President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has urged the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) and the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Council to review the implementation of the CPD law, as well as related programs, to help professionals ease their burden in renewing their licenses.
“My call to the PRC and the Continuing Professional Development Council is, let's revisit our guidelines. Let's see if the training we're doing is appropriate,” he said in his remarks during the 123rd Labor Day celebrations in Pasay City.
"It's already difficult to make a living, are we going to make it even harder for those who are looking for a living?" Marcos said.
As part of recognizing workers on Labor Day, Marcos said reviewing the CPD Act of 2016, or Republic Act No. 10912, is one of many ways the government can honor and express gratitude to Filipino professionals.
CPD is a requirement for all licensed and registered professionals before they can renew their Professional Identification Cards issued by the PRC. The law aims to continuously improve the competence of Filipino professionals through training, seminars, and workshops to renew their licenses.
While Marcos agrees that professionals need additional knowledge to practice in their respective industries, he lamented that the requirements of CPD should not be burdensome to workers who dole out additional expenses to receive training.
“I agree that you need to increase your knowledge to keep up with the needs of the industry. Not only in the Philippines, but also around the world. But, I am not unaware of the hardships you are going through to renew your IDs. Many of you are complaining about the difficulty and expense of getting the training required for your license renewal,” he said.
He noted that the guidelines and implementation of the law need to be revisited to balance professional development with accessibility and fairness.
Since lapsing into law in 2016, the CPD law and its implementation have been criticized as costly and inaccessible, particularly to professionals who are working in remote areas or have low-paying jobs.
