RIYADH, 5 May 2004 — Peachtree, an automated accounting system, will be taught in a seminar for non-accountants scheduled to start on May 7 at the Riyadh International School (RIS).
A project of the Riyadh chapter of the Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA-Riyadh) in cooperation with the Computer Society of Filipinos (Comsofil), the seminar will run for 4 consecutive Fridays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Participants only have to pay a minimal training fee of 50 riyals, organizers said.
Alex del Pilar, PICPA-Riyadh president, said despite the name of the seminar, it is also open to accountants, PICPA members, and members of other professional groups.
“Refresh and learn the concept of accounting, and monitor the financial condition of your business by the use of an automated accounting system,” said Del Pilar, who explained that new accounting system is “affordable, user friendly, easy to learn even for non-accountants, and is suitable for small to medium type of business.”
What’s more, he said, participants will also benefit from the expertise of Comsofil members on the technical aspects of the program, said del Pilar, who was president of the society in 1999.
Both the PICPA and Comsofil have been active in giving hundreds of Filipinos in the Kingdom accounting and computer literate without having to go to school.
Since PICPA-Riyadh started its accounting for non-accountants seminar in 1992 and similar seminars that followed, about 500 compatriots have benefited from the program.
One of them was Fritz Arthur Armada, who said he had learned a lot from the last PICPA-sponsored seminar he attended.
“I learned to differentiate between capital and expense, which is very useful in starting a small business. I know now how to appreciate a financial report and I can no longer be ‘fooled’ by numbers,” said Armada.
He also said that with the knowledge he acquired about depreciation and cash on hand, he has become prudent with his expenses.
PICPA had also sponsored other reintegration programs, such as feasibility study preparation, business planning, and tilapia culture in a concrete tank.
“We will also be conducting seminars on How to Identify and Analyze Business Risks, and Mushroom raising in the future,” del Pilar said.
For further details regarding the latest seminar and future activities of PICPA, the contact persons are: del Pilar at 406-7888 extension 892 and 050-4228054, Gerry Villaraiz at 050-2228232, Marlon dela Cruz at 050-9445402, Carloui Abad at 050-7267545, and Ferdie Mar Abesamis at 050-4138200.
