It’s official! Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) has amended the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Law and it will take effect starting March 1, 2019.
PRC issued on February 7 the Resolution No. 2019-1146 which revised relevant provisions of the IRR of the Republic Act 10912 or the CPD Law of 2016. The amendments were presented to the consultative meeting at Senate Committee on Civil Service, Government Reorganization and Professional Regulation on February 4.
It was published February 13 at newspaper of general circulation (Philstar) and will take effect 15 days after.
It can be recalled that in the sixth Senate committee hearing on CPD law last November 28, 2018, committee chair Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV and fellow senators Ralph Recto and Miguel Zubiri urged PRC Commissioners and CPD Council members to look into the implementation of the law after numerous complaints received by their offices regarding the measure.
The law mandates that professionals must earn required CPD units by attending seminars, trainings, and other programs as pre-requisite to renewal of their license card or the professional identification cards (PIC).
Most professionals lament that the law is unnecessary and burdensome, primarily due to expensive costs of seminars and training one has to undergo to earn CPD units.
Senators pushed for making CPD requirement voluntary, but PRC sticks to its mandatory nature in its official amendments to IRR.
Here are some of the relevant revisions in the new IRR:
PRC provides a “transition period” for professional to comply the unit requirements. During this transition period the following shall be observed:
a) Professionals working overseas shall not be covered by the CPD requirement.
b) Newly licensed professionals shall not be covered by CPD requirement for the first renewal cycle after obtaining their license.
c) The various CPD Councils shall reduce the required CPD credit units to a minimum, which shall not be more than 15, as provided for under applicable laws.
Professionals who already renewed by executing an Undertaking shall only comply with the required number of units as amended pursuant to this Resolution equivalent to not more than 15 credit units.
Full Text of IRR Amendments
Here’s the official copy of PRC resolution no. 2019-1146 on the amendments to the CPD Law Implementing Rules and Regulations. Please read for enlightenment:
PRC gives Professional Regulatory Boards and its CPD Councils 1 month to review and amend their operational guidelines to conform with these revisions.
What do you think, professionals? Is maximum of 15 units for 3-year renewal period OK with you already? Or do you feel that PRC should really make CPD requirement voluntary? Comment down below.
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Abolish the law…
All professionals must be exempted from this law. If not make it voluntary.
Voluntary
CPD should be abolished.. PRC does not want to agree because its money making business. Imagine every 3 yrs these poor professional specially nurses who are underpaid but works same as 24/7 policemen, deal with lives ,suffers more while our passport and drivers license has longer validity. A big burden to all professionals.. Trillanes dont have a license to renew every 3 yrs.. Grrr i hate him.
CPD requirement should be voluntary not only for those who are working abroad.
I don’t have any problem with CPD units in PRC as long as all the seminars to be attended is for free of charge. Because i do believe it is good for all the professionals to update themselves for the latest trend globally. Thank you!
Likewise same here with me, the government should provide means and ways so that the professionals who need CPD units can attend inservices, seminars, etc . for free and i for one believe that we need it to update ourselves for the latest trend so that we can compete globally.
what will the cpd providers will do now is to approve 3 units per seminar to an amount still not that practical for professionals. the expenses comes from venue, food and speakers they are saying. but there are other ways to lessen the seminar fee or even make it free. fund raising activities and partnerships are few of the ways. they will make sure that every year, they will have income and so not so gigh credit units will be approved because if 8- 10 units will be approved and credited, in 2 seminars in less than 2 months, a professional can complete the required 15 units. .if ever this will happen, a much higher cost will be incurred. for me, the content of the lecture or seminar can be adjusted even in having 1 to 2 units. but for business dake everything i mentioned is still going to happen as what already happened. learning can be done even cpd is not required. it is this drive of a professional to be better in order to upgrade with corresponding increase of income. this law, is just being used for business and profit. professionals here in the philippines especially pharmacists are not paid well. and so u know that even FDA processes make the image of regulatory pharmacists to be downgraded in the eyes of the employers because their performance are affected negatively by very slow processes in the agency. We as professionals have then
initiative to upgrade even if the cpd is not required.
CPD must be abolished or make CPD requirement voluntary not only for those who are working abroad!
The years of expiration of Professional Identification Card (PIC) must be extended into five (5) years. This spans of five (years) is enough and very reasonable to acquire 15 units CPD required. And, self-learning CPD units acquired from international body (online or not) must have higher credit units equivalent than acquired locally.
CPD is costly, unnecessary to professionals. It is a simple money making industry created by those lobby group who thinks they created a COW that they can MILK forever thru the blood, sweat and tears of professionals who have undergone the hardship of studying the course, passing the Board that they have chosen just to be milked by those blood sucking lobbyist! We professionals have taken the oath to act, think and speak the profession we have chosen and by all means We Will !!! without those a.k.a seminar kuno!?
Hello, I am a government employee and in medical field. 15units is good however we have our own seminars and trainings from DOH which are free but why PRC did not consider and accredit all our trainings for cpd units which infact that is really relevant in our practice? ?? ?… Because they aren’t yet accredited providers? I don’t get it if only, they aim for us professionals to have a continuing education…
Please read the revised law first especially the revised Section 8.2.4 last paragraph.
Takes 4 yrs to earn a degree. Expenses for review classes… Should this be the case, isnt it wonderful to consider having a law also that mandates companies to provide training with CPD points for their licensed professionals? After all, the company shall also benefit from having licensed personnel
The revised 15 units is fair enough for both arguments but can we extend the validity up to 5 years? Like drivers’ and passport validity. It’s just okey though to increase a little bit its cost as long as validity is extended.
Abolish CPD
For me, Its better voluntary, why you push the passers to take the cpd units, the salary is not enough to take care the family, and second you too much learn to pass your board exam then another lecture again, we understand to recall but is not good. Its better if the company that you work its take that,.
PRC should at least increase the Professional Identification Card (PIC) validity into five (5) years, if they can’t abolish the CPD or make it free or voluntary to all professionals, having a separate “Certificate of Competent Level” for every renewal from PRC (as per the numbers of CPD units earned in a five-year span voluntarily). It won’t make any difference at all even the CPD units decreased into 15 units requirement. The CPD providers will find a way to lessen units equivalence (resulting to a longer accumulation of 15 units CPD required) and costly for every training and seminars they’ll provide. PIC license should always be an absolute privileged to every professional, independent to any upgrade of professional level of competency.
cpd points shall not be required for renewal of license. but okay to be required for promotion or ranking on goverment hirings
They should abolish this law. Even the government agencies conducting some of the training were not able to comply the needed requirement so that all the trainings will have its unit earn. Like in DOH, almost every month they conduct trainings to equipped those who are rendeering services to our fellowmen but the sad part even how useful the training is still its has no weight in complying the said unit to earn. I guess this should be abolish esp to those actively practicing their profession. I guess this is applicable to those who are active in profession, i guess they are one who are in of upgrading, refresher courses or units.
CPD is okay as long as the seminars are free.
Should be abolished or voluntary.
its unfair for us here especially those not leaving abroad. gumawa na rin lng ng batas bakit hindi na lng abolished or yong mga para sa big income nlng kaya. dahil kulang pa ang sweldo para sa pmbayad ng mga seminars.
IRR 2019-1146 is very vague since it does not define “:transition period”. From when to when is this transition period. Furthermore, it seems to mislead readers since the maximum 15 credit units that must be earned for PRC ID renewal applies only DURING THE TRANSITION PERIOD! So, after the transition period (which is not defined), does this mean we revert back to the max of 45 credit units?
Abolished CPD law.
Good bye license i will see you again on a later age.
ABOLISH CPD
CPD here in the UK for accountants is 45 units per year. IF the Philippines wants its professionals to be reciprocally recognised anywhere else, then it should have at least comparable standards
Newly license prof are not required CPD.. are we still to comply about thw training and seminars attended?