MANY of us did not choose accountancy because it was our dream course. I was one of those people. I came from a province where opportunities were not always readily available. When it was time to choose a college course, I honestly had no idea about what accountancy was. I did not know the meaning of debit and credit, and I had never imagined myself becoming an accountant someday. Like many students, I listened to the advice of people around me. They said that if I wanted
CORRUPTION is often defended as a kind of “grease” that keeps commerce moving, a shortcut that supposedly helps firms navigate slow bureaucracies and underpaid public offices. For some businesses and the crooks who profit from it, it can even be lucrative. But this illusion collapses when viewed from society’s perspective: corruption drains public revenues, discourages investment, raises prices and erodes essential services. What enriches a few ultimately becomes a burden b
THE results of the May 2026 Certified Public Accountant Licensure Examination (CPALE) again raises the question about the future of the accounting profession. Out of 9,745 examinees, only 3,004 passed, or a passing rate of 30.83 percent. While we congratulate the new certified public accountants (CPAs), the results also mean that nearly seven out of 10 examinees did not make it through one of the country’s most challenging licensure examinations. As someone who has spent
TALAGA bang lamang tayong mga CPA? Talaga bang mas matalino tayo sa iba? (Do CPAs really have an edge over other professions? Are we smarter than others?) After more than 10 years in the profession, I often find myself asking such questions. From the outside, people see the title “CPA” as a symbol of success, intelligence and financial stability. Some believe that once you pass the board exam, life becomes easier. Opportunities come knocking. The salary becomes higher. Re
ONE observation I have made over the years is that certified public accountants in public practice seem to work far longer than professionals in many other industries. Consider the late Washington SyCip, founder of SGV & Co. He was 96 years old when he passed on Oct. 7, 2017, after suffering a heart attack while on a flight to Vancouver, Canada. Even in his later years, he remained active — not necessarily in the audit firm — but as a consultant, adviser and independent dir
SMALL firms have an escalating employment retention problem. They spend months hiring talented Gen Z employees, workers born between 1997 and 2012, only to watch them walk out the door within a year or two. While it’s easy to resort to stereotypes such as this generation being entitled, flighty and professionally restless, that’s simply the wrong diagnosis. The numbers tell a more nuanced story. According to Randstad’s global survey of over 11,000 workers, Gen Z’s average t
