by Lea Regina Dulay and Rojean Grace Patumbon/UM Interns
THE PROFESSIONAL Regulation Commission (PRC) celebrates its 50th Anniversary from June 16-22, 2023.
As part of its celebration, PRC conducted a medical mission in partnership with the Accredited Professional Organization (APOS) in Barangay Subasta, Calinan District. They also conducted a fun run at the Riverfront in Crocodile Park with 1,400 participating professionals.
Civil Service Commissioner Aileen Lourdes A. Lizada attended the event as the special guest and expressed how important it is to have physical and mental health in performing their duties.
The commission will kickstart the celebration with a mass at the Grand Men Seng Hotel, followed by a motorcade in coordination with the City Transport and Traffic Management Office.
PRC is the government’s arm in ensuring the competence of professionals in the country.
Before taking the exams, applicants must submit a swab test result (swab test must be taken at least five days before the examination) and a vaccination card or certificate. Aspiring examinees must submit their requirements on or before December 31, 2023.
Among 15,000 examinees, 76 were unvaccinated. PRC requires these 76 individuals to undergo the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test to make sure that they are negative for the COVID-19 virus. PRC highly discourages rapid or antigen tests.
Recently, the PRC opted for the Computer-Based Licensure Examination (CBLE) as part of the PRC Bayanihan II Law. And in 2021, PRC received funding from the government to transition from pen and paper to laptops provided by the PRC.
Unlike the shading process made on pen and paper, examination answers on laptops will be recorded in real-time.
They had their pilot testing on psychologists and geologist examinees. If PRC can provide a venue and implement it by the end of June, they might likely conduct the CBLE first outside of the National Capital Region or NCR.
“In theory, we can conduct CBLE almost every day. Ang problema nga lang natin ang dami ng questions na ma proprovide, so iisa yun sa mga concerns natin for CBLE (In theory, we can conduct CBLE almost every day. The problem is we can provide a lot of questions, so it’s one of our concerns for CBLE)”, said Arjen De Los Santos, PRC spokesperson
This type of examination can only cater to 200 individuals, which means the “Big Exams,” or exams with numerous takers such as teachers and criminology students, will still follow the standard pen-and-paper process.
