The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) on Wednesday, September 3, called on the Committee on Civil Service, Government Reorganization, and Professional Regulation to amend Republic Act No. 10912, or the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Act of 2016, in a bid to ease the burden on licensed professionals.

In its meeting, PRC Commissioner Atty. Erwin Enad expressed support for revisiting the law but clarified that they are more in favor of amending it.

According to Enad, the PRC is aware of the issues surrounding the affordability, accessibility, and availability of CPD programs, and has already implemented several measures to address these challenges and close existing gaps, thus, they proposed the following:

Mandatory CPD requirement

The PRC is proposing to remove CPD as a mandatory requirement for license renewal. However, it will remain mandatory for professionals seeking to update their knowledge, competencies, or acquire additional titles.

This move aims to ease the burden on professionals by separating CPD from the license renewal process.

Exemptions from CPD requirements

The PRC has proposed exemptions from CPD requirements for specific groups of professionals. These include: (1) newly licensed or registered professionals during their first renewal within four years of obtaining their license; (2) Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs); and (3) Senior Citizens who are no longer engaged in the practice of their professions, as defined under their respective regulatory laws.

Upgrade the qualification standards

CPD shall complement the upgrading of qualification standards and professional titles, aligning with the goals of career progression, specialization programs, and the credit accumulation and transfer system.

According to the PRC, the focus is no longer merely on attending seminars, trainings, or conventions just to earn CPD units. Instead, the objective is to ensure that these earned units are aligned with the learning outcomes required for career advancement. If the training aligns with the Philippine Qualifications Framework (PQF), professionals can use the units not just for compliance, but to enhance their qualification level or title.

Authority to grant suspension

The bill will grant the PRC the authority to temporarily suspend the compliance period for CPD requirements during a pandemic, state of calamity, or national emergency, for an indefinite period.

Provision for free or inexpensive programs

The bill should include a provision mandating the availability of free or low-cost seminars, webinars, and similar training programs.

Government agencies and private companies must establish mechanisms to provide professionals under their jurisdiction with access to these CPD-accredited activities, allowing them to earn CPD units at little to no cost.

An order will require all government agencies, including Government-Owned or -Controlled Corporations (GOCCs), to allocate funds in their annual budgets for the conduct of free training sessions and seminars for their professionals.

Moreover, PRC Board of Criminology Chairman Atty. Ramil Gabao explained that the main complaints regarding the implementation of the CPD Act stem from the provision that makes CPD a mandatory requirement for the renewal of PRC licenses. The issues raised include concerns about the availability, affordability, accessibility, convenience, and quality assurance of the CPD programs.

Gabao further said that the main challenge centers on the quality and qualification standards, which are generally seen as restrictive or limiting.

According to him, the current requirement mandates CPD solely for the renewal of professional identification cards, rather than focusing on CPD as a tool for upgrading and updating knowledge, which emphasizes on CPD being mandatory only for ID renewal has led to many of the issues encountered.

He stated that professionals are required to continuously update or upgrade their competencies through CPD. Nonetheless, CPD is mandated for the renewal of their PRC ID, not their professional license. The responsibility for concerns arising from not having a valid PRC ID lies with the employer or other stakeholders.

However, Civil Service Commission (CSC) Commissioner Atty. Ryan Acosta explained that the PRC ID or Professional ID is only required as evidence that a professional’s license is still valid.

He also said that if the license and ID are considered separate, they are willing to amend their issuance to accept other forms of proof.

Acosta acknowledged that requiring CPD units for ID renewal causes problems, but emphasized that it is not their agency’s fault since they have no other way to confirm the license’s validity except through the ID. Therefore, they are compelled to require the ID as evidence.