BATAC CITY, July 12 (PIA) – After a strict vetting of business leaders, the state-run Mariano Marcos State University in Batac City, Ilocos Norte was declared the champion in the recent Enactus Philippines National finals held recently at the SMX Convention Center in Mall of Asia in Pasay City.
As the national champion, MMSU is set to become the country’s bet at the Enactus World Cup to be held in Toronto, Canada on September 28-30.
MMSU-Enactus team, composed of five students and three advisers, succeeded to grab the championship again since they last became titleholder in 2013.
Team leader Patrick John Quitoriano, an AB Communication student in this university, said that the school’s victory is unexpected since they competed with some of the country’s renowned universities like the University of the Philippines-Los Banos which landed first place.
“It is just our dream before but now it came to reality, we are proud that we are going to represent not only the banner of the MMSU but the banner of the Philippines,” said Quitoriano.
The team’s competition in Canada will be an all-expense paid trip by the Enactus International.
ENACTUS, a global acronym which stands for “Entrepreneurial Action for all of US” for a better world, is an international organization that connects student, academic and business leaders through entrepreneurial-based projects. It aims to empower people to transform opportunities into real, sustainable progress for themselves and their communities.
In total, Enactus Philippines has 13 satellite offices nationwide wherein MMSU Batac City campus is the only established office in Ilocos Norte. MMSU has also been an Enactus satellite office since 2005 which was then called Student in Free Enterprise (SIFE).
Some notable high-impact entrepreneurial projects that made the MMSU-Enactus Chapter win in the finals include mushroom propagation inside the Bureau of Jail and Management Penology (BJMP) here where residents including jail officers have been given trainings on growing Oyster Mushroom since 2004.
Now, the project beneficiaries gain an estimated 69 kilos of Oyster Mushroom every three to four months of harvesting season or 1,800 floating bags bringing them an income used to buy for additional food and other personal necessities inside the jail.
Another project that the team presented during the national competition is the growing of Eutheuma or commonly known in Ilocano as kanut-kanot, a kind of seaweed which species has dwindled.
MMSU established the project with the fisherfolks and residents of La Virgen Milagrosa village in Badoc town.
The fisherfolks were tasked for the cultured growing and harvesting of the Eutheuma while the residents particularly mothers in the village will create by-products of the seaweed such as crackers, polvoron, turon, among others, and sell them in the community or supply them in local stores.
To date, there are 15 households in the village who are engaged into the project yielding roughly 125 kilograms of products after a 45-day cycle.
Reindel Owen Salvador, one of the MMSU-Enactus advisers, said that through the university’s extension program, beneficiaries are continuously trained for the prosperity of the project including financial management to help them handle their earning.
The team has also maintains other viable projects across the province to include the Pagudpud shell craft and homestay, Laoag City’s organic farming and vegetable gardening, the Banna dried mangoes processing and Dragon Fruit by-products in Currimao here.
Other schools that competed during the finals include last year’s champion, the Holy Trinity College of General Santos which now landed as second placer and Sultan Kudarat State Univerity as third placer.
The MMSU team members who made the victory possible are: Ma.Kathrina Antonio and Jazzerie Sales, BA Sociology students, Jhun Clayford Guillermo and James Gaddao, both BS Agricultural Technology students with their advisers: Dr. Marivic Alimbuyugen, Bella Gervacio and Reindel Owen Salvado. (Cherry Joy. D. Garma/PIA1-Ilocos Norte)
