A delegation of Carolinian young economists showcased their outstanding skills in economics and data analysis at the 2025 Regional Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS) Convention and Data Festival of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) Region VII held on September 17–18, 2025, at Bai Hotel, Mandaue City with the theme “Ready, Stat, Go! Building Agile, Resilient, and Future-Ready Filipino Communities through Data-Driven Systems.”

Representing the University of San Carlos, the delegation competed in contests that tested data analysis, visualization, and research. Yancy Pacheco and Nicole Angela Acupinpin placed second in the VizWiz Contest, while Eurika Kloeh Rabanes secured third in the StatShots Contest with her entry, “Resilience of a Cebuano Family at the Basilica del Santo Niño.”

Two USC teams also advanced as top four finalists in the Data Festival. The Digital Team—Raphael Anthony Aguilar, Ely Mark Lingling, and Eula Marie Pagalan—presented their paper “Exploring the Relationship Between Mobile Broadband Access and Underemployment in the Philippines.” The Child U5 Mortality Team—Kerzlynly Abellanosa, Shendee Lee Alag, and Hanz Heinrick Saenz—shared their study on “Determinants of Infant and Under Five Mortality in the Philippines: Evidence from the 2022 National Demographic and Health Survey.”

The CBMS, introduced to strengthen local governance through grassroots data, remains vital in supporting policies for inclusive development. With Carolinians among those leading in data-driven research, the university continues its tradition of forming professionals who bring knowledge into action for the common good.

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.