

Eight schools were present during the general assembly, namely University of San Jose-Recoletos, Southwestern University, University of Cebu Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue, University of San Carlos, University of Cebu Main campus, University of Cebu Banilad, University of Southern Philippines, and University of the Visayas.