AI, analytics, and CPD-earning options for Filipino CPAs and finance staff, sorted by the question that actually matters: does it carry CPD units, or does it just make you better at the job?
Accountants are the largest professional group searching for AI training in the Philippines, and they are also the group with the most confusing decision to make. Every course has to be weighed against two separate things: whether it helps you do the work, and whether it counts toward the CPD units your license renewal needs.
Those are not the same question, and the best answer for you depends on which one is pressing. Below, sorted that way.
| Program | Provider | Price | CPD units? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Digital Transformation and AI for Business and Accountants | PICPA | Member CPD rates, per event | Yes, accredited |
| Rotating chapter seminars | PICPA Metro Manila Region | Per seminar | Usually, confirm per event |
| Fundamentals of Artificial Intelligence | Ateneo CCE | ₱6,600 (₱5,600 early bird) | No |
| Analytics for Business | Ateneo CCE | ₱16,500 early / ₱18,000 | No |
| IBM Data Analytics Professional Certificate | MMDC | ₱990/month | No |
| Business Analytics with Generative AI | AIM | ₱50,000 | No |
| Data Analytics Bootcamp | Eskwelabs | ₱35,840 principal via Bukas | No |
| Azure AI Fundamentals course | e-TESDA | Free | Possible self-directed evidence |
PICPA, the Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants, is the accredited professional organization for CPAs and a PRC-accredited CPD provider. Its Digital Transformation and AI for Business and Accountants module is the cleanest option available: an AI seminar that carries CPD accreditation, so the time is not taken away from your compliance requirement, it counts toward it.
Two things to get right. Accreditation is per event, so confirm the unit count on the specific seminar listing before you register. And the schedule rotates, so get current dates from PICPA's own events calendar rather than a reposted graphic.
One trap worth naming: picpa.org is the Pennsylvania Institute of CPAs, not the Philippine body. The Philippine organization is at picpa.com.ph, with the Metro Manila chapter at picpammr.org. We have seen people register on the wrong site.
Full detail on units, self-directed learning, and what counts is in our PICPA seminars and AI CPD guide. See also the PICPA provider profile.
CPD is mandatory under RA 10912 for renewing your Professional Identification Card, and the standard requirement for accountancy is 120 CPD units per three-year compliance period under PRC Board of Accountancy rules.
But there is a live exception you should know about: PRC has extended acceptance of the CPD Undertaking until 31 December 2026 under Resolution No. 2200, s. 2026, which lets a professional renew by undertaking to complete units in the next compliance period. That is a deferral rather than an exemption. Check the current position on prc.gov.ph for your renewal date, since this deadline has been moved several times.
These do not carry CPD accreditation, and for many accountants they are the better spend anyway.
MMDC IBM Data Analytics Professional Certificate, ₱990 a month. By a wide margin the cheapest structured route into analytics. Self-paced over four to five months, delivered through Coursera under Mapua Malayan Digital College. If you have abandoned online courses before, budget for that risk, but at this price the downside is small. See the provider profile.
Ateneo CCE Fundamentals of Artificial Intelligence, ₱6,600 (₱5,600 early bird). A short management-level grounding in what AI does and does not do, with a university name attached. Next run 24 to 25 September 2026. Good if you need to speak credibly about AI to partners or clients rather than build anything.
Ateneo CCE Analytics for Business, ₱16,500 early or ₱18,000 regular. Three Saturdays in October 2026 on Zoom. The lightest real commitment on this list that still involves a live instructor, and Saturdays suit audit season badly but suit most other months well.
AIM Business Analytics with Generative AI, ₱50,000. Ten live online sessions in October 2026. You are paying for the Asian Institute of Management brand and the room, which is a legitimate purchase if your firm is funding it and your network matters.
Eskwelabs Data Analytics Bootcamp. Nine weeks at 9 to 12 hours a week. Eskwelabs publishes no price on its own site; its financing partner Bukas lists the principal at ₱35,840. The deepest analytics option here, and the biggest time commitment short of a degree. Compared against the rest on our data analytics page.
e-TESDA hosts a free Azure AI Fundamentals course under its ICT category, with no tuition or registration fee. It is a legitimate way to learn foundational AI concepts before paying for anything, and structured non-accredited learning may qualify under PRC's self-directed learning categories, subject to caps and documentation. Keep your certificates and check current rules.
One caveat we will not skip: that course is AI-900 branded, and Microsoft retired the AI-900 exam on 30 June 2026 in favour of AI-901. Treat it as an introduction rather than current exam preparation. See our page on the change.
Every no-cost option across professions is in the free courses hub.
Every program above was checked against the provider's own official page, and every CPD claim against PRC or PICPA sources. Where a provider does not publish a price we say so rather than inventing a range, and where we cite a figure from a financing partner rather than the school itself, we name the source. Browse everything in the AI training for accountants hub.
Seminars from PRC-accredited providers such as PICPA carry pre-approved units, including its Digital Transformation and AI for Business and Accountants module. Accreditation is per event, so confirm the unit count on the specific seminar listing. Non-accredited learning may still qualify under self-directed learning categories, subject to PRC caps and documentation requirements.
The standard requirement is 120 CPD units per three-year compliance period under the CPD Act of 2016 (RA 10912) and PRC Board of Accountancy rules. Note that PRC has extended acceptance of the CPD Undertaking until 31 December 2026 under Resolution No. 2200, s. 2026, which allows renewal by undertaking to complete units in the next period. That is a deferral, not an exemption.
MMDC delivers IBM's Data Analytics Professional Certificate at ₱990 a month, which is by a wide margin the cheapest structured route. Before that, e-TESDA hosts genuinely free AI and ICT courses with no tuition or registration fee, which is a sensible way to test your interest before paying anything.
They can. CPD-accredited AI seminars, such as PICPA's module, carry units like any other accredited session. Non-accredited AI courses may qualify under self-directed learning, subject to PRC caps and documentation, so keep your certificates. Always confirm accreditation for the specific event before assuming it counts.
No. picpa.org is the Pennsylvania Institute of CPAs. The Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants is at picpa.com.ph, with its Metro Manila chapter at picpammr.org. This catches people out regularly, so check the domain before registering or paying.