ECONOMIC majors from the University of San Carlos emerged victorious in the 2025 Regional Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS) Convention and Data Festival hosted by the Philippine Statistics Authority Region VII earlier this month.

In the data-driven contests, Yancy Pacheco and Nicole Angela Acupinpin secured second place in the VizWiz Challenge, while Eurika Kloeh Rabanes placed third in the StatShots competition with her feature “Resilience of a Cebuano Family at the Basilica del Santo Niño.”

Two USC research teams also ranked among the top four finalists:

The Digital Team—Raphael Anthony Aguilar, Ely Mark Lingling, and Eula Marie Pagalan—examined the link between mobile broadband access and underemployment in the Philippines.

The Child U5 Mortality Team—Kerzlynly Abellanosa, Shendee Lee Alag, and Hanz Heinrick Saenz—analyzed infant and under-five mortality factors using data from the 2022 National Demographic and Health Survey.

The CBMS program supports evidence-based policymaking by gathering community-level statistics, and USC’s strong showing highlights its role in shaping researchers who can transform data into tools for inclusive development.

“For the USC community, these victories reflect the Carolinian way of learning with ‘Cool Heads, Warm Hearts, and Helping Hands’—balancing competence with compassion and a commitment to service,” the university said.