TO MARK its 16th founding anniversary, the University of Santo Tomas-Alfredo M. Velayo College of Accountancy held the 15th Washington Sycip Lecture titled “The Accountants’ Role in the Revival of the National and Global Economy.”

Finance Assistant Secretary Dakila Elteen Napao discussed the government’s programs and initiatives in combating the impact of Covid19 pandemic on the economy.

Napao’s lecture focused on the four-pillar strategy — lifeline assistance to vulnerable groups, improvement of the healthcare system, recovery programs, and  bold fiscal and monetary initiatives.

Meanwhile, Professor Yew Kee Ho, a visiting faculty of the Singapore Institute of Technology, talked on the repositioning of the accounting education in the next economy, while Allan Ocho, a consulting partner of SGV & Co., discussed the three transformative value drivers — placing humans at the center of their organization, leveraging technology at speed, and enabling innovation at scale.

Representing the Asean Accounting Education Workgroup, Prof. Zubir Azhar, a senior lecturer from the Universiti Sains Malaysia, discussed the technical skills and competencies needed by accountants to meet the demands of the industry.

Ace Ver Vargas, an audit associate of the PWC Isla Lipana & Co. and representing the alumni, talked on the resiliency of accounting and finance professionals in the face of socio-economic uncertainty.

The annual lecture is conducted in memory of the late Washington SyCip, one of the founders of SyCip, Gorres, Velayo & Co.