News — School of Business and Management

The University of San Jose–Recoletos (USJ-R) continues to demonstrate excellence in Accountancy education, producing another topnotcher in the Certified Public Accountant Licensure Examination (CPALE) as one of its graduates secures a place among the country's highest-performing examinees in the October 2026 examination.

Robert Cuyong Toledano Jr., a 2026 graduate of the USJ-R School of Business and Management, ranked eighth nationwide with an impressive rating of 90.50 percent. He also completed his review at the university's CPA Review Center.

This latest achievement builds on USJ-R's strong performance in the May 2026 CPALE, where two of its graduates also earned places among the country's topnotchers. Mr. Blas Miguel V. Escarro secured fourth place, while Ms. Joan Alliah M. Carilimdiliman placed tenth in the national licensure examination.

In a press conference, Toledano credited his achievement to the values he developed during his years at USJ-R, particularly the university's three core values of competence, character, and commitment. He also recognized the culture of cooperation and mutual support among the university's faculty members and educators, whose guidance contributed to his academic preparation and professional journey.

The University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) and the Cebu Provincial Tourism Office (CPTO) have formalized a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the Cebu Geographical Indication (GI) Culinary Heritage Research and Development Project, a province-wide initiative aimed at identifying, documenting, and protecting Cebu's traditional food products through the country's Geographical Indication (GI) System. The Geographical Indication (GI) System, administered by the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL), is an intellectual property framework that recognizes and protects products whose unique qualities, reputation, or characteristics are essentially linked to their place of origin. Through GI protection, local products gain legal recognition, helping preserve cultural heritage, strengthen consumer confidence, and enhance the market competitiveness of communities that produce these distinct goods.

Spearheaded by the USJ-R School of Business and Management's Department of Tourism and Hospitality Management, in coordination with the Center for Policy, Research, and Development Studies (CPRDS), the project combines the University's academic and research expertise with CPTO's commitment to tourism development and cultural preservation. The collaboration strengthens efforts to safeguard Cebu's rich culinary heritage while promoting local enterprise and tourism competitiveness. Under the agreement, USJ-R will lead the research design, field documentation, data gathering, and preparation of GI technical dossiers with the support of its faculty and student researchers. CPTO, meanwhile, will coordinate with local government units, producer groups, and other stakeholders and integrate the project's outputs into the province's tourism development programs.