Paul Michael Jaramillo

PJ is a CPA, writer, storyteller, environment and youth advocate. As a writer, his articles on national development were published in a Spanish newspaper and local news network Rappler. As a storyteller and environment advocate, his documentary films on mining and environment were featured by ABS-CBN News and GMA News. He launched his career as a CPA at KPMG in the Philippines in late 2015. He started his professional journey as an external auditor of a global workspace provider (the largest audit client of KPMG in the Philippines), global bank, leading MFCG in the Philippines and a number of shared service centres. As an auditor, his team won the KPMG Asia-Pacific Data & Analytics Challenge and coached the Philippine team that placed third to the KPMG GlobalRunner Cup. More than two years later, he led KPMG in the Philippines’ Network of Audit Innovators and Data & Analytics Champions and its academic arm, while serving as a member of the KPMG Asia-Pacific Audit Digital Transformation Workstream. He served as a member of the Audit Methodology Group and Root Cause Analysis Team of KPMG in the Philippines. He was a regular training facilitator of KPMG on audit methodology, innovation, data and analytics, professional standards and regulatory updates. He also served as a coach for newly promoted supervisors. PJ was also the Firm’s System of Quality Management Implementation Manager and a Workforce of the Future Champion. He was also a Sampling Specialist of the Firm. In 2019, PJ was a member of the Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA)’s Technical Working Group on Audit Methodology. PJ led in developing some of the innovative solutions of KPMG in the Philippines. Above all, PJ is a people investor. He invests on people who have potential and talents. That makes him a coach and mentor to some young professionals in the profession and served as a People Committee member of KPMG in the Philippines. He leads advocacy projects that help communities. He produces vlogs thru his YouTube channel, PJspirations which features stories of different individuals. As a volunteer, he is the Academic Master and Head Coach of PREMIER International Learning and Development Center, which provides coaching, mentoring, training and learning programs and platforms that promote growth and development in every individual’s life and career. He is also with the Middle East and Caspian regions of KPMG as a member of its Professional Practice group and Audit L&D for the Saudi Levant Cluster, providing subject matter knowledge and guidance on audit methodology, and learning and development programs to its offices. He is a proud Ilocano and a graduate of Northwestern University. He also conducts #IamRemarkable sessions, a program initiated by Google for women and underrepresented groups.

THE TRAPPED DRIFTER: ‘Sagad sa Ganda’ – The Unusual Beauty of Sagada

Photo from PREMIERE Creative Director Jerald Penafiel

What makes this blog post different from my usual #TheSoloDrifter stories about my travels abroad and local adventures? I’ve been celebrating Chinese New Year in Binondo’s Chinatown for five years, but this year – I went to Sagada! With Kyle and Jerald! And why #TheTrappedDrifter this time? Let’s wait for Jerald’s vlog, you’ll find out! …

THE SOLO DRIFTER: Southeast Asia (Malaysia-Singapore-Indonesia, plus Indochina) Travel Guide, Budget and Itinerary

After two weeks from my second Indochina tour, I visited three more countries – Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia’s Bintan. If you want to visit six countries for two weeks to a month, I suggest the following route – Vietnam-Cambodia-Thailand-Malaysia-Singapore-Indonesia – so take time to read my Indochina travel guide and look for a good flight …

THE SOLO DRIFTER: A Travel Guide to Harmonious Malaysia’s DiverCITY

Before our Asia-Pacific train-the-trainers training in Singapore, I decided to have my flight rerouted to Malaysia and took the 8:50PM flight via Cebu Pacific. There is no time difference between Malaysia and the Philippines and it took us four hours to get there. Philippine passport holders are granted visa-free entry to Malaysia for 30 days. …