The Commission on Higher Education entered into a formal partnership with Tarlac State University for a nationwide capacity-building and training program through a ceremonial memorandum of agreement signing on December 15, 2025 at Luxent Hotel in Quezon City.
Targeting state universities' and colleges’ internal audit units (SUC IAUs), the program aims to strengthen the competencies of internal auditors and promote uniform internal audit practices in SUCs, among others.
CHED has awarded TSU with a 5-million-peso funding for the program coordination and implementation with Dr. Jonathan A. Gabriel, TSU Internal Audit Services director, as the project lead.
“I’m happy for all the SUC IAUs kasi maga-guide sila properly with this program. They don’t have to go here (TSU) for benchmarking individually. Gagastos pa sila. The [program’s] registration will be free, and the resource persons will be from DBM-SPIB (Systems and Productivity Improvement Bureau),” he said.
Moreover, Dr. Gabriel shared that after this program, he expects SUC IAUs to operate in accordance with their mandate and add value to their respective SUCs.
The program, which is set to start in the second quarter of 2026, will be conducted in three runs: The first run will be an executive briefing for SUC top management, and the second and third runs will be about the strategic and annual planning with emphasis on BAICS (Baseline Assessment of Internal Control System) and Audit Execution and Reporting.
Dr. Gabriel has been awarded by the Department of Budget and Management in 2024 for achieving the highest rating among recognized resource persons on the National Guidelines on Internal Control Systems and Revised Philippine Government Internal Audit Manual.
Also, as the president of the State Universities and Colleges Internal Auditors' Association (SUCIAA), Dr. Gabriel said that the organization will assist the university as the training coordinator in implementing the capacity-building program. (jlm-OPA)
Photo credits: Dr. Jonathan A. Gabriel | Internal Audit Services Director
