13 December 2016 – The Philippine Consulate General in New York hosted the back-to-back Retooling Seminars for Finance Officers and a Procurement Process Seminar for Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) Members and Finance Officers of the various Foreign Service Posts (FSPs) in the Americas from November 28 to December 3.

Two participants from the Philippine Embassies in the Czech Republic and Hungary also joined the seminars.

DFA Assistant Secretary for Financial Management Services (OFMS) Mario L. de Leon, Jr., Danilo G. Cabayan, DFA Acting Department Chief Accountant, and Mr. Edgardo G. Esteban, Acting Director Financial Resources Management Division served as the overall DFA training team for the Seminar. They were joined by Commission on Audit Resource Persons Director Elena B. Monteza and Dir. Emelita V. Cayetano.

In the course of the five-day Retooling Seminar for Finance Officers, discussions were undertaken on updates on the Government Accounting Manual, financial reporting, and other related topics. The Finance Officers under the auspices of the OFMS also conducted a sharing of best practices session.

The Finance Officers Retooling Seminar was followed by a one day session on Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Philippine Procurement Law. DFA Bids and Awards Committee Chairperson Ma. Teresa C. Lepatan, Atty, Nadine Morales, and Atty. Marc Gregory Solano provided updates on the procurement process, covering topics such as the conduct of Competitive Bidding and application of Alternative Methods of Procurement.

The seminars are part of DFA’s commitment to ensuring more effective, efficient, and transparent government services through a continuing training and skills program for its personnel. END