PHINMA Corporation, the major Philippine conglomerate founded by Ramon V. del Rosario Sr., launched on March 8 PHINMA-DLSU Center for Business and Society, a research center for business education that will be housed in the late businessman’s namesake college at DLSU.
Research and case studies will be conducted at the new research center in a bid to make the curriculum of the Ramon V. del Rosario College of Business (RVRCOB) more altruistic. The initiative, formally agreed upon in a ceremonial memorandum signing on November 17 last year, runs on a P50-million seed fund from PHINMA and Chief Executive Ramon R. del Rosario Jr. himself, with plans to expand to other business schools across the country.
In his December column in the Philippine Daily Inquirer, del Rosario Jr. said that PHINMA is committed to turning the business landscape from being profit-centric to focusing on social responsibility.
“The center’s aim is to produce business leaders who will embrace the idea that business has a responsibility beyond profits, that business must do its part in bringing about a better Philippines and a better life for Filipinos,” del Rosario Jr. said during the launch at The Fifth at Rockwell, Makati.
It is also “perfectly positioned to leverage the [RVRCOB’s] pioneering research, academic rigor, and extensive network to charter sustainable, ethical business practices through this collaboration,” DLSU President Br. Bernard Oca FSC said.
Dr. Emilina R. Sarreal, dean of RVRCOB, said that to develop ethical business leaders for the future, the center will utilize research conferences and forums to equip the business curriculum with sustainable practices backed by research that uses DLSU’s academic facilities.
“We will ensure that with the clear targets you’ve (PHINMA) given us…every peso spent will help us achieve the objective of making businesses a force for good,” Sarreal declared in her keynote speech.
The research center will be headed by Dr. Patrick Adriel Aure, the associate dean for quality assurance in RVRCOB and assistant professor from the Department of Management and Organization.
In an interview with The LaSallian, RVRCOB College President Josene Gonzales said the partnership will bring out the potential of her college. “We don’t necessarily know what’s all behind the Ramon V. del Rosario name,” she remarked, saying the event helped show the advocacies behind the renowned businessman.
“We’re not just a single college, we’re not just the best university in the whole Philippines for Business, we are a foundation…that fights for a greater purpose,” Gonzales said.
These sentiments were echoed by Vice President for Internal Affairs Ashley Francisco and Vice President for External Affairs Macie Tarnate, who emphasized how the research center will develop sustainable business skills. “We always say ‘Lasallians for God and Country,’ and I think dito pumapasok ‘yung aspect ng pagiging leaders for our society as well,” Francisco commented.
“Not every time there gets to be students from the student council or DLSU itself that get to be a part of these kinds of functions,” shared Tarnate, noting how the partnership may help in encouraging students to be part of “the bigger world out there, not just [within] University premises.”
A DLSU alumnus himself, del Rosario Jr. told The LaSallian there was no question about which university to collaborate with for PHINMA’s mission. “The College of Business is already named ‘Ramon V. del Rosario’ also, so we really want to build on that collaboration,” said the PHINMA chief. “We think we share the aspirations and we think that this is an ideal partnership.”
