The BES of the Bunch: This Year’s Student-Led Enterprises
At an age when many are still discovering who they want to become, Filipino students are already being asked to choose the paths that will shape their futures. This initiative reflects the implementation of the Senior High School (SHS) program by the Department of Education (DepEd), which offers diverse tracks and strands designed to equip learners with essential 21st-century skills. In the Accountancy, Business, and Management (ABM) strand of SHS—which prepares students for business-related pathways—this vision takes shape through the Business Enterprise Simulation (BES), which immerses learners in simulated business operations by allowing them to conceptualize, launch, and manage enterprise projects.
In MGC New Life Christian Academy, BES functions as the culminating activity of the ABM strand, where students form groups of three to four members to develop and refine a business idea. From there, they have to build the brand’s identity, research their target market, manage production, and prepare to enter a competitive selling environment. With months of planning behind them, these are the BES groups for this school year:
Totely
Totely was created with the idea that a bag can be both practical and personal. Available in four colors, the brand offers two tote styles: the Miley tote for travel or work and the Everly tote for everyday essentials. By offering embroidered patch customization, the brand invites customers to be totally themselves.
2. AGYN
Rooted in comfort and style, AGYN offers hoodies and sweatpants designed for everyday wear, sold as individual pieces or matching sets. Their pieces are available in a variety of colors, including wine red, dark navy, heather gray, and light blue, giving customers a wide array of options to choose from.
3. Biskova
Biskova brings a creative spin on snacking with two different treats: biscotti treats and cookie fries (cookies reshaped into fry-like strips). Paired with a chocolate or Biscoff dip, these treats capture familiar flavors presented in a playful yet delightfully unexpected form.
4. Nijikoro
Nijikoro’s products consist of a wide range of stickers and accessories, including pins, keychains, photocards, and totes. Their accessories feature playful, aesthetic designs of different animals and characters, made to personalize laptops, tumblers, and anything students want to make uniquely theirs.
5. Theobroma
Using locally sourced artisanal chocolate, Theobroma offers bark-style potato chips coated in rich, handcrafted chocolate. Each piece blends crunch and richness in one bite. The group intentionally chose local chocolate, hoping to highlight the depth of Filipino flavors through a snack that feels both innovative and proudly homegrown.
6. Studio Valise
Studio Valise brings forward two products. The Capsule is an everyday pouch with dividers, available in five colors: cocoa (brown), willow (dark green), cranberry (burgundy), coastal (cyan), and cloud (silver). The Case, available in the same palette, is a laptop sleeve with compartments, offering both storage and protection for everyday essentials.
7. Ziora
Inspired by its founders’ aim to provide a holistic cleaning solution for families and offices, Ziora produces soaps and tissue packs. Building on that vision, the brand features three hand soap variants—Olive Garden, Green Tea, and Fruit Bloom—each emphasizing its vision of clean living, raised to new heights.
8. Baoche
The idea behind Baoche was inspired by an observation: pouches can become disorganized easily. In response, the team designed organizer bags in cloud white, blush pink, and dusty blue, each with built-in separators. As the founders shared, “We wanted a pouch that is both stylish and practical,” noting that there wasn’t anything quite like it on the w
9. Solb
Solb reimagines a Filipino classic through their truffle-flavored adobo paste, conveniently packaged in jars for easy portability. Aside from the paste, they also serve full adobo meals at bazaars for customers. This concept reflects their goal of highlighting and celebrating Filipino flavors and sharing that taste with others.
10. JT Growth AI
JT Growth AI stands out as the only group whose business model centers on a service, with an AI receptionist capable of handling front-desk tasks such as answering calls and scheduling appointments. According to one founder, this focus on AI automation was driven by their programming background and growing interest in the AI industry.
As each BES group immerses itself in the process of running a business, the students behind it gain firsthand experience in developing products, executing marketing strategies, managing finances, and sustaining an enterprise, thereby gaining insights that textbooks alone cannot offer. Through this project, they hone essential 21st-century skills, including collaboration, creativity, critical thinking, and communication. And at a stage when their futures are still taking shape, the lessons they have learned will stay with them as they eventually move into their chosen fields.
