The Institute turns 60 this year. Yes, you read correctly. IIAP will be 60 years old! At this age, employees already retire but not your Institute. Instead, we are “REACHING NEW HEIGHTS!”

I am so fortunate to be reaping the fruits of the labor of my predecessors, who have planted the seed of transformation by breaking the barriers and bridging the gap, striking the balance, bringing the internal auditors in the spotlight, creating value and enhancing quality and putting advocacy at work into practice.

With these awesome accomplishments, there is no way to go, but up. Hence your Board of Directors is bent on REACHING NEW HEIGHTS for the Institute, the internal auditors, the internal auditing profession and its various stakeholders.

As in the past, 2008 also promises to be a year of firsts: the very first Computer-Based-Testing for the certification exams, the first ACIIA CAE forum in the country and first CFSA Review. It is also the first time that we will hold forums for the growing number of Gen Y auditors who need to be nurtured and engaged as well as internal auditors who want to discover IT auditing.

All these initiatives may be quite ambitious but who can go wrong with an awesome God on our side and a team of committed, passionate and hard-working board of directors, secretariat, committee chairs and members, particularly the 60th Year Celebration Committee, led by the indefatigable team of Mike Cabatuando, Edna de Leon, Bong Soliven, Larry Francisco, Juancho Robles, Vicci Tomas, Helen de Guzman, Duch Cruz, Gina Santos, Eugene Guillermo, Duke Bejenting, Norman Castro and many others.

So as the Institute celebrates its 60th anniversary, my challenge to you, our dear members, is to be one with us in moving forward and in building a future. You can REACH NEW HEIGHTS with us!

To God be the glory!