THE season of the oath taking for those required to undertake this very hallowed practice has passed. What comes to mind immediately on this is the recent inauguration of the incoming elected officials led by President Duterte, and the new Certified Public Accountants (CPAs) who recently passed the licensure examinations. However, there are a number of these new CPAs who have not been able to go through this ritual. They are reminded on their legal obligation to take their oath as a requirement for them to practice their profession.
Section 19 of the accountancy law provides that “all successful candidates in the examination shall be required to take an oath of profession before any member of the board or before any government official authorized by the commission or any person authorized by law to administer oaths upon presentation of proof of his or her qualification, prior to entering upon the practice of the profession.”
The Board of Accountancy (BOA) had oath-taking events for the new CPAs in Manila, Cebu, Davao, Baguio, Legazpi, Cagayan de Oro and Iloilo. Most of the new CPAs took their oath as professionals on June 20, at the Philippine International Convention Center.
Those who will not be able to attend this should take their oaths with government officials authorized to administer this. The Revised Administrative Code provides the list of officials authorized to administer oath. Section 21 and 41 of this code provides that the following officers have general authority to administer oaths:
“President; Vice President; members and secretaries of both Houses of the Congress; members of the Judiciary; secretaries of Departments; provincial governors and lieutenant governors; city mayors; municipal mayors; bureau directors; regional directors; clerks of courts; registrars of deeds; and other civilian officers in the Philippine public service whose appointments are vested in the President of the Philippines and are subject to confirmation by the Commission of Appointments; all other constitutional officers; and notaries public. A person who, by authority of law, shall serve in the capacity of the officers mentioned above shall possess the same power.”
Republic Act 10755 was signed on March 29, authorizing the punong barangay or barangay chairman to administer the oath. Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) Resolution 2006-313 also allows Filipino professionals based outside the Philippines to take the oath in the presence of the Philippine Embassy or Consulate and affix a passport photograph (colored with white background) to the oath form.
The new CPA is required to go to the PRC to personally sign the Registry Book of Professionals as soon as he or she arrives from overseas or completes taking his or her oath from other government official.
The CPAs who had their oath by these alternative means will have to submit a copy of their “Panunumpa ng mga Propesyonal Lupon ng Accountancy” that is duly signed by the CPA and the government official who administered the oath to the Chairman of the BOA in the PRC in Sampaloc, Manila.
A Facebook page has also been created by the BOA that is exclusively devoted to the new CPAs who recently took their oath as professionals at Proud2016NewCPAs.
Copies of the official souvenir program containing the names of all successful examinees of the May 2016 CPA Board Examinations (and other prior years examinations) are available for purchase at P100 per copy. Those interested can contact boa.secretariat@gmail.com for payment requirements and notification of where the souvenir program will be sent.
Joel L. Tan-Torres is the chairman of the Professional Regulatory Board of Accountancy. He is a Certified Public Accountant who placed No. 1 in the May 1979 CPA Board Examinations. He is concurrently a tax partner of Reyes Tacandong & Co., CPAs. He was the former commissioner of the Bureau of Internal Revenue between 2009 and 2010.
This column accepts contributions from accountants, especially articles that are of interest to the accountancy profession, in particular, and to the business community, in general. These can be e-mailed to boa.secretariat.@gmail.com.