96 Filipino CPAS step up to Asean-level accountants
DAVAO CIT Y—ninety six more Filipino certified public accountants (CPA) have been upgraded to Asean level of professional accountants, allowing more Filipino accountants to compete globally for top-level professional positions and responsibilities.
Rosanno Luga, president of the Davao City chapter of the Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA) said the new Filipino CPAS inducted and conferred the title “Asean Chartered Professional Accountant” came from different parts of the Philippines.
They took their oath before Professional Regulatory Commission (PRC) Chairman Teofilo S. Pilando Jr. during a formal ceremony on July 31, 2021 hosted by the Professional Regulatory Board of Accountancy (BOA).
There are about 5,300 Asean professional accountants to date, Luga said, including the newly conferred Filipino Asean CPAS, “three of whom are members and past presidents of PICPA Davao Chapter who are now holding pertinent positions in the government, namely, Commission on Audit Commissioner Roland C. Pondoc, Energy Regulatory Commission Commissioner Marko Romeo L. Fuentes and PRC-BOA Vice Chair Thelma S. Ciudadano.
The conferment ceremony was done at the sidelines of the 2nd Asean CPA Conference virtually held on July 30 and 31 with Cebu City as the host. The 1st Asean CPA Conference was held in Bali, Indonesia in October 2019. The conferment was worked out by the BOA, PICPA National Office, PICPA Cebu and PRC International Affairs Office.
The elevation of the more Filipino CPAS to the Asean level of professional accountants came at the heels of the consolidation of the Asean Framework Agreement on Services that “enhances cooperation in services amongst Asean member-states in order to improve efficiency and competitiveness.”
Long envisioned to be a single economy, the integration of more professional services, including accountancy in Asean would help “promote the flow of relevant information and the exchanging of expertise, experiences, and best practices suited to specific needs of the 10 Asean member-states: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines.”
The 2nd Asean CPA Conference was held with the theme, Forging Alliances. Strengthening Links, and gathered some of the vast number of CPAS from all over the Asean region, Luga added. “This would afford them the benefits of free flow of services in the region.”