PRC issues CPD exemption guidelines
Professionals working overseas and victims of calamities will be temporarily exempted by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) from submitting the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) units for the renewal of their professional identification cards.
In Memorandum Circular (MC) No. 07, Series of 2017, PRC granted this privilege to professionals, who may be unable to gain enough CPD units on time due to "justifiable reasons" to be determined by its Regional directors.
These justifiable reasons include medical reasons, unforeseen or uncontrolled events (e.g. Martial Law declaration, recent typhoon, fire, et. al.), professionals working overseas, unemployed or financially handicapped.
PRC Commissioner Yolanda Reyes said qualified professionals must fill up the necessary form and submit it to the CPD council, composed of the PRC, professional boards, and other stakeholders, for approval.
She said the measure is aimed at giving enough time to the professionals to comply with the CPD requirement.
"If they lack the necessary (CPD) units, they could go through this undertaking and promise they will comply with it in the future," Reyes said.
She said the exemption will be good for a maximum of three years or until applicants renew their professionals IDs.
Free CPD programs Aside from the CPD exemption, MC No. 7 also authorized government agencies to become CPD providers.
PRC Chairman Teofilo Pilando, Jr. said this will allow government agencies including state universities and colleges (SUC) and government owned and controlled corporations (GOCC) to provide CPD programs to their hired professionals for free.
"We came up with circular to encourage government agencies to be providers themselves for their employees. And then we give them incentives. They are free from the usual (registration) fees," Pilando said.
Pilando noted they currently need to increase the number of CPD providers to accommodate the large number of professionals who will need their services.
As of June 30, 2017, PRC said there were only 115 CPD providers nationwide offering 6,815 programs.