[8:30 – 9:15 am]
Title: Evaluating the Philippine Fiscal Position
Speaker: Cielo Magno, PhD
Former Undersecretary, Department of Finance

This session will review the current fiscal concerns in the country including our fiscal position, the budget process, and the efficiency of budget allocation.

[10:00 - 11:15 am]  
Title: Health Care Finance: Balancing Resources and Patient Care
Speaker: Lysander P. Ragodon MD, FPCP, MHSA
Vice President for Hospital Operations/Chief Operating Officer and Medical Director
The Providence Hospital

This session provides understanding of financial management principles and practices in the Health Sector. It explores the economic factors shaping health care delivery, including cost management, reimbursement systems such as the HMOs and PHIC, financial budgeting in hospitals and financial planning. It also provides tools to understand the financial performance of hospitals, health care costs such as PHIC's case rate and making informed decisions to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of health care organizations.

[11:30 am - 12:45 pm]
Title:  Fintech, Digital Assets, and DeFi: The Next Frontier in International Finance
Speaker: Michael L. Aguirre, CPA, MBA, MST
Founding & Managing Partner, UHY M.L.A & Co., CPAs

Equip yourself with strategies to manage risks and explore how traditional banks can embrace fintech solutions to stay ahead. With a focus on future trends and innovations, this session is your gateway to understanding the forces reshaping finance today. Whether you're a financial professional, tech enthusiast, or curious learner, seize this opportunity to elevate your financial acumen and be at the forefront of the financial
revolution in the Philippines.

Dr. Cielo Magno is an Associate Professor in the University of the Philippines’ School of Economics. She served as Undersecretary of the Department of Finance. She represents the civil society in the Global Steering Committee of the Open Government Partnership and is the co-chair of the Global Steering Committee with the Government of Spain. She served as a member of the international board of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) for seven years and an advisory committee member of the CONNEX Global Initiative. She sits on the board of various organizations including Bantay Kita, Action for Economic Reforms (AER), Center for Energy Ecology and Development (CEED), Peace and Equity Holdings, and Tanghalang Pilipino.

Dr. Magno has more than twenty five years of experience in research and policy. She has broad experience working with governments, the private sector, and civil society. She completed her Masters degree in Economics from the University of the Philippines School of Economics and her PhD in Law and Public Policy from Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts as a Fulbright scholar.

She is a bonsai enthusiast and loves to play the piano and the saxophone.

 

Dr. Lysander P. Ragodon, MD, FPCP, MHSA is a Diplomate and Fellow of the Philippine College of Physicians. He had his Internal Medicine Residency Training at Lourdes Hospital and his Diabetes Education Training at the Makati Medical Center.

He is currently the Vice President for Hospital Operations, Chief Operating Officer, and Medical Director of the Providence Hospital Inc. His extensive profile in Health Care Management comes from his experience in his previous positions such as the Operations Advisor of Metro Pacific Investment Inc (MPIC) assigned to do the due diligence of De Los Santos Medical Center. 

Further, he used to be the Vice President for Administrative Support Services and Hospital Operations and Business Planning and Development at the De Los Santos Medical Center, Operations Director at the My Health Clinics, Patient Services Director at the St. Cabrini Medical Center.

He obtained his Doctor of Medicine from the University of the East-Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center (UERMMMC), and a Master in Health Service Administration at the Ateneo de Manila University - Graduate School of Business.

Mr. Michael ‘Mhike’ L. Aguirre, is a seasoned accountant, progressive leader, and an agent of change. Since 2006, he’s been steering UHY M.L. Aguirre & Co., CPAs, a firm proudly bearing multiple accreditations from prestigious bodies like SEC, BIR, BOA, IC, BSP, NEA, & CDA. From multinationals to fintech startups and SMEs, his guidance has driven the firm to serve a wide spectrum of clients.

His voyage into the intricate sea of accountancy commenced in 1999 with a leading international accounting network. This voyage ferried him to Grant Thornton Vietnam, where he spearheaded audits on foreign-funded projects and NGOs. With a wealth of experience in his sails, he returned to Manila to continue his practice, only to anchor his own ship – his very own firm. His vision wasn’t simply to succeed; it was to create an environment of success for everyone around him.

During his tenure as a faculty member at the University of Makati from 2009 to 2010, he left an indelible mark on the academic world. In 2015, PICPA recognized his dedication to the accounting profession and appointed him as a member of the Quality Assurance Review Committee (QAR).

Mr. Aguirre earned his MBA degree from the Ateneo Graduate School of Business and a Master’s of Science in Taxation from Golden Gate University, California. This knowledge fuels his active participation in seminars and trainings on emerging topics such as digital taxation and cryptocurrency taxation. His contributions to the literary world include the taxation books: NIRC + TRAIN (2019), and NIRC + TRAIN + CREATE (2022).