Chicka-Chicka!
Q1 Issue Series of FY 2023-2024
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PICPA Negros Oriental Chapter Officers
PICPA Negros Oriental Chapter Officers
FY 2023-2024
AccounTechs: Suicide or Sweet Side?
AccounTechs: Suicide or Sweet Side?
By: Anika Nastassja M. Cena, CPA
The never-ending debate about how Accountants will soon be replaced by Technology has both daunted and challenged us. With the emergence of automation, predictive analytics, artificial intelligence (AI) and other technologies, it has become a challenge to keep up. Now, this has made me think of the age-old adage of Charles Darwin’s Theory of Evolution, “Survival of the Fittest”. To expound, those that have the skills, the capacity and the drive to survive, those that are the strongest, will remain and those that are weak will perish.
A lot of articles in the World Wide Web have predicted that our profession has become “obsolete” or “is facing extinction” or “unnecessary” - all words that mean the same, we are no longer needed. They say that the era of digital disruption has taken over and that softwares and systems have replaced our fundamental roles. Their claims, we cannot argue, have some meat to it.
Manual tasks are being replaced by automation. Data analytics has been taken over by real-time and predictive analytics. Reports and communications are now being supplied by AIs. Humans are now dispensable commodities to companies, no longer necessary.
So, have we become unnecessary? Are we going extinct? Is this Suicide?
Take these articles with a grain of salt. These predictions may have an itty-bitty granule of truth to them but these should not define the very thing that makes us a profession. Let us not forget that it is our knowledge and expertise being mined by the developers of these technologies. The very essence of these technologies came from the deep seated ability of our professionals to correlate insignificant data, forecast, predict outcomes, take calculated risks and make informed decisions. What these technologies are doing are only mimicries of what our potentials can do.
As such, accounting technologies should now become our power tools to level up our industry and practice. The way we maximize these technologies should be the making and not the breaking of us. But how?
Here are some trends in accounting technologies and known software applications that may help widen your reach:
Trend # 1: Social Media. The soc-med technology has brought a lot of advantages to the business world. In Accounting, Social Media - Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and whatnot - has become our means of checking the background of our clients and a means to communicate with them. We use this as a tool to see how our clients are perceived by the outside world and to directly connect and engage with them.
Trend # 2: Cloud Computing Technology. Cloud computing standard is a technology that has provided a means of working securely anywhere. For us, the electronic-Filing and Payment System (e-FPS), a perfect example of cloud computing, has fast-tracked our services to our clients. Now, we have a means to compute our client’s taxes without having to use Microsoft Excel and use up more internal storages in our computers.
Trend # 3: The Internet of Things is probably the greatest invention for me. As a person who is in auditing, I am somebody who needs knowledge about anything and everything, and the quickest way for me is through the internet.
Trend # 4: Large-Scale Analysis. Long gone are the days that our Microsoft Excel Worksheets crash on us because of voluminous data we need to analyze. With advanced and customized applications, we are now able to scale our analysis.
Trend # 5: Agile Working. Google Workspace and AnyDesk Software app provide a very agile setup for everyone. If you are a small scale remote accountant, you can never go wrong with Google and AnyDesk.
Trend # 6: Real Time Analytics is the plus-est of all invention for us. As accountants, our problem always stems out from analyzing big data and still keeping it relevant when the time for decision-making arrives. Real-time analytics creates the perfect avenue for us to enhance our forecasting and decision-making.
Trend # 7: Artificial intelligence. ChatBots, ChatGPT and the like have made the life of companies a lot easier. For us, researching and making custom reports has become a piece of cake. Now we focus more on value-adding work.
Trend # 8: New Skill Sets. We get to focus on our communicating, critical thinking, emotional intelligence and good judgment. With the advent of these accounting tools and technology we get to focus more on ourselves and the quality we provide rather than the accuracy of the manner we analyzed data because these Techs have done it for us. We can focus more on imparting these skills to others and making an impact in their lives.
At the end of the day, it is our ability to adapt and readjust, and our instinct to fight and survive that will keep our positions in this digital era.This is now the “survival of the fittest”, as we say. Instead of rejecting it, subjecting ourselves to suicide, why not take it as a morsel of goodness? We should embrace the fact that now we can focus on value adding work that no automation, predictive analytics, AIs or other technologies can do. Why should using AccounTechs be suicide when it can be the sweet side?
Where to Go for Accountants on the Go?
Where to Go for Accountants on the Go?
Featuring Coffee Shops in Dumaguete City
Recommendations and photos retrieved from Google Maps
Are you looking for a cozy place to enjoy a cup of coffee and get some work done in Dumaguete City? If so, you're in luck! There are many coffee shops in the city that offer power outlets, free wifi, and delicious treats. Here are some of the best ones that you can check out:
(Photo by: Maxwell Fernandez)
Tom N Toms Coffee Dumaguete: This is a coffeehouse chain based in South Korean that offers a variety of coffee drinks, pastries, and snacks. It's located along Rizal Boulevard, which is a scenic spot to watch the sunset and the sea. It has plenty of power outlets and comfortable seats for you to plug in your laptop and relax.
(Photo by: Martin Utzurrum)
Bo's Coffee - Rizal Boulevard: This is a homegrown Filipino coffee brand that serves high-quality coffee sourced from local farmers. It also has a wide selection of cakes, sandwiches, and salads that you can pair with your coffee. It's situated on Rizal Boulevard as well, so you can enjoy the view while you sip your brew. It has several power outlets and a spacious interior for you to work comfortably.
(Photo by: Jeffrey Go)
The Rollin' Pin: This is a bakery and cafe that offers freshly baked bread, pastries, and cakes. It also serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner dishes that are made with organic ingredients. It's located on Katada Street, which is a quiet and peaceful area in the city. It has a few power outlets and a cozy ambiance for you to work productively.
(Photo by: Hashtag Dumaguete)
Hashtag Dumaguete: This trendy cafe is located at San Jose Extension, Dumaguete City and offers a variety of coffee, tea, smoothies, and pastries. They have plenty of seats and tables, as well as power outlets. You can enjoy their free Wi-Fi and air-conditioning while you work on your laptop. Plus, they have a billiards table to de-stress yourself after a tiring work.
(Photo by: Rachella Dael)
Starbucks Dumaguete: This popular chain is also located along Rizal Boulevard. They offer their signature coffee, tea, frappuccinos, and pastries. They have a cozy indoor area with comfortable couches and chairs, as well as an outdoor patio with umbrellas and tables. They have power outlets both inside and outside, so you can choose where to sit depending on your mood.
(Photo by: Kape Orlina)
Kape Orlina: This cozy cafe is at Residencia Orlina at L. Rovia Road, Dumaguete City. They serve specialty coffee, tea, pastries, as well as some Filipino dishes like silog, budbud and tsokolate, and their signature sari-sari (Filipino chocolate milk drink). They have an airy interior with colorful paintings and decorations, as well as a balcony with stools and tables. They have power outlets both inside and outside, so you can enjoy the scenery while you work or study.
These are just some of the coffee shops in Dumaguete that offer power outlets for your convenience. There are many more to explore and discover in this beautiful city. So grab your laptop or phone, head to one of these cafes, and enjoy a productive and relaxing day!
Happy Meals
Happy Meals
Highlighting the spirit of volunteerism among PICPAns
By: PG Olivier Bulfa, CPA
No, this composition is not about a certain chain of fastfood restaurants with a clown as their mascot (although writing this out on a hot, Friday afternoon six hours after my last meal, a bit of McDonald’s would not be unwelcome). On the contrary, this involves a very important, very essential function and responsibility of the Philippine Institute of Public Accountants.
I cannot—for the life of me—remember what that is, however, now that I have gone into thinking too hard about a 6-piece order of Chicken McNuggets with two barbeque dips, large fries, a large Coke Zero, and maybe a salted caramel sundae as dessert…
But I digress.
If you think about it, there is quite a lot in common between McDonald’s and the spirit of PICPA.
Imagine that you are in front of the counter, subject to the beaming smile of the cashier, being asked what your order is. Immediately above you is the shining beacon of the massive selection of food you can choose to consume. Catering to the unique tastes of each of its customers, the restaurant provides a way for you to pick and mix which combinations of food you would prefer to eat. An appetizer here, or maybe a simple snack there, a main dish, even drinks—all of which are fully customizable within reason. For those that have trouble deciding what to get for themselves, there even are pre-made sets or combos you can sink your teeth into.
Similarly, I have personally seen the wide variety of accountancy practitioners in the humble province of Negros Oriental—not to mention the diverse spectrum of personalities. Volunteering for almost four years as a relatively-recent inductee to PICPA, I have been able to work with professionals from different industries and branches of accountancy—may it be from cooperatives, corporations, individual business owners, conglomerates, public practitioners, and beyond. Each person I have been fortunate to work alongside has been able to put their unique spin in the bayanihan spirit inherent to the organization.
No two experiences have been the same.
Wise veterans, talented performers, enthusiastic young CPAs, a surprising number of individuals with hilarious senses of humor, the loud, the quiet, the leaders, the organizers, the tech-masters, the orators—it is not an exaggeration to say there is a lot of variety.
One thing is for certain, though: whatever combination you happen to encounter, you are sure to be getting the full experience unique to PICPA.
What brings everything together, finally, for both fastfood and PICPA is the special sauce. For McDo you could argue it is the barbecue dip or the sweet-andsour sauce for the 6-piece chicken nugget meal. Or if you were a fan of the classics, the Heinz tomato ketchup for your hot, crispy french fries. Maybe you look towards the chain’s biggest competitor, the jolliest of bees, and declare that their mushroom gravy is the best among the rest of the sauces.
For PICPA, the special sauce each one of its members can agree upon is volunteerism. Sauces bring dishes together—the magical ingredient that completes every greasy, calorie-heavy, delicious food. And for PICPA, an organization born from the pooled resources of its member-professionals, blood, sweat, and tears, and little to no compensation, the spirit of volunteerism keeps it alive.
The continuous growth of PICPA Negros Oriental is a result of its members offering their time, efforts, even personal resources to make all the organization’s events and activities possible—without asking for anything in return. In fact, its members are Happy na sa Meals. In their eagerness to serve, a good, delicious meal is enough to compensate for any amount of hard work.
Sincere, heartfelt, genuine volunteerism: the unique flavor—the unique sauce—that makes PICPA Neg Or the outstanding organization it is today.
In the spirit of fastfood, and in the spirit of PICPA, with the commitment and dedication the organization’s members have shown throughout the many long years it has existed, one could really, only truly say: Love ko ‘to.
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