The
Professional Regulation Commission announces the temporary suspension
of services of all PRC Offices including Service Centers and OSSCOs on
25 February 2019, in commemoration of the 33rd Anniversary of the EDSA People Power Revolution, pursuant to Proclamation No. 555.
The said offices will resume operations on 26 February 2019.
The transacting public who have appointment on the said date will be accommodated on 26 February 2019.
THE Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) said that it may
require less refresher coursework from professionals as the agency makes
adjustments to implement the Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
Law.
In an interview with BusinessWorld, PRC Chairman Teofilo S.
Pilando Jr. said that commission is planning a transition period before
fully implementing the CPD law to reduce the burden on professionals,
and to allow for time to build up the PRC’s capabilities. During the
transition, mandatory refresher credit requirements may be eased.
A prescribed volume of coursework is required of professionals seeking to renew their PRC registrations.
“Among the things we are proposing will be a transition period in the implementation of the law,” he said.
Mr. Pilando added, “Under the old Implementing Rules and Regulations,
most of the professions require 45 credit units but during the
transition period, we will require at most 15 units. We know it takes
time to ideally implement this but at the same time, we cannot say 0
units.”
Last year, in a Senate hearing, Senators Antonio F. Trillanes IV,
Ralph G. Recto, Juan Miguel F. Zubiri, and Aquilino L. Pimentel III
noted the difficulty many professionals have experienced in complying
with the 45-credit requirement and the lack of PRC facilities to host
coursework in many parts of the country.
The PRC Chairman said that the commission needs to build its capacity before it can fully enforce the CPD Law.
“We are supposed to achieve standardization… and develop further
alternative modes of compliance… We have to have the necessary materials
and premises,” Mr. Pilando said.
On Monday, the PRC was summoned for consultations with the Senate on
its proposed amendments to the rules for renewing professional licenses.
“(T)o cushion the supposed burden of implementation, from the start
we already know that we need some adjustments… considering what the law
is contemplating, we are amending the IRR, to make it less burdensome
and at the same time still maintain the intent of the law,” he said.
Asked to estimate how long the transition period will be, Mr. Pilando
said “It’s hard for us to give definitive period because it hinges on
the type of support we are going to get.” — Gillian M. Cortez