Perspective September 2024 – De La Salle

Notable Stories in September 2024

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Benilde Blazers Unleash the ‘Power of 100’ in 2024 Pep Rally for Centennial NCAA Season
‘Lasallian Film Director’ Exhibit Honors Filmmakers on Philippine Film Industry Month
Benilde Animation Students Bag Awards at the International Animation Challenge 2024 in Singapore
‘MMA @ 25’ Spotlights Achievements, Milestones on 25th Anniversary of Benilde MMA
Honoring the Legacy and Artistry of National Artist Leandro V. Locsin Through ‘The Poet of Concrete’ Exhibit
Benilde Maintains Autonomous Status Until 2027
AY 23-24 Performance Review, a Testament to Benilde’s Progress and Continued Excellence
SHRIM Hatcheries Updates
Congratulations to Our Benildean Journalists!
In Case You Missed It
NCAA Game Schedules
Upcoming Events

Benilde Blazers Unleash the ‘Power of 100’ in 2024 Pep Rally for Centennial NCAA Season

Benildean athletes shone at the Benilde Blazers Pep Rally on September 12, following the NCAA Centennial Year kickoff.

‘Lasallian Film Director’ Exhibit Honors Filmmakers on Philippine Film Industry Month

Last September 12, commemorating the release of the first Filipino-directed feature film, Jose Nepomuceno’s “Dalagang Bukid,” on the same day in 1919, Benilde Center for Campus Arts (CCA) unveiled the “Lasallian Film Director”—a permanent exhibit honoring directors from La Salle schools at the hallway of the 12th Floor at the Design+Arts Campus.

Benilde Animation Students Bag Awards at the International Animation Challenge 2024 in Singapore

ABANI students won top awards at the International Animation Challenge 2024 in Singapore, organized by Nanyang Polytechnic. They excelled in creating chained animation projects in mixed, multinational teams.

‘MMA @ 25’ Spotlights Achievements, Milestones on 25th Anniversary of Benilde MMA

The Benilde Multimedia Arts (MMA) program celebrated its 25th anniversary on September 20, 2024, with a homecoming event at the Design+Arts Campus. The gathering included students, faculty, and alumni.

Honoring the Legacy and Artistry of National Artist Leandro V. Locsin Through ‘The Poet of Concrete’ Exhibit

Celebrating the legacy of National Artist Leandro V. Locsin, known as “The Poet of Concrete,” Benilde recently showcased his transformative architectural works in an exhibit at the Design+Arts Campus.

Benilde Maintains Autonomous Status Until 2027

The College has secured a renewed autonomous status from the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) until 2027. The recognition, formalized through CHED Memorandum Order No. 7, Series of 2024, highlights Benilde’s ongoing commitment to high academic standards, faculty excellence, and student success. Benilde first attained autonomous status in 2019 through CMO No. 12, series of 2019.

Benilde President Br. Edmundo Fernandez FSC praised the Benildean Community for their collective efforts, calling the achievement a reflection of the institution’s integrity and dedication. “This is a moment for celebration and a reminder to keep pushing for excellence,” Br. Dodo remarked, congratulating the entire Community for this prestigious accomplishment.

AY 23-24 Performance Review, a Testament to Benilde’s Progress and Continued Excellence

Recapping the key achievements and milestones of the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) strategic initiative (SI) teams from academic year (AY) 2023-2024, the Center for Institutional Planning held the annual “Year-End Performance Review” last Wednesday, September 25, at the fifth-floor theater at the Benilde Design+Arts Campus.

Hosted by the CIP Planning Officers Diane Ilagan and Angeli Villamor, the event allowed the different SI teams and their representatives to share and report their accomplishments for the previous AY.

In his opening remarks, Benilde Chancellor Benhur Ong emphasized that the “Year-End Review” is an opportunity to assess the College’s strategies and actions critically, the courses taken, and the work on improvements to meet institutional goals. “The work may be laborious and taxing, and we may not always meet our targets, but understand that these tasks ensure that our institution is well prepared for the present and lay the groundwork for the unforeseen future,” he expressed.

Ong also announced that Benilde was able to secure its autonomous status granted by the Commission on Higher Education—it being one of the 77 Philippine institutions that applied. To this, the chancellor commented, “This is a testament of what we have been doing in the past few years.”

Benildeans soar high in Academics initiatives

The SI on Academics team was the first to present their reports, led by School of Arts, Culture, and Performance Dean Magdalena de Leon and School of Diplomacy and Governance Dean Dr. Gary Ador Dionisio on behalf of Vice Chancellor for Academics Angelo Lacson.

They shared that the objective of the SI on Academics team was that by AY 2025-2026, Benilde had implemented an expanded educational framework through enhanced curricula and instruction, strong faculty tradition, and optimized learning spaces.

For this to be assessed, they included the following measures: (1) all current program offerings and school student activities continue to be reimagined and recalibrated with relevance, adaptability, flexibility, resiliency, and compliance in mind; (2) new program offerings, alternative pathways, and systems of education; (3) collaboration across programs promoting effectiveness and efficiency; (4) achievement of external accreditations and recognitions; and (5) collaboration across programs, services, and external partners promoting effectiveness and efficiency (including alumni, industry, linkages, etc.).

Overall, the SI on Academics team was able to successfully accomplish 71 milestones in the previous AY, emphasizing that Benilde’s milestones in terms of academics go beyond just particulars.

In the previous AY, Benilde held the Gawad Sinagtala last December 2023 to recognize the faculty and staff in terms of their excellence in teaching and service. Last August 2024, the School of Hotel, Restaurant and Institution Management also spearheaded the Br. Andrew Gonzalez FSC Academia-Industry Conference.

Over the past year, 14 programs of the College were accredited by the Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities while 10 programs in total were accredited by the ASEAN University Network-Quality Assurance.

The trailblazing of Benildean students also extended beyond the walls of the campuses, as topnotchers in the Architecture, Real Estate, and Psychometrician Licensure Examinations were recognized.

In terms of collaborations, there were 11 that were established with local and international La Salle schools. Benilde also gained 11 new international partners and 15 new internationalization activities last year. For future plans, the College will also be offering the Master of Digital Media program starting this coming second term of AY 2024-2025, they revealed.

‘Nowhere to go but up’ for Lasallian Mission programs

Vice President for Lasallian Mission and Student Maria Veronica Templo-Perez then presented the milestones of the SI on Lasallian Mission team.

As a whole, their objective was that student formation programs would be integrated across all academic programs of the College by AY 2025-2026. In the same timeframe, they aim to assess the impact and effectiveness of the Lasallian Adult Formation Program and implement the Administrations Formation Program.

The measures that they have identified to attain these goals include the (1) number of program components of the Lasallian Student Formation Program implemented; (2) number of program components of the Lasallian Adult Formation Program implemented; and the (3) development of the Adult Lasallian Formation Passport.

Of their 12 completed milestones, the team’s performance highlights include the Mental Health Awareness Month observation and activities in October 2023, a Learning Session with Student Artists, Journalists, Athletes, and Scholars, and the Formation Writeshop in April 2024.

While the Lasallian Mission team faced some challenges in fully completing their particulars, Templo-Perez cites that their performance in AY 2023-2024 marked improvement compared to previous years. With milestones that positively impacted the Benildean community, the team remains committed to further enhance student and faculty formation programs in the following AY.

Keeping up with demands through bolstered Digital Transformation

Vice President for Innovation Jose Albert Llamas was next to present. As the SI team focused on Digital Transformation, they aimed to establish a digitization platform by archiving institutional records and academic-related output and document routing; build and deploy a data warehouse covering student and finance that will support management decision making; and establish a Digital Transformation Office to drive and facilitate the College’s digitalization initiatives.

With these in mind, the team laid down the following measures to guide them in achieving their goals: (1) establish the digitization solution on an institutional scale within the next two years, resulting in document routing, space saving, and efficient file storage and retrieval; (2) establish the data warehouse, security, policy, and accessibility of data; and (3) establish the Digital Transformation Office to drive and facilitate the College’s digitalization initiatives.

During the presentation, Llamas was very frank and admitted that the team had difficulty achieving all the milestones they aimed to reach. Still, the team managed to complete more than 82% of their target milestones in the previous AY, affirming their commitment to excellence despite roadblocks encountered.

Their success was made evident by their accomplishments throughout the year, including the Digitization Event held last March 2024, the launching of the Benilde Archives in April 2024, the establishment of a Document Routing Solution last June, and the ETL for Data Warehouse last August.

Benilde is steps closer to targets with help from Marketing

Chancellor Ong again took the stage to present the SI on Marketing, which aimed to increase entry enrollment by 50% by AY 2025-2026. In order to do this, the team established measure points that can help drive them toward the said goal. These include the increase of frosh enrollment by 30% in two years, from the baseline of around 1,640 students. As of the first term of AY 2023-2024, Benilde now has 3,078 students.

Another measure they set was the increase of applications of the College to meet the 30% target across all Benilde campuses. Among the particulars in order to successfully attain this measure included organizing visits via school talks and promotional events to invite potential students to apply to Benilde’s programs and increasing social media presence, all of which were reported to be successful.

At the end of AY 2023-2024, the SI on Marketing team successfully completed 15 milestones throughout the AY. Among the highlights of these were the high rate of actual admissions versus target admissions, the maximization of admissions lanes, the establishment of the admissions data center, and an in-person Open House for undergraduate and senior high school students.

Resource Management highlights P49M fund for Deaf projects

Presenting on behalf of the SI on Resource Management team was Senior Head for the Center for Financial Planning, Reporting, and Analysis Diogenes Ungab.

He detailed the team’s four primary objectives: (1) consolidate revenue generation and identify clear financial targets; (2) intentional and purposive generation of savings and reduction of expenses in the College; (3) continuously improve and upgrade the service levels offered by the College; and (4) enhance the management and development of the College’s human resources.

To achieve all these objectives, they put forth measures, namely (1) consolidated non-traditional revenue targets; (2) generation of cost savings; (3) campus development and built environment upgrades; and (4) top-in-class people management and organization.

The Resource Management team successfully completed several key initiatives, such as conducting the Benilde Leaders Development workshops last April and July 2024, signing on of new vendors and concessionaires, and generating funds worth P49M via grants, contracts, and donations for various Deaf projects. Despite some objectives being unmet, the team continues to work diligently toward improving operational efficiency and optimizing resource allocation.

Summarizing the College’s SI teams’ accomplishments, Ilagan cited the overall performance rate for AY 2023-2024 to be 70.32%—with Benilde successfully achieving 147 milestones in total.

Closing the “Year-End Review,” Templo-Perez reiterated that the performance rates do not take away the fact that “everyone did a good job” in the past AY. “The work that we did for our SIs was work that was beyond what most of us signed up for,” she pointed out, “But if we shift our attention to the numbers, we would see na umuusad pa naman tayo sa Benilde.”

As a new AY began last September 4, the College envisions to not only continue with unfinished goals this year but to also strive for a better overall performance.

SHRIM Hatcheries Updates

Café Romançon Unveils New Menu and Buffet Offering

Café Romançon has updated its à la carte menu, offering diners fresh options to enjoy. Starting September 16, 2024, the café will also introduce a daily Continental Breakfast Buffet, available from 6:00 AM to 10:00 AM at Hotel Benilde Maison de La Salle. Guests can also look forward to the release of Café Romançon’s special Holiday à la Carte and Banquet menus, set to debut this October.

Chef's Station Welcomes Diners for the New Academic Year

Chef’s Station is back in service, ready for the new academic year with a fresh batch of eager SHRIM practicum students. Starting Monday, September 16, 2024, the student-run café will be open to welcome diners.

Located on the ground floor of the Angelo King International Center (AKIC) campus, Chef’s Station operates Monday to Friday, from 6:30 AM to 3:30 PM.

Vatel Restaurant Manila Opens for Soft Launch

Vatel Restaurant Manila has officially opened its doors for a soft launch, offering a unique dining experience from Monday to Friday, 11 AM to 7 PM. Located on the ground floor of The Atrium @Benilde Campus, the restaurant will start accepting walk-in guests beginning October 1, 2024.

For inquiries and reservations, guests can email vatelrestaurantmanila@benilde.edu.ph. Additionally, the restaurant is now accepting bookings for functions such as meetings, workshops, and events.

Benilde 35th Anniversary Message from the Brother President

As Benilde’s 35th anniversary celebrations drew to a close, Benilde President Br. Edmundo Fernandez FSC addressed the Benildean Community with a message of gratitude and optimism. Looking back on the institution’s journey so far, he highlighted how Benilde has grown into a leader in educational innovation and inclusion. “Our 35 years are rich in stories of growth and creativity,” he noted, adding that Benilde’s resilience, particularly during the challenges of the pandemic, stemmed from its strong sense of community and mutual support.

Looking to the future, Brother Dodo announced exciting developments, including plans for a modernized Taft campus designed to foster a more dynamic learning environment. He also underscored the College’s commitment to supporting its faculty and staff through enhanced scholarships and financial rewards in recognition of their dedication. “You all deserve to be fairly compensated for the work you do every day,” he said.

Ending on an inspiring note, he reminded the community of Benilde’s deeper mission: to nurture hope. “We are bringers of hope,” he shared, believing that Benilde graduates will continue to make a positive impact in the world. With this vision in mind, Brother Dodo encouraged everyone to embrace the opportunities ahead with confidence and a spirit of service.

Congratulations to Our Benildean Journalists!

In Case You Missed It

People Organization and Development Office (PODO)
- The application for those interested to apply for the Advanced Study Grants for enrollments covered by the 1st Term of Academic Year 2024 – 2025 is now open through an Online Form. Please prepare and submit all the necessary requirements.
- PODO announces the salary adjustments effective AY 2024-2025. These adjustments will be credited in the associate’s respective payroll account on September 10, 2024 pay out: [1] Across the Board (ATB) – reference to the Br. President’s end of the 35th Year Anniversary message to the community released on September 2, 2024, the Across the Board (ATB) salary increase is at 4.0%. Associates with tenure of at least one (1) year with the College or have completed the recent AY2023-2024 are eligible for the across the board (ATB) salary increase; [2] Merit Increase (MI) – is based on the results of the associate’s Annual Performance Evaluation for the period July 2023 to June 2024; [3] Other Across the Board Adjustments – to provide an equitable increase for all eligible associates as part of the initiatives to be more competitive in our compensation and recognizing contributions to the College. Eligible are associates hired as of August 31, 2023 or with at least one (1) year in service with the College.
- The Benilde Service Awards 2024 will be held on October 10 at the 5/F Theater, D+A Campus. It is a commemorative event honoring the exceptional dedication and hard work of our esteemed associates. This occasion serves as a recognition of the milestones and achievements that have contributed to the continued success of Benilde.
- The Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Seminar, scheduled for October 3, 2024, from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM at the Auditorium, 5F Duerr Hall, Taft Campus. This seminar will be held in conjunction with our BEACON attendees and is open to all associates who have not yet completed their OSH training. Please confirm your attendance by registering through this link: https://forms.gle/bV6GuNyQFchTrnCHA.
- The qualified unused leave balances (SL/VL) for AY 2023-2024 will be converted to cash following the guidelines on conversion of unused leaves. Cash conversion of all unused leaves will be credited to the associate’s payroll account on September 30, 2024.
Center for Restorative Discipline (CRD)
- For the unclaimed lost and found items for the month of August 2024, owners are requested to visit the respective CRD offices in the different campuses to claim their item/s from September 9-31, 2024, between 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM only. Bring your proof of ownership for verification purposes. All unclaimed item/s after September 30 will be turned-over to GASD-Warehouse (Non-Cash) for proper disposal and Finance Department (Cash) for College fund.
Center for Learning Resources (CLR)
- The Audio-Visual Services Unit of the CLR provides AV services to meet the needs of the Community inside the classroom and various off and on campus school events. For all your audio-visual needs, please visit https://clr.benilde.edu.ph/services/audiovisual to make your reservations.
- Our learning spaces are open for you, book now at https://clr-scheds.benilde.edu.ph/allspaces.
- The Br. Fidelis Leddy Center for Learning Resources will be having its virtual user-education training session on De Gruyter Online Books database on October 04, 2024 (Friday) at 1:00 PM to be facilitated by Mr. Peng Guo, Senior Sales Manager for Asia Pacific at De Gruyter.
Office of the Vice President for Innovation (OVPI)
- Benilde Innovation Tank is open to all Benildean associates and students who share the vision of fostering a culture of innovation. We are actively seeking innovative ideas to enhance our institution. All members of the Benildean community can contribute and help shape the future of our institution through creative and practical innovation. Benildean associates and students whose ideas are adopted will receive proper attribution for their contributions to the campaign. The College will retain ownership of any new intellectual property developed from the Be IT campaign.
Digital Technology Office (DTO)
- You are subject to the following terms and conditions when you sign up and use the application “Figma” within the campus premises. Please understand that the terms and conditions are meant to guide you through the use of this application, and that you be made aware of the implications on your data privacy and intellectual property, and of the College.
SHRIM – Chef’s Station (SHRIM-CS)
- Chef’s Station is ready to serve you for the new academic year! Our new batch of SHRIM Practicum students are excited to welcome you starting on Monday, September 16. Open from Monday to Friday, 6:30 am to 3:30 pm, visit us on the Ground Floor of the Angelo King International Center (AKIC) Campus.
Office of the Registrar (RO)
- Degree Program Shifting effective on 2nd Term, AY 2024-2025 | As a general rule, new programs do not accept shiftees until they have graduated the first cohort (see Student Handbook Section 3.14, p.60). Visit the SIS login page [apps.benilde.edu.ph/sis] for more info on Application Procedures and Policies & Guidelines.
- The Returnee Application for 2nd Term AY 2024-2025 is now accepting applicants from September 18 to October. 15.

Office of the Vice Chancellor for Academics (OVCA)
- OVCA announces the appointments of the School Deans, School Director, School Associate Deans, and Program Chairpersons for the 1st Term of Academic Year 2024-2025.
- With great pleasure, OVCA and the Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Research (OIER), thru the Center for Faculty and Institutional Research (OIER-CFIR), shares that the School of Multidisciplinary Studies (SMS) – Social Science and Theology-Philosophy Domain is the recipient of the Most Productive Department in Research Award for Academic Year 2023-2024. The School of Hotel, Restaurant, and Institution Management (SHRIM) and the School of Management and Information Technology – Analytics, Computing, and Infotech (ACI) Cluster placed 2nd and 3rd, respectively. The award commends the program/unit that has the highest level of scientific productivity in the area of research, and recognizes scholarly excellence in the top-performing departments of the College (POL-131503-0002). SMS-Domain 2 garnered an aggregate of 116 points for relevant research endeavors accomplished within A.Y. 2023-2024.
SHRIM – Vatel Restaurant (SHRIM-VR)
- We are excited to welcome you back to the newest Vatel Manila Restaurant! Mark your calendars as we start accepting walk-in guests starting October 1. Meanwhile, our functions are open for reservations. Set your meetings, workshops, or events with us. Email vatelrestaurantmanila@benilde.edu.ph for your inquiries.The Vatel Restaurant Manila is located at the Ground Floor of The Atrium @Benilde Campus! See you in October!
Office of the Chancellor (OC)
- We have updated our a la Carte menu at Cafe Romançon. Moreover, beginning September 16, we will now be offering a delectable Continental Breakfast Buffet from 6:00 am to 10:00 am daily. All prices are inclusive of VAT and are subject to a 10 percent Service Charge. Please watch out for our Holiday a la Carte and Banquet menus coming out this October.
Center for Emergency Management, Safety, and Security (CEMSS)
- CEMSS announces the submission of applications for the car stickers for SY 2024-2025. Review the Parking Rules and Regulations for AY 2024-2025 where the steps for application are explained. Note that only applications with complete requirements can be processed. Kindly familiarize yourself with the parking rules to avoid inconvenience. The AY 2024-2025 sticker will be fully implemented starting October 1.
Center for Built Environment and Logistics (CBEL)
- This is to inform everyone that we will be conducting our monthly pest control treatment on September 22 and 29.
- Avida Condo Rental for Associates and Faculty Members | Pleasefeel free to visit the Center for Built Environment and Logistics (CBEL) at the Greenway Square, Taft Campus, or contact us at local no. 1192.
School of Professional and Continuing Education
- Please join SPaCE’s upcoming programs for October 2024.
Office of the President (OP)
- “The Poet of Concrete” opens on September 26 at the 12F Gallery of the Design and Arts Campus with a program headed by Br Dodo Fernandez FSC and Leandro Locsin Jr. It is the seventh show of a National Artist by the Center for Campus Art.
- OP shares the news that Benilde has been granted Autonomous Status by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED). This prestigious recognition is a testament to the innovative and excellent quality of education and commitment to academic excellence that we as a Benildean community has been known for. Let us celebrate this milestone together and reaffirm our commitment to excellence by doing everything extraordinarily well. Together, we will continue to make strides in education that inspire not only ourselves but also those around us.
Center for Social Action (CSA)
- On 24 September 2024, the Center for Social Action held the Paghilom sa Pagkain Book Turnover Ceremony to National Book Development Board (NBDB) at the 2F Ideation Room, The Atrium @ Benilde. These books will be added to the Book Nook of NBDB located nationwide. The Paghilom sa Pagkain Recipe Book is authored by SHRIM Faculty Member Dr. Teddy Manansala as part of Benilde’s commitment to increase awareness of partner communities on Filipino dishes that meet their nutritional needs, are inexpensive, and are easy to cook by distributing the recipe books in NBDB Book Nooks.
Office of the Institutional Effectiveness and Research (OIER)
- Your Feedback Matters: Enhance Our Cafeteria and Store Service by scanning the QR Code available on each cafeteria table to share your feedback directly, whether you are dining in or grabbing a take-out or at your convenience – anytime, anywhere, and on any day, please fill out our accessible google form.
Center for Procurement (CProc)
- Submission of office supplies requisition for 1st Term AY 2024-2025 is accepted until October 10.