INTERNAL AUDIT TAKING ROOTS IN THE ACADEME
On my birthday, 12 August 2002, Lily Linsangan and myself had our first internal audit conversation with Adamson University. This was the beginning of our journey for an undergraduate degree in internal auditing in the Philippines, having secured the nod of The IIA on a 4-year model internal audit curriculum we developed.
Still in its infancy and with much of its definition and Standards still evolving, the acceptance for internal audit as a course or a subject in the academe was an uphill challenge. We had our support from then Dean Tess Nadurata to author a CHED program on internal audit. Our first milestone was when the University of San Carlos (USC) Cebu offered a masters program in internal audit through Dean Challoner Matero (who would later on author the now-in-effect CHED CMO29 s2017 on BS Internal Auditing [BSIA]). This was followed when Far Eastern University (FEU) became the first school to offer the bachelors program in internal audit. Both universities also had their own IIA student chapters bringing the chapters under the Philippine institute to include Cebu, Davao, USC, and FEU (the original IIA Manila Chapter was converted into the Philippine institute).
The internal audit profession has progressed heavily since those formative years. The IIA has gone global and improved the Standards into what is now the International Professional Practices Framework (IPPF) covering the professional practice of internal auditing, and its codification in our Red Book.
As the profession updated its technical standards, IIAP opened its CIA review program through its first dean Raymund Mungkal, then internal audit manager from San Miguel Corporation. Thence, IIA Philippines (a) produced quality facilitators and lot of training materials, (b) made its mark in the global profession through its global topnotchers, and (c) was recognized by ACIIA as a Center of Excellence in Certification in 2016.
With a strong internal audit knowledge-base and a pool of experienced, qualified facilitators, IIAP has positioned itself to contin-
uing the advocacy for internal audit in the academe. In 2016, we launched ‘Batal-IA, The Internal Audit Academic Challenge’ for students enrolled in internal auditing subjects. [Batal-IA is a combination of ‘batalla’ or armor and the shortened ‘IA’ for internal audit.]
In 2016, IIAP was consulted on a proposed internal auditing program, which later became CHED CMO 29 s2017 BSIA, effective academic year 20182019. Various focus group discussions were subsequently hosted--which include Adamson, DLSU Lipa, FEU, Lyceum, Manuel Enverga University (Lucena), PUP, San Beda, TIP QC, University of Luzon (Pangasinan), UP Diliman, USC (Cebu), and with members of the National Association of CPAs in Education (nACPAE) – on how IIAP can support the implementation of the new BSIA program, in the co-development of curriculum content, provision of learning references and materials, conduct of a train-the-faculty program, a program on internship and research for faculty and students, and support from the global Internal Audit Educational Partnership program.
IIAP and USC entered into an agreement to offer the Master of Science in Internal Audit (MSIA) in Metro Manila. Recently, (a) Holy Angel University expressed its desire to offer MSIA for North Luzon, and (b) the University of Asia and the Pacific ( UA&P) expressed desire in co-developing a program to equip faculties with an equivalence program to teach internal auditing professional subjects.
Slowly, internal audit is taking its roots
Whatever happened to Adamson since we visited in 2002? IIAP has always held that internal auditing is a profession not only reserved to CPAs and accountants, but to any professional who practices governance, risk management and internal controls, which may include finance, forensic and fraud professionals, and engineers.
In January 2018, we embarked on another journey of expanding the profession – when IIAP conducted its first internal auditing class to 5th year industrial engineering students of Adamson University, with our first resource persons Mhycke Gallego, Jun Nicanor, Larry Francisco and Eloi Acosta.
A lot of milestones and celebration have happened 16 years since my birthday of 2002. Indeed, each one a memorable event as internal audit takes root in the Academe.
Mhycke C. Gallego is advisory partner and head of knowledge management at P&A Grant Thornton. He is past president of the Institute of Internal Auditors–Philippines and is an advocate of strengthening the linkage between academe and industry.