FY 2008 - 2009: 1st Quarter

OUR RACE STARTS AT KM 27

For the past many years, we have been joining a race. It’s a different kind of race. We do not compete. We do not outdo each other.

This is a race where we collaborate to get the gold at the end of it. A race where we give our best not to be ahead but to help the rest reach their goals. A race where we do our best not to glorify ourselves but to help and inspire the people we chose to serve and try hard to make a difference as we go through and finish it.

This 12-month long race has started…and it started at KM 27. It’s ostensibly a GO for the WMMC officers and members.

As a fitting start, we, the officers and committee chairpersons of the Western MM Chapter, convened at the Meralco Foundation Development Center on June 28-29 at KM 27 Sumulong Hi-way, Antipolo City, Rizal to set our goals and objectives, and map out our action plans. We were few but definitely have come up with a marvelous plan for the chapter. It included new projects insofar as professional development and social activities are concerned.

On July 4-6, 2008, I attended the Annual Planning Conference conducted by National PICPA in Taal Vista Hotel, Tagaytay City. I was so happy to have chosen to present our plans and programs of our chapter for the year as a model for the other chapters. I am so proud, as well, that some chapters approached me requesting if they can copy some of the new projects. I do not know what’s in our plan but definitely everything makes sense, I hope.

The first major activity that we had was the 2008 Accountancy Week. In July 24, we conducted a whole-day conference for students and accounting teachers La Consolacion College. It was attended and actively participated in by 366 students and 20 teachers. Lucy Lim, Regie Neri and Dolly Miguel talked about Trends and Developments in Accountancy, Internal Auditing and External Auditing, respectively. To cap the day, our Past Pres. Dolly treated all WMMC members present to Mocha Blends to celebrate her birthday.

In July 21, we performed our role well and actively participated in the opening ceremonies the MMR Accountancy Week Day at the Hotel Intercon.

For the second time, WMMC was the overall champion in the Accountancy Week Sportsfest, having won first, second and third for Badminton Men’s Doubles, fourth for Women’s Doubles, second and third for Mixed Doubles, first and third for 45 up Mixed Doubles and third and fourth for Bowling. A member of WMMC, George Perez of the PUP Bowling Team, who was the highest individual scorer for game 1, passed away before the bowling tournament finished at SM Mega Mall. MMR and WMMC as well as their officers and members gave moral support and financial assistance to the family at Mega Mall and during the wake.

On professional development, our chapter conducted 7 seminars namely: 1) July 7-8, PFRS/PAS Trends and Updates, with Dr. Rosalinda Evangelista as speaker and with 49 participants; 2) July 29, Recent Tax Issuances and Effective tax Management with our very own Dr. Ruperto Somera as speaker and with 41 participants; 3) August 6-7, Philippine Auditing Standards with Prof. Rhamir Dalioan as speaker and with 43 participants; 4) August 27, Tax Update and New Wage Order with Dr. Pert Somera and Atty. Antonio Ligon and with 118 participants; 5) September 15-16, Effective Internal Audit with Dr. Evangelista as speaker and with 27 participants; 6) September 24, Code of Ethics and Good Governance with Prof. Dalioan and Dr. Evangelista as speakers and with 70 participants, and 7) September 30, re-run of the seminar of Tax Update and New Wage Order with Dr. Somera and Atty. Ligon as speakers and with 70 participants.

In August 30, our Chapter joined the Rotary Club of Pasay EDSA in a dental and medical mission at the Brgy. E. Rodriguez in Pasay City. The mission covered 200 medical and 100 dental cases.

In September 27, we conducted another dental medical mission in Brgy. 605, Bacood, Manila. Our mission covered 300 medical and 100 patients. This time, we gave aniti-polio vaccines to 100 children. The mission was held from 7:00 AM to 12:00 Noon. In the afternoon, we launched our feeding program for the 100 children from the same area, as well as conducted a cooking demo (pasta and pork dishes) for 100 housewives from the same barangay.

In our effort to lower the cost of the seminar that we will offer, we invited Unionbank to sponsor half of the cost of food cost in exchange for one-hour product presentation and a banner that would hang throughout the seminar. We also invited them as well as Mutual Books, Resa Review Center, PRTC and other individual donors to sponsor the holding of a free 2-day seminar for 100 accounting teachers that will be held in October. This (and still thinking of other schemes) will enable us to lower the seminar fee, if not to waive it totally.

One project that we are all excited about is the formation and launching of the WMMC Male Ensemble (we are considering though Accounting Chimes as name of the group but might give the notion that the group will always be late in their performances). If this will materialize, the chorale will be the brainchild of Asser Tamayo, Randi Lorica and of course, me. The Ensemble will be initially composed of Asser Tamayo, Manny Veluz, Sam Villacampa, Oscar Tapis, Pete Garcia, Arnold Apdua, Jing Ireneo, Aljohn Lee, and Aphat Martinez. Randi Lorica will be the musical director. The launching and first concert dubbed as “For the Love of PICPA” is tentatively scheduled in October. I do not know how we can pull this off as we are not practicing yet but we are quite certain that we have the voices and they will blend. I am not just sure if it will come out nice to the discriminating ears. Well I guess at this time, it’s kind of apropos to name the group Accounting Chimes. What do you think?

So as we go on with the race and as we sing our heart out while taking it, I muster the commitment of the officers and members of the WMMC to support and actively participate in all the forthcoming events. There are more to implement and there are more to achieve. We cannot finish the race with a difference without you…and that I am very certain of. We must altogether finish this race and hopefully at the end of it, we can proudly say and claim that it is indeed the race of our own..