The global environment introduced new business orders and practices, requires new skills and competencies, and imposes new regulations that every CPA has to adhere to. On its part, the Institute has to step up its aggressiveness in developing and implementing strategies sectors of the profession in coping with and adapting to the changes that remarkably changed his practice. The CPAs and the Institute must take fast and firm strides to avoid being pushed to the sidelines and to thrive and be at par with their counterparts in the globe.

This calls the CPAs, the Institute and the four sectors to integrate their acts, complement their efforts, and collaborate all in pursuit of one goal - to create more value for themselves, the Institute and the accountancy profession, as well as more value for their services to their various publics. This simply calls the CPAs, the Institute and the four sectors to synergize for there will be greater strenth and efficiency in pursuing and realizing that one common vision.

This year's Convention shall :

1. Identify future opportunities and challenges for each sector as well as the combined benefits of a strong, unified profession;
2. Assist our members to identify, understand and meet the requirements of the changing demands in the marketplace, as they affect the profession;
3. Identify leads for the four sectors to enhance leverage in their respective core competencies and values;
4. Enable PICPA to guide current and future iniatives in support of the four sectors; and
5. Determine how best PICPA can help to strengthen ties among the four sectors and, as whole, create value to the members and other stakeholders.

Four hundred delegates from different places of Mindanao attend the three-day 16th Philippine Institute of Public Accountants (PICPA) Joint Mindanao Regional and 27th Association of CPA’s in Mindanao Conference held at Molave Hotel, Tagum City last September 27-29, 2007.
According to City Accountant Ramil Y. Tiu of the Davao del Norte and Compostela Valley Chapter, who hosted the said conference, it is the first ever PICPA conference which has the largest number of delegates.

Honorable City Mayor Rey T. Uy is invited to have a video presentation to describe what Tagum City is and how he runs it since last 2005. He shared to the group how his administration saved millions of pesos for not hiring private contractors to widen the roads and very proud to have an Asphalt Plant owned by the City, which supported the road-widening program. Moreover, he bragged about the city’s fabrication of school chairs and tables that are distributed to different elementary and high schools in the city. Furthermore, he pointed out that the City accumulated P4, 000,000.00 pesos savings out of the Premium Insurance of the GSIS (Government Service Insurance System) for the city vehicles and equipment as a result of his haggling with GSIS Managementtah t resulted to lower owndamage insurance premium.
Mayor Uy also shared to the group the secret of his success in running the Economic Enterprise of the City Government of Tagum, particularly the public market, the bus terminal, the trade center, and other components of the economic office. Tagum’s Economic Enterprise is one of the few enterprises in the country that is earning.

The rehabilitated La Filipina Memorial Cemetery also caught the accountants’ attention. They were mesmerized as Mayor Uy showed to them the cemetery’s appearance before the renovation and after it was transformed. Thus, the public accountants were really astonished and admired the projects and programs that Mayor Rey T. Uy had bestowed to Tagumeños. As what Mayor Uy said, “kwarta man ni sa mga tao sa Syudad sa Tagum, so dapat makit.an jud sa katawhan kung aha naadto ang ilang gipangbayad.”(Since this is the money of the people of Tagum, it is just right that they should see where their money is going). (FAITH D. CADULONG/ PHOTO BY: BRYAN JIMENEZ)