The core committee members of the 1st GCR Tax Compliance Congress paid courtesy calls on the resource speakers from the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and the Bureau of Local Government Finance (BLGF) on 8 and 9 February 2023. GCR Leader Sonia D. Segovia (SDS) led the SGV Team with GCR Partner Maricris U. See (MUS) and Senior Directors Meynard L. Sardalla and Earvin Darren L. Lee. SGV GCR team presents certificate and token of appreciation to BLGF OIC Executive Director Pamela P. Quizon The GCR Team together with International Tax and Transaction Services (ITTS) Leader Fidela I. Reyes (FIR) visited the BIR National Office and met with Assistant Commissioners Jannette R. Cruz and Marietta U. Lorenzo on 8 February. The following day, the GCR team met with BLGF OIC Executive Director Pamela P. Quizon at the BLGF Office in the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) offices in Manila.  SGV GCR team presents certificate and token of appreciation to BIR Assistant Commissioner Marietta U. Lorenzo During the courtesy visits, the GCR team and the resource speakers discussed areas of possible collaboration between SGV and the respective government agencies. The GCR team presented certificates and tokens of appreciation to the resource speakers for their invaluable support during the 1st GCR Tax Compliance Congress.  SGV GCR team presents certificate and token of appreciation to BIR Assistant Commissioner Jannette R. Cruz The courtesy visits to the BIR and BLGF were in keeping with SGV’s vision of a sustainable Philippine tax ecosystem where regulators are business partners in achieving inclusive and resilient economic growth.

SGV Climate Change and Sustainability Services (CCaSS) Directors Diana Sadili-Chu and Ricardo “Ricky” S. Maulion, Jr. were resource speakers at a PICPA Eastern Metro Manila Chapter (EMMC) webinar on Sustainability and Integrated Reporting: Leading beyond the Numbers on 10 February 2023.Ricky (top left) and Diana (second from top left) with the webinar organizers and participantsDiana talked about creating long-term value through sustainability and the practice of sustainability reporting and assurance. She emphasized that, as responsible organizations, companies need to disclose their commitment to and focus on long-term value creation to their stakeholders, and that sustainability reporting is an effective tool to achieve this objective. Meanwhile, Ricky’s discussion focused on global developments and the regulatory landscape of sustainability reporting and how accountants can lead on sustainability and climate action. He highlighted that globally, organizations and countries are moving toward the same direction in terms of sustainability reporting, which is the mandatory reporting of key metrics. He underscored that the webinar participants, as accountants, play a critical role in sustainability and climate action, particularly on the integration of the accounting and finance function with non-financial reporting processes and controls based on their experience and knowledge of leading practices.

SGV Tax Senior Manager Atty. Karen Calam-Ibañez was a speaker at the 2023 European Honorary Consuls' Meeting organized by the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP) Visayas Chapters on 30 January 2023 at Citadines Cebu City. 30 honorary consuls, key government officials, and representatives from different foreign embassies and business associations attended the meeting. Atty. Karen talks about relevant business and regulatory matters Atty. Karen discussed the business and regulatory landscape in the Philippines from a legal perspective. Other speakers discussed topics covering recent political and economic developments in the Philippines and in ASEAN, as well as the policies and advocacies of the business community between Europe and the Philippines. In addition, the Honorary Consuls for Visayas gave an update to the Heads of Missions on the present business environment and how the Philippines compares to its ASEAN counterparts. Atty. Karen (fourth from left) with the other speakers Other speakers were Senior Economist at ING Bank Philippines Nicholas Antonio Mapa, ECCP Board Member Jochen Bitzer, Minister Counsellor and Head of the Economic and Trade Sector Delegation of the European Union to the Philippines Philipp Dupuis, Honorary Consul for Visayas and Mindanao, Consular Office of Switzerland Mathias Bergundthal, Honorary Consul of the British Consulate in Cebu City Tamsin Monahan Booth, and ECCP Executive Director Florian Gottein. They talked about the 2023 Philippine Economic Outlook, Business Outlook & ECCP 2023, the EU-Philippines Trade and Investment Strategies & Recent Political Developments, updates on the European Free Trade Association (EFTA)-Philippines Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and economic partnership, updates on the UK-Philippine economic ties, and the EU-ASEAN Business Sentiment - Business Outlook for 2023, respectively. Honorary Consuls Mark Frondoso from the Czech Republic, Alexander Hey from Sweden, Enrison Benedicto from Belgium, and Vice Consul Joan Young-Tiu from Norway were also present.