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SGV was the official tabulator at the coronation night of the Miss Philippines Earth 2022 Pageant held at Tag Resort Coron, Palawan. The event was streamed on the official Facebook page and YouTube channel of Miss Philippines Earth on 6 August 2022 and telecast on A2Z Channel 11 on 7 August 2022.  Mariecris with host Robi Domingo during the Miss Philippines Earth 2022 Pageant Market Group 2 Assurance Partner Mariecris N. Barbaso led the SGV team in the independent tabulation of scores cast by the judges. Climate Change and Sustainability Services Senior Director Crystal Aleli R. Cornell, Assurance Associate Directors Julius Ceasar C. Mercado and Angelu Daphne E. Villanueva, Assurance Senior Associate Dian Michelle S. Luis, and Assurance Associate Cristina F. Marcelo were part of the tabulating team. Miss Philippines - Water 2022, Angel Santos; Miss Philippines - Air 2022, Jimema Tempra; Miss Philippines Earth 2022, Jenny Ramp; Miss Philippines - Fire 2022, Eryka Vina Tan; and Miss Philippines - Eco-tourism 2022, Nice Lampad Jenny Ramp from Santa Ignacia, Tarlac was crowned as Miss Philippines Earth 2022. She succeeded Miss Philippines Earth 2021 Naelah Alshorbaji from Parañaque City. The winner of Miss Philippines Earth will serve as the ambassador to environmental protection campaigns and will represent the country in the Miss Earth 2022 Pageant. Miss Philippines Earth is an environmental advocacy-driven beauty pageant where candidates and winners actively promote and get involved in the preservation of the environment. The Miss Philippines Earth Pageant celebrated its 22nd year with the theme “ME Loves Fauna” to emphasize the importance of caring for animal life. The theme also aimed to raise awareness of how animals, whether domesticated or in the wild, are essential members of the environment that must be given proper care and attention.

SGV Business Tax Services Partner Atty. Margaux Advincula joined the North and Central Luzon Briefing and Updates on the 2022 Strategic Investment Priority Plan (SIPP) organized by The American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, Inc. (AmCham) North Luzon Chapter on 29 July 2022. The program aimed to update taxpayers on the activities that may be registered for incentives under the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises (“CREATE”) Act as promulgated. Atty. Margaux with the speakers, organizers, and other attendees Atty. Margaux delivered the welcome address which was followed by an introduction of the guest speaker, Mr. Dino John Buñag Recto, Officer-In-Charge (OIC), Division Chief of the Board of Investments. OIC-Chief Recto discussed activities which may be registered for incentives under the CREATE Act, as provided in the SIPP. Atty. Margaux facilitated the question-and-answer portion after OIC-Chief Recto’s discussion. She was joined by Mr. Ralph Morales, a Board Member of the AmCham North Luzon Chapter.  Tax Associate Director Atty. John Marti C. Duya and Tax Senior Associate Atty. Mark Lorenz T. Salcedo joined Atty. Margaux at the briefing. SGV Clark Tax Partner Hentje Leo Leano, Tax Senior Manager Maria Michaela E. Ledesma, Tax Manager David Jonathan F. Manalili, and Tax Seniors Elgina A. Rito and Mica Alyana C. Rivera were also present during the event. It was attended by members of AmCham, locators and employees from the Clark, Subic, and Baguio Economic Zones, and the Authority of the Freeport Area of Bataan.

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.