01/06/2026
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The College of Business and Financial Science Student Council (CBFS-SC) acknowledges the concerns raised regarding the conduct of the CBFS Awarding & Inauguration Ceremony 2026. We recognize the importance of transparency and accountability, especially in matters that directly affect our students. As such, we would like to provide a brief account of the preparations undertaken, clarify the circumstances surrounding the concerns raised, and address the issues encountered during the event.
We would also like to express our gratitude to the students, faculty members, local organizations, and university offices that helped make the event possible. The overwhelming participation of the CBFS community reflects the value placed on recognizing student achievements. While the event successfully celebrated many of our awardees, we acknowledge that several challenges arose throughout the process, and we believe it is our responsibility to provide clarification.
For the Academic Excellence Awards, the Council decided to rely on official records from the University Registrar and the Center for Information Technology (CIT) to ensure fairness and avoid biases. On May 4, 2026, the Council formally requested the list of awardees. It was advised by the University Registrar to use the grades of students eligible for Latin Honors during the First Semester of the current academic year as the basis for selection. We were likewise assured that the records to be provided would already be filtered and finalized.
After several follow-ups, the initial list was received on May 15, 2026. Upon review, some year levels from certain programs were missing, prompting the Council to immediately coordinate with the University Registrar. The remaining records were subsequently provided on May 20, 2026, allowing the Council to finalize the list of awardees and send invitations by May 23, 2026. The Academic Excellence Awards recognized the students with the highest GWAs per year level, and in cases where students shared the same ranking, all qualified students were included, resulting in several awardees exceeding the expected top ten students.
On May 24, 2026, concerns were raised regarding the inclusion of irregular students among the awardees. Upon verification, the records provided to the Council only contained names, programs, year levels, and GWAs, without any indication of regular or irregular status. Since the Council did not have access to such information, we coordinated with Local Organization representatives to validate the records. Once the review was completed, apology emails were immediately sent to students who had initially received invitations but were later found to be ineligible based on the established criteria.
During the same validation process, it was also discovered that several eligible Fourth Year Financial Management students were not included in the records initially provided. Due to the limited time before the event, the Council coordinated with JFINEX to identify and verify the affected students. Because these names were confirmed shortly before the ceremony, formal invitations and the regular waiver process could no longer be completed within the available timeframe. To avoid further inconvenience, JFINEX was requested to directly relay the necessary information to the concerned students.
With regard to waiver submissions, all attendees were required to submit signed waivers as part of the attendance confirmation process. The Google Drive portal officially closed at 6:01 PM on May 24, 2026, following the deadline that had been repeatedly announced beforehand. Students required to submit through Google Drive were instructed to do so on or before 6:00 PM of the same day. An extension until 10:00 AM on May 25, 2026, was granted only to non-awardees and eligible Fourth Year Financial Management students, whose waivers were submitted through JFINEX instead of Google Drive. These procedures were necessary to finalize attendance records and prepare certificates and awards.
For the Best Thesis Awards, the Council relied on nominations from the Local Organizations in coordination with their respective research professors. During the coordination meeting held on April 29, 2026, organizations were informed that the names of nominees would come directly from them. Follow-ups were conducted on May 14 and May 23, 2026, and while organizations cited academic requirements and final examinations as reasons for the delay, the names were eventually submitted on May 23. It is also important to note that some Best Thesis Award nominations underwent internal deliberation within their respective organizations. For instance, in JMA, the final list of nominees was only made available on the afternoon of May 22, following the completion of its deliberation process, and the nominations were subsequently submitted to the CBFS-SC Secretary on May 23. This demonstrates that, despite the limited timeframe and ongoing academic responsibilities, the organization acted promptly once the necessary information had been finalized and provided. Similar to the situation involving the eligible Fourth Year Financial Management students, the late submission no longer provided sufficient time for the Council to send formal invitations and process waivers through the standard procedure. Organizations were likewise informed beforehand that students whose names were submitted beyond the prescribed timeline could no longer be accommodated through the standard invitation process.
For clarification, only Academic Excellence Awardees who confirmed their attendance and completed the required requirements were included in the formal recognition during the event proper, while those who did not confirm their attendance would receive their e-certificates through email. For the Best Thesis Awards, JFINEX, JMA, and SHRM were specifically informed that while their awardees would still be officially recognized, they could no longer be formally invited to the event due to the limited time available for invitation processing and waiver submission. Their respective organizations were requested to receive the certificates on their behalf; however, students who were already present at the event under another award category were also allowed to personally claim their Best Thesis Certificates.
Awards and certificates were prepared based on confirmed attendees and submitted waivers, a necessary process given the 318 Academic Excellence Awardees included in the final list, consisting of 24 First Year students, 18 Second Year students, 52 Third Year students, and 218 Fourth Year students. During the event, several students who had not completed the required waiver process arrived at the venue and were therefore not included in the confirmed guest list used for attendance and award preparation. In consideration of the number of students requesting accommodation on the day of the event, the Council allowed entry for those who were able to submit a printed physical waiver. However, they were informed that their awards and certificates had not been prepared in advance. Upon multiple reviews of resources, the resources were not the main problem; instead, production was based solely on confirmed attendees who completed the required waiver submission within the prescribed timeline. These students were assured that they would still be formally recognized and receive their corresponding certificates after the event.
This year marked the first time that the Council worked with a recognition process that relied primarily on records obtained directly from university offices. While this approach was undertaken to ensure legitimacy and accuracy, the volume of awardees and the late adjustments required presented challenges that affected several aspects of implementation.
We acknowledge that some students experienced disappointment and inconvenience as a result of these circumstances, and for this, we sincerely apologize. While every effort was made to verify records, accommodate necessary adjustments, and recognize deserving students, we recognize that there are areas where our processes can still be improved.
Moving forward, the Council remains committed to strengthening its systems through earlier coordination, more comprehensive validation procedures, and clearer communication to better serve the student body. We appreciate the patience, understanding, and continued support of the CBFS community as we learn from this experience and strive to do better in the future.
Thank you, and congratulations once again, CBFS Herons!
