2023

SGV held its first-ever weeklong Sustainability Summit from 7 to 11 August 2023. SGV’s Sustainable Actions for Value-Creation and Enablement (SAVE) Council and its four pillars spearheaded the event, with the theme, “Build Today, Save Tomorrow: Invest in long-term value creation towards sustainable growth,” which reflects the Firm’s commitment to building a better and more sustainable working world. The Summit showcased the Firm’s sustainability efforts with the goal to inspire SGVeans to adopt a more sustainable lifestyle. SGV Sustainability Summit organizers, speakers, and on-site participants Various talks, simulation activities, demos, and exercises were conducted during the event. It also featured several distinguished external resource speakers, who provided in-depth insights into their sustainability journeys, both professional and personal. Participants check the display of sustainable products One of the highlights of the weeklong event was an auction held for the benefit of the Mindanao fisherfolk. Over 100 registered online and onsite bidders participated in the Treasure Trove auction, raising a total of PhP95,000.00. Chief Sustainability Officer and SAVE Council Chair Clairma T. Mangangey spoke on the state of sustainability efforts and the Firm’s progress toward achieving its sustainability targets. SGV Partners and Principals also shared their sustainability journeys. SGV SAVE Council group photo The Summit was capped off with messages from Chairman and Managing Partner Wilson P. Tan, EY Global Vice Chair for Sustainability Amy Brachio, CCaSS Partner Benjamin N. Villacorte, and Vice Chair and Deputy Managing Partner Maria Vivian C. Ruiz.

Members of the SGV Clark team paid a courtesy call on newly appointed Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman and Administrator Jonathan D. Tan on 30 August 2023 at the SBMA office.  (From left to right) Senior Director Niño Canlas, Associate Director Elgina Rito, Tax Partner Hentje Leo L. Leaño, SBMA Chair and Administrator Jonathan Tan, SGV Clark Partner In-Charge and Head Atty. Margaux A. Advincula, Senior Associate Atty. Fatima Garo, and SBMA Chief of Staff Martin Roman at the SBMA office SGV Clark Partner In-Charge and Head Atty. Margaux A. Advincula, Tax Partner Hentje Leo L. Leaño, Assurance Senior Director Leo Niño Canlas, Global Tax Compliance Associate Director Elgina Rito, and Tax Senior Associate Atty. Fatima Kate Garo congratulated Mr. Tan on his appointment as the new SBMA Chairman and Administrator. They also discussed new collaboration on several tax and investment initiatives to promote the ease of doing business for SBMA locators, including updates on the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises (CREATE) Act. They were accompanied by SBMA Chief of Staff and Deputy Administrator for Port Operations Atty. Martin Kristoffer F. Roman.

SGV Tax Principal Atty. Alden C. Labaguis, together with Indirect Tax (IDT) Associate Directors Attys. Lauren Antonette M. Mendoza and Kierk Robin M. Ret, and IDT Senior Associates Attys. Andrea Nicole C. Loreno and Natividad G. Busa, were speakers in the 2023 SGV Nurturing Leadership Internship Program (NLIP) Leadership Talk session for students accepted for internship at SGV. Atty. Alden and his team shared their stories as well as their personal takes on what “Stewardship, Grit, and Vibrance” mean to them with the 2023 batch of interns. Atty. Alden and team with the 2023 SGV NLIP interns Atty. Alden opened the Leadership Talk by sharing his personal and professional stories, describing how he started in SGV leading up to his designation as Principal in 2023. Atty. Alden related and highlighted events to show how he believes he was living the principles of Stewardship, Grit, and Vibrance, hoping to inspire and embolden the interns to reach for their dreams and life goals.  Attys. Laurs, Kierk, Nicole, and Naty also recounted their respective CPA-Lawyer journeys and their stories exemplifying Stewardship, Grit, and Vibrance. Each sharing concluded with a narrative of professional experiences of working in SGV and learnings from Atty. Alden as a leader. The team thanked Atty. Alden for being their inspiration to strive and achieve their goals.  In closing, Atty. Alden quoted a story from Steve Jobs’s 2005 Stanford Commencement Speech saying, “You can’t connect the dots looking forward, you can only connect them looking backwards.” Atty. Alden also encouraged the interns to seize opportunities during their internship in SGV and challenged them to “follow the dots” and create their own inspiring SGV stories to answer the question: “What’s your SGV story?”  The NLIP program was organized by the SGV Internship team composed of Mariane Kristine M. Riano, Angelou Ma. D. Remo, Kayla Anne Resente, and Nicola Francesca A. Fajardo.

SGV Transfer Pricing (TP) teams led by TP Partners Romulo “Rommie” S. Danao, Reynante M. Marcelo, Deonah L. Marco-Go, Joyce A. Francisco, Ana Katrina C. De Jesus, and Auresana B. Ines conducted back-to-back team-building and planning activities for FY 2024. Rommie with Team 1 displaying a clue The team-building activity was inspired by the adventure reality game show The Amazing Race. It aimed to build rapport and strengthen connections among the participants. The activity tested both their mental and physical abilities as they raced to the pit stop. Along the way, the participants were acquainted with landmarks in the SGV buildings, with the race culminating at the Washington SyCip Park.  Amazing Race participants during a challenge to eat spicy noodles at the e-Café International Tax and Transaction Services (ITTS) Manager Natasha Kim R. Tec, together with her co-managers Rhiza S. Alcantara Delfinado and Donna Phoebe M. Pascua; Seniors Jed Nathaniel M. Gonzalez, Jessica Cassandra Leen C. Balisi, Czar Rafael B. Miguel, and Rolan Jay C. Villa Del Rey; Associates Catherine Mae P. Bañez, Bennalou Andrea B. Consolacion, and Keanna S. Devela; and Administrative Lead Febralyn Mae T. Tayona, organized the team-building activity. On the second day, the TP teams met to set the road map for FY 2024. The discussions were focused on offering new TP services and possible cross-subservice-line and cross-service-line collaboration. Other topics discussed were initiatives in TP Transformation, Quality, and People pillars. The event concluded with an open forum.    SGV TP teams group photo after the planning activity Tax Senior Managers Maxine Victor E. Manuel and Eva Christine V. Naparan and Tax Managers KZ T. Genovea, Rebecca S. Reyes, Maria Angelica C. Espiritu, Danyka Marie S. Binuya, and Xandra Jizelle Q. Reyes led the presentation of TP initiatives.

SGV Clark Partner-in-Charge Margaux A. Advincula, together with Business Tax Advisory (BTA) Senior Associates Atty. Ma. Jeanne Therese G. Marasigan and Atty. Fatima Kate N. Garo, joined the 32nd North Luzon Area Business Conference (NLAB) Conference held at the Thunderbird Resort in Poro Point, San Fernando City, La Union. Atty. Margaux (third from right) with Subic Bay Freeport Chamber of Commerce (SBFCC) President Benjamin Antonio III, SBFCC Executive Director Donna May Tamayo, and SGV Business Tax Advisory (BTA) Senior Associates Atty. Ma. Jeanne Therese Marasigan and Atty. Fatima Kate Garo, among others, at the 32nd NLAB Conference Key government officials and prominent business leaders led discussions concerning key issues impacting business and the economy, with a particular focus on investments, tourism, innovation, productivity, and food security in North Luzon. The conference also provided a platform for networking among delegates, allowing them to interact with businessmen from different parts of the country, explore innovative business opportunities, and establish potential partnerships. The two-day event highlighted programs and opportunities for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and their importance in local economic growth. It brought together key officials from member Chambers and business partners located in North Luzon, successfully showcasing the investment potential of the region as an emerging hub for businesses and economic development. The 32nd NLAB Conference was organized by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) and hosted by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of La Union (CCILU). 

In line with SGV’s Sustainable Actions for Value-Creation and Enablement (SAVE) Council’s sustainability initiatives and as part of the observance of Earth Week, SGV donated 465.13 kg of preloved clothes to Wear Forward, a local circular-fashion startup. SGVeans from around the country participated in the SAVE Council’s used clothing collection drive, where all nine SGV offices were used as donation sites for preloved items of clothing. Some of the pre-loved clothing donations in SGV offices across the country The SGV SAVE Council expressed its appreciation to everyone who participated in the used clothing collection drive. The Council plans to hold more clothing collection efforts and other opportunities to practice sustainability. Preloved clothing donations packed for shipment to Wear Forward’s warehouse The preloved clothes were sent to Wear Forward’s facility in Bulacan for proper sorting and processing. Wear Forward seeks innovative solutions to the textile waste problem, including clothing recycling and reuse. These initiatives prevent usable clothing from ending up in landfills and further contributing to environmental degradation.

SGV Consulting Partner Christian G. Lauron joined the two-day 2023 Institute of International Finance (IIF) Sustainable Finance Summit held in Tokyo, Japan. The summit was supported by the Japanese Financial Services Agency (JFSA) and leading financial institutions in Japan and the Asia-Pacific region. Christian (center) at the 2023 IIF Sustainable Finance Summit The panelists and moderators for the various discussions during the summit were Japan government officials and different bank and industry leaders. Global and regional banks, policy makers and regulators, insurers, and other financial institutions also participated in the summit. Among the topics in the summit were strategic planning for the net-zero transition, ensuring credibility in transition finance and investment, the changing regulatory and policy landscape for sustainable finance, insurance and the net-zero transition, the future of global carbon markets, environmental, social, and governance (ESG) data and metrics, enabling transition finance, building transition finance markets in Asia, financing clean technology and natural capital, and the vital role of blended finance. Conversation with Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike (right) The panelists also talked about how the private sector plays a crucial role in supporting the Net Zero transition by focusing on transition finance and investment. They emphasized that financial firms are evaluating planning, assessing portfolio alignment, and addressing greenwashing risks. They also noted how the insurance sector aids companies in reducing and preparing for the effects of climate change.  Additionally, they pointed out that international carbon markets are expanding, and standards and benchmarks are being developed to support global decarbonization. They also noted that as voluntary frameworks and regulatory communities address concerns about greenwashing and transition-washing, there is a growing demand for ESG disclosure. Then Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda delivers his keynote speech The panelists also talked about how C-suite executives are rethinking traditional financial intermediation parameters to fund the energy transition and meet global climate change adaptation and mitigation goals. They highlighted that as Asia's governments and companies plan long-term growth strategies, sustainable financial markets are a key priority. 

SGV Business Consulting Leader Ryan Gilbert K. Chua was a resource speaker at the 4th Pocket Session organized by the Membership Committee (MemCom) of the IT & Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP) on “Scaling a BPO/Shared Services Business.” About 30 Executives from various IT and Business Process Management (IT-BPM) companies attended the event held at the Asia Select Office in Makati City on 25 August 2023. Event poster During the session, Ryan emphasized that while it may be relatively easy to start scaling, sustaining the process is a different matter. Ryan highlighted the importance of proper planning and execution, relationship/presence, methodology, and capability among others to scale sustainably. Ryan also touched on the relevance of mergers and acquisitions (M&As) in scaling up and highlighted why choosing the right strategy is key. Ryan (center) talks about how to scale BPOs/Shared Services Businesses sustainably Consulting Partner Jan Ray G. Manlapaz also attended the session. He raised relevant questions on the topics discussed during the panel discussion. Tax/Customs Partner/Principal Atty. Alden C. Labaguis coordinated the event with IBPAP. He was assisted by Indirect Tax (IDT) Associate Director Atty. Lauren Antonette M. Mendoza, and IDT Senior Associates Attys. Kierk Robin M. Ret and Natividad G. Busa, who formed part of the coordinating team. IBPAP is the primary trade body and advocacy group of the country’s IT-BPM sector and is composed of close to 400 companies and six partner associations.

SGV Tax Partner Atty. Auresana “Rhena” B. Ines conducted a tax webinar for the Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA) Southern Metro Manila Chapter (SMMC) on “How to Effectively Handle a BIR Tax Audit” held via Zoom on 25 August 2023. Event poster Atty. Rhena (lower right) with the SGV Tax Team Atty. Rhena discussed the BIR tax audit procedure and provided tips and leading practices in handling BIR tax audits. She highlighted the importance of understanding the BIR tax audit procedure to ensure compliance with tax regulations. She also emphasized the need for businesses to be well-prepared and knowledgeable about the process to effectively address any potential issues that may arise. Atty. Rhena also talked about the significance of maintaining accurate and organized financial records, as this plays a crucial role in successfully navigating BIR tax audits. 

SGV Financial Services Organization (FSO) Senior Manager Alister Benedict Rodriguez passed the Fundamentals of Actuarial Mathematics (FAM) and Statistics for Risk Modeling (SRM) examinations administered by the Society of Actuaries (SOA). FAM and SRM exams passer FSO Senior Manager Alister Benedict Rodriguez Alister passed both the FAM and SRM exams within five months, showcasing his knowledge of actuarial modeling and data analysis and positioning himself as a valuable asset in the field of actuarial sciences and risk management. The FAM exam assesses candidates' understanding of actuarial methods in modeling both short-term and long-term liabilities, while the SRM exam assesses candidates' understanding of statistical methods and models to analyze data. These exams are crucial for actuaries as they demonstrate their proficiency in applying mathematical and statistical techniques to assess and manage risk.   The SOA is a global professional organization for actuaries that offers a variety of certificate programs that prepare candidates for a future in the actuarial industry. These programs also provide candidates with a strong foundation in actuarial science and equip them with the necessary skills to excel in their careers. With its extensive network and resources, the SOA continues to support and advance the actuarial profession worldwide. The SGV FSO team will be holding FSO briefings on actuarial sciences and risk management for SGVeans and students.  Congratulations, Alister!