Cedrix Leppago, News, PUP Campus Journalists
Two teams from the Department of Financial Management (DFM) of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) secured major awards in the 2025 MARTxCFAP Cup: Inter-Collegiate Bonds Trading Competition Season 4. The awarding ceremony was held on May 23, 2025, at the Palacio del Gobernador Convention Hall in Intramuros, Manila.
The PUP delegates—CHADE Traders and YIELD Masters—competed against 37 teams from universities nationwide, showcasing their skills and strategies in a two-month challenge focused on fixed income securities.
CHADE Traders, composed of Christian Mapacpac (team leader), Hanna Victorino, Ezekiel Aguinaldo, Airome Ashley Manansala, and Haron Paul Joaquin, emerged as the grand champions. They also took home the Alpha Team, Most Diversified Portfolio, and Most Astute Traders awards.
Meanwhile, YIELD Masters, led by Angelo Hufancia and composed of Bernadette Trinidad, April Joy Cabaya, Rica Mae Cruz, and Joshua Yu, placed second overall in the BPI Game, and won the Most Defensive Portfolio and Auction Star awards.
This marks the second consecutive year that a PUP DFM team has reached the competition’s final round.
Mastering the market Organized by the Money Market Association of the Philippines (MART) and the Chartered Financial Analyst Society of the Philippines (CFAP), the competition aimed to expose students to the realities of capital markets and trading, especially fixed income securities—an area often overlooked in favor of stocks or cryptocurrencies.
To prepare, the PUP competitors underwent intensive training in fixed income trading, market terms, and negotiation strategies. They also used platforms like PDEX, Bloomberg, and Trading Economics to analyze real-time data—such as interest and inflation rates—that shaped their bond yield decisions during the competition.
“We reviewed market trends, practiced mock trades, analyzed past data, and assigned roles based on each member’s strengths,” Hufancia said, emphasizing their team’s strategy.
“That’s also our motivation and our main driver, not only to win in this competition, but to really learn a lot so that we could use the skills and the knowledge that we understood all throughout the competition to use in our future careers,” Mapacpac added.
Triumph through grit Fresh off their win, team leaders of CHADE Traders and YIELD Masters shared the emotional and professional impact of their success.
For Hufancia, the victory of YIELD Masters was a “defining moment” that went far beyond rankings and recognition, symbolizing the countless hours they spent on research, strategy discussions, discipline, and learning throughout the competition.
Mapacpac echoed this sentiment, noting how physically and mentally demanding the two-month competition was for the team. Balancing their academic responsibilities with daily market analyses, risk assessments, and economic monitoring needed tremendous effort and sacrifice.
Strength in support The teams attributed their accomplishments to the strong support system of PUP and their coaches.
As told by Hufancia, their coach provided regular consultations to build their technical skills, and fellow PUP contestants—especially the Kung Fu Traders—offered valuable insights that helped them navigate the event.
They also gained logistical and financial support, including tuition reimbursements, food, and learning resources. The combination of academic and moral support played a crucial role in their preparation and eventual victory.
PUP pride lives on Now entering their final academic year, most team members are shifting their focus to internships but remain open to future competitions that align with their skills and interests.
They concluded their victory with heartfelt gratitude to the Sintang Paaralan, crediting their success to the institution’s values of resilience, integrity, and excellence.
“Opportunities like this, bonus trading or fixed income trading competition, and being able to be equipped with practical skills and real-life application will surely help us in our future careers,” Mapacpac noted.
The CHADE Traders and YIELD Masters’ win in the 2025 MARTxCFAP Cup: Inter-Collegiate Bonds Trading Competition stands as a testament to PUP’s enduring commitment to academic excellence.
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