What an Ilongga accountant has to say

MY name is Tina, but you may call me CDE, which I now use as the partner-in-charge of Alas Oplas & Co. CPAs-Iloilo Branch. I am now in my late 40s, and I have been through numerous tough times as a certified public accountant in public practice. No wonder high school graduates have dampened spirits and a lot of hesitations about whether to pursue accounting careers. How disconsolate it is to know that despite the plenty of openings for our services, companies are only willing to pay the very least amount, notwithstanding the rigid academic, accreditation, and testing requirements needed to follow through this career path. Hopefully, right here and through this article, I can share my journey and the reasons why I continue to practice, as it is a simple joy to me to do what I love most.

Decades ago, I got my very first client, my law subject teacher from the University of the Philippines in the Visayas (UPV), Oscar Tagamolila. He opened a coffee shop in Robinsons Mall Iloilo that he branded Espresso Centrale, The Court Cafe. It was gorgeously set on walkable glass flooring, and I was so inspired by it that I too started my coffee shop years later. As a struggling sole practitioner from the province, I knew that I wanted to do more to help Ilonggo entrepreneurs other than just assist them with their registrations, file their tax returns, and set up their books. I wanted to experience what it felt like so I could move them to grow and achieve more.