House approves amendment to law on continuing professional development

The House of Representatives on Wednesday approved a bill that seeks to amend the law governing the continuing professional development of Filipino professionals.

Voting 176-6, lawmakers approved on final reading House Bill 9311 or the amendment to Republic Act 10912 (Continuing Professional Development Act of 2016).

The proposed measure aims to make the CPD a mandatory requirement in the updating and upgrading of knowledge, skills, values, and competencies or titles of all registered and licensed professionals under the regulation of the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) and as one of the main objectives of the Philippine Qualifications Framework (PQF) under RA 10968. 

It requires all professionals to obtain 45 CPD credit units every four years, which shall be deemed as the compliance period.

It exempts some professionals from the CPD requirement, including newly registered professionals on the first renewal of their Professional Identification Card within the first four years after obtaining their license, overseas Filipino workers, and senior citizens who are not engaged in the practice of their profession as defined under their respective regulatory laws.

The proposed law mandates that all government agencies, including government-owned and controlled corporations, provide free training and seminars for their professional personnel in their annual budgets and allocations.

It also mandates concerned government agencies, public higher education institutions, and other public institutions to provide full funding for the CPD compliance of professionals employed by them. —VBL, GMA News