Last January 10, 2014 (Saturday), the National Federation of Junior Philippine Institute of Accountants, in cooperation with Sycip Gorres Velayo and Co. (SGV), Navarro Amper and Co., R.G. Manabat and Co., and the University Of Santo Tomas Junior Philippine Institute Of Accountants, held their 2^nd academic conference entitled “Ascend: A Journey of a Lifetime”.

The registration for the said event started at around 7:00 until 8:00 in the morning. UST coordinators started with an invocation, followed by the singing of the national anthem. To entertain the guests, some Thomasians prepared a dance number. There was also an audio visual presentation from KPMG.

Speakers from different firms were invited to share how each field of accounting differs from each other. The first speaker to start the event was Ms. Nicolette Manito. She’s currently working as an audit associate for the finance service department in KPMG. Ms. Manito shared her experiences on how she struggled as a student and how she surpassed them all when she graduated and started working. The second speaker was Ms. Antoinieta Fortuna Ibe, the commissioner of the Securities and Exchange Commission. She shared how working in the government molded her to become who she is now. Imparting some knowledge on the field of private accounting was Mr. Raul C. Pagdanganan, CEO and president of Delos Santos Medical Center. He shared his experience with regards to the different jobs he undertook and how even after several job shifting, he ended up very successful.  In the field of education, Mr. Lance Hogar, a professor at the University of Santo Tomas shared how fun it is for him to teach students and hone them to become future CPAs. The last two speakers are both in public practice. Ms. Marie Stephanie C. Tan-Hamed, a partner in SGV, and Mr. Jose Mari M. Solano, Senior Manager in Navarro Amper and Co. Even though they are working in different firms, they both said that being in public practice might be tiring but at the same time, it is also challenging. They shared that one of the best ways to be exposed to the accounting profession is to enter an auditing firm in which one can show his or her full capabilities as an accountant.

Before finally ending the academic conference, the NFJPIA-NCR showed the JPIAns a video presentation of several events that would still take place sometime within the year.  Afterwards, a UST Coordinator closed the program with her closing remarks, formally ending the event at around 4:00 in the afternoon.

(Article by: Iris Altura and Mikee Chua / Photo Credit: JPIA)

Last Nov. 29, 2014, Saturday, the JPIA-DLSU Manila held its 4^th annual convention with the JPIA members from different schools to discuss about the ASEAN Integration and five other accounting-related topics: Forensic Auditing, Consulting and Advisory, Risk and Assurance, Ethical Hacking and Mock Audit. Weeks before the event, the participants were asked to choose 3 topics out of these five and the participants were divided into class sessions under those 3 topics. As for CKSC-JPIA, out of the seven attendees, two registered with Consultancy and Advisory, two with Risk Assurance, and the remaining three went into Mock Audit.

Registration was from 7:00AM until 9:00AM at the ground floor of Henry Sy Hall, DLSU Manila. Afterwards, the participants, who were grouped according to their local chapters, headed to the 5^th floor of the said building for the plenary session. The session started with the National Anthem and an opening prayer, followed by the opening remarks and brief introduction of the convention theme by the DLSU Accountancy Department Chair, Mrs, Herminighilda E. Salendrez. The program flow was then presented by Ms. Ritchelle Quiros, the Exceed Convention Head. Next to that were the roll call of the schools and a raffle draw giving out four prizes sponsored by Power Mac. Shortly after, the participants had their snacks first at the ground floor to prepare for the upcoming simultaneous classes.

The classes began at 11:05AM and lasted until 12:55PM. These classes were held at different buildings with distinguished guest speakers from the three big auditing firms namely SGV and Co., Isla Lipana and Co., and Deloitte. After which, lunch was served.

At 2:25PM, the participants got back to the 5^th floor of the Henry Sy building for the symposium. Mr. Leonardo Cuaresma Jr., the Managing Partner and Chief Operating Officer of Punongbayan and Araullo, discussed the ASEAN integration. The Senior Director/Senior Manager for the Asia Pacific Talent of SGV and Co., Ms. Adeline Lumbres, tackled accounting and assurance related matters with other Southeast Asian countries. Representatives from SGV facilitated a game before formally ending the program. The Closing Remarks was delivered by Ms. Ritchelle Quiros followed by the awarding of certificates to the speakers and participants. It was certainly a fun and fruitful event.

(Article by: Samantha Joyce Corpin)

Last November 21, 2014, CKS College Marketing Management students attended the 5th PANAF IMC Youth Congress entitled 'Digital ME' held at the Unilab Bayanihan Center, Pasig City. The program started with an opening prayer led by the executive director of PANA, Ms. Digna Santos, followed by the Philippine National Anthem. The program was hosted by sportscaster, Patricia Dizon.

The first speaker was TV host Bianca Gonzalez, who talked about the power of social media to inspire and to help us to become better persons. The second speaker was the VP marketing services and communication of Pioneer Life, Len Pozon. She talked about the generation gap between the younger and older generation in line with social media.

Michael Ngo Dee, the founder of Tripid Philippines, talked about his experiences as an entrepreneur and about how great technological ideas turn into a business. TV hosts Jugs Jugueta and Teddy Corpus then shared their own experiences on how they achieved their dream career.

The last speaker for the morning session was singer, songwriter, and producer JayR Sillona. He shared his experience on how he succeeded in the music industry.

The second half of the event was hosted by Suzi Entrata-Abera. It started with an inspirational talk from the COO of dm9 JamesSyfu, Merlee Jayme, who talked about how creativity can have a purpose. Matteo Guidicelli shared his experience in go-cart racing and triathlon where he applied his passion to achieving his career goals. Drew Arellano talked about how sports teach us how to achieve goals and how to inspire other people via social networking sites. The head of news and current affairs division of ABS-CBN, Ging Reyes, talked about how social media contribute to the spread of current news and their role in journalism.

The last speaker of the event was Atty. Jesus Jose Disini, Jr. of Disini Disini Law Firm. He talked about laws regarding cyberbullying, copyrights, and privacy in social media sites.

(Article by: Trisha Que/ Photo Credit: Krizia Sy)

CKS College bagged the first prize in the “Marketing Genius: Interscholastic Marketing Competition” held at the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) last November 15, 2014. CKS College was represented by Heather Co (2^nd Year, BSBA – Marketing Management student, Honors’ Circle Batch 1 Scholar), Jamaica Costales (2^nd Year, BSBA – Marketing Management student, Honors’ Circle Batch 1 Scholar), Nielsen Tiangco (3^rd Year, BSBA – Marketing Management student), and Ana Charlene Lim (4^th Year BSBA – Marketing Management student). It was a proud moment as CKSCians proved once again that they have what it takes to compete against the best marketing students in the country and emerge victorious.

Organized by the Polytechnic University of the Philippines Junior Marketing Executives, the competition consisted of two phases. Phase 1 was a quiz bee, covering three rounds: easy, average, and difficult. In the easy round, which involved matching logos to brands, CKS College ranked third among the 18 participating colleges and universities. The team sustained its ranking in the second and third rounds, which involved identification and multiple choice questions covering topics such as marketing fundamentals, product and brand management, and integrated marketing communications.

The top five schools in Phase 1 qualified for Phase 2 of the competition, which involved a case study. The teams were required to present a new brand positioning and marketing plan on Dole. After one hour of preparation, each team presented and was questioned by the four panelists. Come CKS College’s turn, all the panelists and judges were impressed with the presentation of the team, commending them for the organization and consistency of their proposed marketing plan.

After six hours of competition, CKS College was named champion and the real marketing genius. Polytechnic University of the Philippines Manila and De La Salle – Antipolo came in second and third. Ana Charlene Lim was awarded Best Female Presenter.

(Article and Photos by: Jasmine Wong)