GIVING BACK, PLANNING AHEAD
One benefit of being associated with a big multinational firm is having access to world-class resources, which the firm needs to render good service to its clients. Mr. Manabat noted that the firm’s staff have gone a long way from the stereotypical image of being just mere bookkeepers.
“Clients look to us for advice. Knowing that we have global resources, they would expect us to have access to international best practices. We have to be updated with the developments here and abroad,” he said.
The firm takes pride in conveying facts and information that add value to its clients’ businesses. It has significantly increased its
Its roster of seasoned professionals and partners from diverse public and private sector backgrounds allows KPMG R.G. Manabat & Co. to provide realistic solutions to its clients’ increasingly complex business and regulatory issues.
Corporate values are the backbone of any company regardless of what industry it is in. At KPMG R.G. Manabat & Co., it aims to integrate these values to its relationships with clients and colleagues. Among KPMG’s seven values, Mr. Manabat highlighted the importance of acting with integrity.
To define it according to KPMG’s terms, acting with integrity is incessantly reaching to preserve the highest professional standards, giving valuable advice, and keeping the firm’s independence. “Our profession is reputation-based so we have to maintain our good name. Each individual should imbibe those values because each one, even the lowest level staff, represents the firm,” said Mr. Manabat.
He explained that the firm spends a lot of time onboarding its people to inform them about KPMG’s policies and risk management practices. “It’s not that we pursue growth for growth’s sake. Higher revenue would be good but it should be quality growth. That’s why we have strict client acceptance and retention procedures. We want to deal with companies that do business in a legitimate and honorable way.”
KPMG R.G. Manabat & Co. participates in a number of social initiatives through giving back to its community, one of which is Enactus wherein the firm coordinates with students all over the country in teaching basic financial management to communities with entrepreneurial projects.
Among the firm’s recent partnerships in the field of corporate social responsibility (CSR) are with Operations Blessing Foundation Philippines (OBFP) and Renovate to Educate ( rED). Both collaborations lend a helping hand to povertystricken communities and the youth, respectively.
Following the onslaught of Typhoon Yolanda ( international name Haiyan) in 2013, KPMG International launched a global appeal for financial support from its network of member firms. The group was able to raise US$ 1 million in donations, which they distributed through non-profit organizations, namely, Philippine Red Cross and Oxfam.
Last year, the firm’s CSR initiatives focused on education and building infrastructure. Through its partnership with Renovate to Educate program, KPMG R.G. Manabat & Co. assisted in rebuilding chairs and desks, painting murals and school signages, building and furnishing school libraries, creating teaching tools, repairing classroom and bathroom doors, and donations.
Asked about the company’s future, Mr. Manabat shared that KPMG R. G. Manabat & Co. is adapting to the rapid changes in technology so that its staff could focus more on the analytical aspects rather than the mechanical and clerical. Through this, the firm can deliver a more efficient audit, adding value to the work, resulting in benefits to its clients.
“Our goal is to be the clear choice that provides innovative and insightful solutions in assurance, tax and advisory. We want to be seen as a clear alternative by the local and multinational firms,” said Mr. Manabat. Through espousing global standards and practices driven by people with a sense of purpose, passion, and integrity, one could say that the firm is well on its way.