SEC chief receives award as outstanding professional

MANILA, Philippines — The head of the country’s Securities and Exchange Commission has been recognized for his contributions in the field of accountancy.

SEC chairperson Emilio Aquino received the Outstanding Professional of the Year Award from the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC).

“This award is an affirmation of the hard work that we have put in in 2023, letting us at the SEC know that we are headed toward the right direction in achieving the SuperVision that we have crafted for the SEC when I took over in 2018,” Aquino said in a statement.

The Outstanding Professional of the Year Award is conferred to professionals who have demonstrated exceptional achievements, service, and contributions in their respective fields of specialty.

Aquino was recognized as one of the top five nominees for the Eric Nubla Excellence Award, a distinct honor given to professionals who surpassed the qualification standards based on the criteria set forth to be an outstanding professional.

As the first CPA-lawyer to be named chairperson of the SEC, Aquino was appointed by then president Rodrigo Duterte in 2018.

He is a home-grown talent of the SEC, having made his start through an entry-level lawyer position and rising to the ranks, from director to commissioner until he was appointed to the top post.

Under his helm, the SEC has initiated measures to help improve the business climate in the Philippines.

For one, he spearheaded the digitalization of key processes of the SEC amid the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, including programs that facilitate company registration, submission of reports, and settlement of payments online.

Aquino also advocated for digital transformation in improving the ease of doing business in the country while pushing for the advancement of the accountancy profession.

He was subsequently recognized as International Data Corporation CEO of the Year for the Philippines in 2022, and the first Public Sector Innovator in the Mansmith Innovation Awards.

Aquino was able to record the longest streak of unqualified opinions from the Commission on Audit, from 2018 to 2022.

The SEC was also awarded the Association of Government Accountants of the Philippines Outstanding Accounting Office Award, based ona nomination from COA in 2021.