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To further the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) Initiatives of the Firm, members of SGV’s Tax team met with representatives from the Development Action for Women Network (DAWN) in Bocobo Commercial Center, Ermita, Manila on 26 July 2022. The SGV Tax team with DAWN and SIKHAY members The SGV Tax team was led by Asean Tax DE&I Lead Victor C. De Dios. He was assisted by Indirect Tax (IDT) Senior Director Atty. Alden Patrick C. Labaguis, Associate Directors Atty. Gracia Mae A. Beronilla and Atty. Dawna Fya O. Bandiola, and Senior Associates Atty. Catriona Janelle V. Gayatin and Atty. Andrea Nicole C. Loreno. They met with DAWN Executive Director Carmelita “Mel” G. Nuqui and Coordinator Lance Alexander S. Velasco, who welcomed the Team by showing them a short clip of DAWN’s advocacies and activities over the years.  The SGV Tax team exchanged ideas with DAWN on DE&I initiatives such as providing possible employment opportunities to DAWN’s members, conducting training programs on taxation laws, compliance, and financial reporting requirements, and initiating other learning events. They discussed DE&I projects which can be developed to include the organization’s objective of providing help and support to women migrants and their children and  to overseas Filipino workers. Ms. Nuqui, Mr. Velasco, and Alternative Livelihood Program Coordinator Ms. Mary Joy E. Barcelona also gave the SGV Tax Team a brief tour of the Sikap Buhay (SIKHAY) production and training area, which houses sewing and handloom weaving machines and equipment and products. They agreed to continue their collaboration and partnership in implementing the proposed initiatives. DAWN is a non-government, non-profit organization assisting distressed women migrants returning from Japan and their Japanese-Filipino children, along with migrant domestic worker returnees from Asia and the Middle East, by promoting and protecting their rights and welfare.

SGV Assurance Partner Katrina F. Francisco, Global Compliance and Reporting (GCR) Senior Director Maria Michaela “Mycah” E. Ledesma-Oiga, and GCR Associate Director David Jonathan “Tan” F. Manalili were the resource speakers for the technical sessions during the 34th Chapter Induction & Turnover Ceremonies of the Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA) Angeles City Chapter on 12 August 2022. Tan and Mycah receiving their certificates and tokens of appreciation Mycah and Tan were the speakers for the morning session on tax updates. Mycah discussed updates on income tax and value-added tax while Tan discussed updates on withholding taxes as well as updates on other national and local taxes. Katrina led the afternoon session on sustainability and the critical role of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in achieving sustainable development. Mycah, Tan and Katrina also moderated the Q&A sessions. Katrina receiving her certificate and token of appreciation SGV Assurance Senior Director Leo Niño R. Canlas and SGV Business Tax Advisory (BTA) Associate Director John Marti C. Duya were also present during the event.

The 7th installment of the Consulting group’s SheInspires series entitled “WOW: Woman of Wonder/Woman of the World” featured former SGVean, and co-founder and CEO of e-learning platform Chalkboard, Kristine Brown. The session was held virtually on 5 August 2022. SheInspires WOW: Woman of Wonder/Woman of the World event poster Consulting Partner Maria Kathrina S. Macaisa-Peña kicked off the virtual session with a brief message while Consulting Partner Randall C. Antonio facilitated the fireside chat with Kristine. The session focused on getting to know Kristine as an individual and learning from her experiences as a woman and a leader in the financial services industry.  Kristine with SGV Consulting Partners Lee Carlo B. Abadia and Randall C. Antonio, and the participants Tine shared her observations on how SGV provides equal opportunities to people in the workplace and serves as an avenue for continuous learning and development for people who are interested in knowing more about the ins and outs of various fields of business. She also shared how her time at SGV has played a critical part in molding her into who she is today. She recalled teaming with partners and staff from the Firm on complex projects and just overall, engaging in work she was passionate about. She said that her experience in the Firm has opened doors for her and has led her to explore more opportunities at EY Boston and later on, in her next ventures.  Other key takeaways from Tine’s talk included effective goal-setting, learning how and when to step out of one’s comfort zone, leveraging relationships in and out of the workplace, and balancing personal and professional projects. Tine shared her experience being a graduate student at the London Business School and a working mother of two daughters while co-founding and managing her start-up e-learning company, Chalkboard, in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite being constantly on the go, she said that it was important for her to find time for herself and her loved ones. She also shared that drawing inspiration and strength from the people around her, particularly her loved ones and mentors, helped her keep her end goals in sight.  The session ended with closing remarks from Consulting Partner Lee Carlo B. Abadia and a group picture-taking. About 500 SGVeans attended the event. 

SGV International Tax and Transaction Services Partner Atty. Auresana B. Ines (ABI) and Indirect Tax Senior Director Atty. Alden Patrick C. Labaguis led a tax webinar during the Online Q2 General Membership Meeting organized by the Association of Semiconductor and Electronics Industries in the Philippines Foundation, Inc. (SEIPI) Finance Executives (ASEFEX) on 17 June 2022.  ASEFEX Q2 General Assembly speakers ABI led the talk on “Narrowing the Scope for Transfer Pricing Reporting,” in which she highlighted the importance of transfer pricing and discussed relevant laws and BIR issuances. She also discussed matters relating to submission, filing procedures, documentation, and the consequences of non-compliance with material information disclosure in tax returns. Atty. Alden talked about “Recent Tax Updates,” where he focused on recent significant BIR and PEZA issuances such as the Guidelines and Procedures in the Application for Revalidation of Tax Credit Certificate and Supplemental Guidelines on Report Submission of ATIR and ABR under MC No. 2022-031. He also discussed Court of Tax Appeals (CTA) rulings on Letters of Assessment and Seizures and Detention of the BIR.   ABI and Atty. Alden were joined by Mr. Lim Teck Ch’ang, Industry Advisor of SAP Philippines Inc., who led the discussion on “Digital Finance Transformation”. He talked about the opportunities for digital transformation in the manufacturing industry and the importance and challenges of going digital. The speakers subsequently addressed questions and clarifications from the participants in the open forum. About 79 ASEFEX members, including SEIPI partners and stakeholders, attended the assembly. Participation in the virtual briefing was coordinated by Logistics Market Sector Leader and Tax Principal Stephanie V. Nava (SVN) and Technology Sector Leader and Assurance Partner Manolito R. Elle (MRE). Tax Senior Associates Lauren Antonette M. Mendoza, Kierk Robin M. Ret, and James E. Gregorio were part of the organizing team.

Climate Change and Sustainability Services (CCaSS) Senior Associate Joshua R. Ladia ranked 4th in the recently concluded Environmental Planner Licensure Examination (EPLE). 108 out of 178 examinees passed the licensure examination given by the Board of Environmental Planning in July 2022. The date and venue of the oathtaking are yet to be announced. EPLE 4th placer, Senior Associate Joshua Ladia The EPLE covers the following topics: General Instructions and Filling-out of Forms; Environmental Planning Processes, Techniques, and Strategies; History, Concepts, Theories, and Principles of Environmental Planning; Environmental Plan Implementation, Legal Aspects and Administration.  Congratulations, Joshua!

The Climate Change and Sustainability Services (CCaSS) team hosted the first Sustainabits session of the SGV Sustainable Actions for Value-Creation and Enablement (SAVE) Council for FY23. The webcast on “Social Entrepreneurship – Small actions, big impacts” was attended by 470 SGVeans on 29 July 2022. CCaSS team talks about social entrepreneurship CCaSS Manager Brenda B. Estonanto together with Associates Kerby Z. Panaligan and Ryan Kenneth L. Lim discussed the basics of how social enterprises work. Among the topics they covered were the meaning of social entrepreneurship, the difference between social enterprises (SEs) and non-government organizations (NGOs) and non-profit organizations (NPOs), examples of local SEs and how they work, how EY supports SEs, and how SGVeans can individually support SEs. CMA delivering his closing remarks CCaSS Partner Conrad Allan M. Alviz (CMA) concluded the session by thanking the organizers and encouraging SGVeans to support local social entrepreneurs. The SAVE Council’s Sustainabits initiative is a series of half-hour webcasts that cover ideas, movements, principles, and leading industry practices around sustainability, social equity, and climate change.

SGV Global Compliance & Reporting (GCR) Senior Director Atty. Jan Kriezl M. Catipay hosted two webinars on “Common BIR Audit Issues and Tax Updates” organized by the Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA) Western Metro Manila Chapter (WMMC) on 16 June 2022 and 29 July 2022. PICPA WMMC speaker Atty. Jan with participants Atty. Jan discussed common BIR audit issues such as Deficiency Tax Assessments: Comparison of various tax returns, attachments vs. audited financial statements, and other specific items assessed by the BIR. She also discussed recent revenue regulations, memorandum circulars, and other issuances by the BIR. Both webinars were held virtually.

SGV Cebu held its first in-person recruitment event in over two years since the pandemic began. The event was held at SGV Cebu’s new office on 21 July 2022. Over 70 graduate and undergraduate students from various universities in the Visayas region attended the event. WPT with the students SGV Chairman and Country Managing Partner Wilson P. Tan (WPT) and SGV Cebu Partner-in-charge Margem A. Tagalog (MAT) welcomed the students. WPT gave his opening remarks and provided a brief introduction to the Firm. The students were also given an overview of the services being offered by the Firm. SGV Vice Chair and Deputy Managing Partner Vivian C. Ruiz (VCR), Assurance Leader Martin C. Guantes (MCG), Strategy and Transactions (SaT) Partner Marie Stephanie C. Tan-Hamed, and Global Compliance & Reporting (GCR) Partner Saha A. Bulagsak (SAB) explained the functions of each service line. The students participated in a series of meet and greet/networking sessions with the SGV leaders and other SGV partners who also attended the event, namely Veronica R. Pore (VRP), Leovina Mae P. Villa-Chu (LVC), Jhoanna C. Go (JCG), Jose Raoul J. Balisalisa (JJB), Josenilo G. Mendoza (JGM), Ma. Genalin Q. Arevalo (MQA), Genghis O. Grospe (GOG), and Cheryl Edeline C. Ong (CCO). There were also trivia games where special prizes were awarded to the winners.  The recruitment event concluded with a closing message from Talent Leader Julie Christine C. Ong-Mateo (JOM). JJB was the emcee for the event. 

The SGV Tax team and Samahan ng mga Pilipina para sa Reporma at Kaunlaran (SPARK!) Philippines met with Quezon City Government officials to discuss the SGV Tax team’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) initiatives on 28 July 2022. SGV Tax team and SPARK! Philippines representatives with QC Mayor Joy Belmonte and QC PESO Chief Rogelio Reyes The SGV Tax team together with SPARK! Philippines representatives Executive Director Maica Teves and Project Officer Margot Catmunan met with Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte, Quezon City Public Employment Service Office (PESO) Chief Rogelio Reyes, City Government Department Head III Ma. Margarita Santos, and Quezon City Small Business and Cooperatives Development Promotions Office (SBCDPO) Head Mona Celine Yap to explore equal employment opportunities, foster gender-sensitivity awareness and social equity in workplaces, and share knowledge and skills for a better Philippines in line with the SGV Tax team's DE&I vision.  Mayor Joy welcomed the Team and expressed her eagerness to help in the proposed projects. She shared some of her experiences in resolving workplace discrimination, harassment, and biases. QC PESO Chief Rogelio affirmed the LGU’s willingness to support the SGV Tax team in their proposed programs by streamlining candidates, especially those in marginalized communities, for possible employment at SGV. Ms. Margarita added that they are willing to screen qualified QC citizens from their pool of talent and assess their capabilities. Meanwhile, Ms. Mona enumerated possible collaborative projects focusing on the areas of business registration, advantages of tax compliance, securing Mayor’s Permits, and basic taxation laws. The SGV Tax team was led by ASEAN Tax DE&I Lead Atty. Victor C. De Dios (VCD). Other members of the SGV Tax Team included Indirect Tax Senior Directors Atty. Alden Patrick C. Labaguis and Atty. Jo Ann Marie O. Casio, Associate Directors Atty. Gracia Mae A. Beronilla and Atty. Dawna Fya O. Bandiola, and Senior Associates Atty. Catriona Janelle V. Gayatin and Atty. Andrea Nicole C. Loreno. 

Members of the SGV Tax team headed by Tax Partner Cheryl Edeline C. Ong (CCO) facilitated a webinar entitled “Extending Business Operations with Confidence: A Step-by-Step Guide to the Philippine Incorporation Process” in collaboration with the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP) on 28 July 2022. SGV Tax Team with ECCP Tax Senior Director Anne Margaret E. Momongan discussed the different types of business enterprises, as well as the legal bases for incorporation, with a focus on the Revised Corporation Code (R.A. 11232, as amended) and relevant Memorandum Circulars from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).  Meanwhile, Tax Director Virnee Joy T. Agot-Ting guided participants through the SEC’s Electronic Simplified Processing of Application for Registration of Company (eSPARC) system. She also talked about the registration requirements to be submitted to other government agencies, relevant deadlines, and the recently relaunched Philippine Business Hub. Tax Senior Associate Marla Arielle B. So moderated the live Q&A event while Tax Senior Associate Joseph Santiago E. Quiño was part of the event’s organizing team.