FIRST PACIFIC (00142.HK): PLDT auditor SGV resigns over independence, PwC Philippines appointed

NewTimeSpace News: On 3 November 2026, First Pacific Company Limited (00142.HK) disclosed inside information that PLDT announced that SyCip Gorres Velayo & Co. ("SGV"), a member firm of Ernst & Young Global Limited, had notified PLDT on 31 October of its resignation as PLDT's independent registered public accounting firm, on the grounds that it had failed to maintain independence when issuing opinions on PLDT's IFRS financial statements and internal control over financial reporting for the year ended 31 December 2025.

The said financial statements and internal control opinions were contained in PLDT's annual report on Form 20-F filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission on 27 April 2026. On 2 November, PLDT's audit committee accepted SGV's resignation and appointed Isla Lipana & Co./PwC Philippines, a member firm of PricewaterhouseCoopers International Limited, as auditor of PLDT's financial statements prepared under Philippine Financial Reporting Standards, effective 2 November.

Shareholders may refer to the original filings submitted by PLDT to the New York Stock Exchange and the Philippine Stock Exchange, and the overseas regulatory announcement published by the company on 3 November.