6 September 2013 - Accountants from the Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA) Northern Metro Manila Chapter shared their knowledge and expertise with their Brunei-based Filipino counterparts by conducting a seminar workshop on business viability, steps and legal tips to get incorporated, internal auditing and control, and uncovering fraud held at the SEAMEO Voc-Tech building in Bandar Seri Begawan on September 01.
The seminar workshop was organized by the PICPA Brunei Chapter in cooperation with Filipino Association in Brunei (FAB) and the Philippine Embassy in Brunei Darussalam.
Resource speakers from PICPA Northern Metro Manila provided technical knowledge useful to entrepreneurs, finance managers, controllers, assistants, office managers and other professionals. The speakers also touched on issues such as break-even analysis, cash flow forecast, budget analysis and interpretation of financial statements. Finally, the resource speakers gave legal tips on obtaining the maximum benefits of getting incorporated in Brunei Darussalam and the Philippines, as the use of internal auditing in uncovering irregularities and misappropriation in companies.
In her closing remarks during the seminar workshop, CDA Celeste Vinzon Balatbat thanked the PICPA Brunei Chapter and PICPA Northern Metro Manila for making the activity possible, and for opening the program to non-accountants. She stated that “Filipinos need to remain globally competitive by being up-to-date on the best accounting practices and latest trends in their field. PICPA-Brunei Chapter has become an avenue for improving the knowledge, skills, and future prospects of Filipino accounting practitioners through the sessions on Internal Audit Control and Accreditation of CPAs.”
Furthermore, CDA Balatbat noted that with the host government’s localization policy and the mandatory retirement age for foreign workers at age 55, “most of us shall have to prepare for our eventual reintegration in the Philippines. This is the huge value-added of sharing tips and notes of experience on the two other sessions, Getting Incorporated and on Business Viability,” she added.
CDA Balatbat concluded her speech by expressing the hope that when the time comes for you to return to the Philippines for good, you shall not only be looking for opportunities to become entrepreneurs and create jobs for our countrymen, but also become positive forces for change, in the spirit of President Benigno Aquino III’s “daang matuwid” or the straight path.” END
