The Association of Certified Public Accountants in Commerce and Industry (ACPACI), in keeping with its 2014 theme, #movingforward, kicked off an intensive one-day workshop last January 11, 2014 at The Columns, Legazpi Village, Makati City. The newly elected and incoming Board of Directors and Chairpersons of the different committees, together with outgoing 2013 President, Ms. Connie Cadelina and ACPACI Executive Director, Ms. Winnie Cuico, gathered to help shape ACPACI’s Strategic Plan for 2014.
Although the setting was at The Columns’ Children’s Playroom, which is designed with partially exposed Rubik’s cubes dangling over the room like a multicolored stalactites that crashed through the ceiling, the attendees discussed the serious topic of ACPACI’s future direction and their respective committees’ 2014 agenda. Incoming President, Ms. Ning Santos, set the tone of the meeting with her warm welcome.
Committee Targets for 2014
Publication and Website
Ms. Nanette N. Tabuac, Director for Publication and Website, presented the Committee’s plans for 2014:
- Release ACPACI Files newsletter for July – December 2013 on January 24, 2014 in time for the Induction of ACPACI Officers.
- Write the 2014 ACPACI Theme: #movingforward
- Write articles for all ACPACI GMMs and
- Write articles about ACPACI’s special activities like the Summer Outing, CIMA and Search for Outstanding Accounting Students of the Philippines and Fund raising activity with Repertory Philippines, etc.
- Write more social involvement articles
- Feature one scholar in the SOS section every quarter.
- Release the ACPACI Files for the January – June, 2014 period at the Accountancy Week Celebration in July 2014.
Ms. Tabuac also emphasized that the overall objective of the Publication and Website Committee is to “herald the good deeds of ACACI.” Ms. Cuico suggested putting a column about tax updates on the website for the benefit of the members. The proposed title of the column is What’s New?
General Membership Meetings
Ms. Cuico presented to the group the tentative schedule of the General Membership Meetings (GMMs) for 2014:
- GMM 1
- January 24, 2014 – Induction of ACPACI Officers; 6:30 – 10:30 p.m.
- GMM 2
- March 20, 2014 - 41st Anniversary of ACPACI; 11:30 – 5:30 p.m.
- GMM 3
- May 15, 2014 – 11:30 – 5:30 p.m.
- GMM 4
- July 15, 2014 – Accountancy Week Celebration
- GMM 5
- September 18 – 20, 2014 – Joint Annual National Convention of ACPACI and PICPA
- To be held in Baguio City
- GMM 6
- October 16, 2014 – 11:30 – 5:30 p.m.
- GMM 7
- December 5, 2014 – ACPACI Christmas Party; 6:30 – 10 p.m.
She said that she’d prepared the schedule in a way that the regular GMMs are slated every 3rd Thursday of the month.
Professional Development
Ms. Janis Maghinay, Professional Development Director, expressed her plans to offer seminars other than the usual ACPACI GMMs. These seminars would be additional source of income for the Association:
- BCDA seminar on financial analysis for management and staff.
- Basic budgeting c/o Gavin C. Lee
- Pizza Hut – also interested to partner with ACPACI to offer soft skill seminars to their staff (as per Ms. Connie Cadelina.)
- Seminars in PICPA like the financial planning training in June with P1, 500 seminar fee.
- PCSO – explore the possibility to conduct Basic Internal Control seminar to the government office.
Ms. Maghinay promised that the specific topics and speakers for the regular GMMs to be identified and presented by the PD committee in the next Board meeting in February. She also told the Board that they would market to the different companies the ACPACI seminars and would coordinate with PICPA c/o Mr. Jing Ireneo, PICPA Executive Director. They’d also utilize PICPA’s training modules available for the ACPACI seminars and likewise market the same.
Membership Development
Mr. Bien Constantino, Director for Membership Development, presented to the Board his Committee’s programs for 2014:
- Update membership database
- Implement online membership form
- Will present to the Board the online form and get approval then soft launch.
- Will screen first before approving the application of new members
- Offer promotional bundled services with discounts to the members, e.g.
- Membership + 3 seminars or
- Membership + seminar + convention
- Coordinate with P&W for an updated marketing collaterals/ ACPACI Brochure. – ACPACI’s updated brochure c/o Ms. Cuico.
- Coordinate with Fellowship and sports for the activity line up – to target newly grads and new CPA board passers.
- Implement online membership form
- Establish / Activate Regional Chapters
- Central Luzon – c/o Mr. Cura of Angeles City, Mr. Antonio Baltazar.
- Cebu City – c/o Mr. Susan King of Crown Regency Hotel. To extend the Cebu ACPACI to Bohol – the latter to be under the former’s organizational umbrella.
- Davao/ Mindanao
- Strengthen membership by Industry such as Pharmaceuticals, food, BPO, etc.
The group paused for lunch and enjoyed scrumptious foods such as kare kare, bangus sisig, pansit guisado, chicken tinola; and for dessert, they had the intriguing and addictive fried suman with caramel sauce. Because of the fried suman's "fish fillet look", some of the board members really mistook the suman as fish fillet. Lunch was provided by The Red Chef and Events Specialists c/o Mr. Aphat Martinez. The meeting at The Columns would not be possible without the generosity of Mr. Sam Villacampa, Committee Chair for Special Projects, who owns a unit at The Columns.
Annual National Convention
Mr. Edward Roguel, ANC Director, presented the plans for the Annual National Convention;
- The ANC committee will do their best to surpass last year’s number of attendees.
- They will charge lower seminar fees because the ANC will be held in Baguio City. There would be no charge for the tour.
- To surpass the income of the last year’s convention. Last year’s net income was around P600K. Their goal is to outdo that.
- They will prepare a different fellowship night like holding a Bowling Tournament to deviate from the usual ANC fellowship night.
It was discussed that every five years, the convention would be held in Baguio City.
Anent to the number of attendees, Mr. Aphat Martinez, ANC Chairperson, requested the Secretariat and the ACPACI Officers to release the solicitation letters a lot earlier. The goal of the ANC Committee is to increase the number of participants to 150 (vs. Last year’s attendees of around 100).
Mr. Bien Constantino also requested the Secretariat to give the pricing to promote the ANC earlier and to look for prospective ANC sponsors beforehand. The pricing request is not only for the ANC but also for the seminars the whole year round.
Also, according to Mr. Martinez:
- They will hold exhibits during the ANC especially exhibits by IT companies and will get sponsorships for the PDI ANC supplement.
- The committee will present a more detailed plan in February in coordination with the Membership and the Professional Development Committees.
- They plan to invite a foreigner speaker for the ANC.
ACPACI 2014 Theme
Ms. Ning Santos explained to the Board why she chose the theme Moving Forward for 2014. She said that after “rising to the challenge” in 2013, she believed that the organization needed to move forward by embracing globalization in view of the Mutual Recognition Agreement of the ASEAN and the APEC 2015 (with the PHL as the host) in mind.
The approved ACPACI 2014 theme after the Board’s brainstorming session was ACPACI: #movingforward and the approved color and outfit for the January 24, 2014 Induction was Orchid Purple, cocktail dress.
Social Involvement
Ms. Edna Constantino, Social Involvement Director, presented to the Board her Committee’s plans for 2014:
- To adopt one sitio- Sitio Lambak. With budget of P5K for medicines (generics) to be given to the Sitio Lambak constituents.
- To prepare solicitation letters earlier – by end of January – for medicines from pharmaceutical companies like Unilab and will send letter to the latter in coordination with Ms. Cadelina.
Ms. Constantino presented the SI Committee’s activities lined up for 2014 with a projected budget of P58K. For the Prisoners Week activity, they plan to get the sponsorship of Quanta Paper and Beach Walk, the latter to provide slippers for the detainees. They plan to give out napkins and toiletries like soap and shampoos to them.
Ways and Means
Ms. Cecilia C. Carandang, Chairperson for Ways and Means, presented their programs for 2014:
- To hold PICPA seminars on top of the GMMs being offered by ACPACI. To coordinate with the Professional and Development Committee for the seminar offerings.
- To check which topics not being offered by PICPA and offer these topics to ACPACI members.
- August 16, 2014 – Repertory Philippines’ musical – Pinocchio at Greenbelt 1, Makati City
- Just like the ANC committee, they plan to put exhibits every ACPACI GMM.
- Will charge the same Annual dues and give discounts. To start collecting annual dues in January 2014
Fellowship and Sports
Last but not the least, Mr. Aphat Martinez, Director for Fellowship and Sports, presented their plans for 2014:
- To organize Family Day/ Summer Outing, with tentative date – May 10, 2014, Saturday. Venue: TBA
- To spearhead fellowship and sports activities on the ANC, Sept.18 – 20, 2014.
- Proposed THEME: “Harlequins and Fairies”
- To organize bowling and badminton tournaments for the AWC Sportsfest.
- To launch Aerobics in the Park by July, 2014
- To organize Christmas Party on December 5, 2014
- Proposed THEME: Disney and Cartoon Characters
- Their proposed Keynote Speaker for the ANC in Baguio City – either Senator Grace Poe or Cardinal Luis Tagle
The strategic planning process aimed to understand and address the critical challenges and opportunities that ACPACI would be facing in 2014. The meeting successfully ended and was a highly productive endeavor, and the programs presented by each of the Committee heads would define ACPACI’s continued success.