The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC; ) is a three-member commission attached to Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). Its mandate is to regulate and supervise the practice of professionals (except lawyers, who are handled by the Supreme Court of the Philippines) who constitute the highly skilled manpower of Philippines.
As the agency-in-charge of the professional sector, the PRC plays a strategic role in developing the corps of professionals for industry, commerce, governance, and the economy.
Before the country established a central agency for professional regulation, various independent boards were established between 1901 to 1950, such as:
To centralize such agencies, the Office of the Board of Examiners was created on June 17, 1950, through Republic Act No. 546, under the supervision of the Civil Service Commission.
On June 22, 1973, President Ferdinand Marcos signed the Presidential Decree No. 223 on June 22, 1973, establishing the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) and abolishing the Office of the Board Examiners. The first PRC Commissioner, Architect Eric C. Nubla assumed office on January 2, 1974, while its Implementing Rules and Regulations of Presidential Decree 223 were promulgated on December 9, 1974.
The PRC Coat-of-Arms designed by the Heraldry Commission was officially adopted on February 1, 1974. The PRC began issuing certificates of registration in Filipino with English translation.
In 1975, it saw the computerization of the database of registered professionals with the assistance of the National Computer Center. On that same year, PRC began issuing computer-printed registration cards with one-year validity and starts accrediting professional organizations.
On December 11, 1975, President Ferdinand Marcos signed the Presidential Decree No. 839, transferring the supervision of the PRC from the Office of the President to the Civil Service Commission.
The agency went a major overhaul with the enactment of the Republic Act No. 8981, known as the PRC Modernization Act of 2000, signed by President Joseph Estrada. The Implementing Rules and Regulations of the act were adopted on February 15, 2001.
On September 11, 2006, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo signed the Executive Order No. 565, transferring the supervision of the PRC again from the Civil Service Commission (after more than three decades) to the Department of Labor and Employment.
The Republic Act No. 10912, also known as the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Act, was introduced after it lapsed into law on July 21, 2016. The law mandates professionals to participate in ongoing learning and training to renew their licenses.
Since its full implementation in 2017, the law has faced significant criticism from various professional sectors, with reasons ranging from the cost of applying credits to administrative burden. In response to the criticisms and several legislative attempts, the PRC issued Resolution No. 2019-1146 on February 7, 2019, aiming at easing the transition for professionals by significantly reducing the required credit units for license renewal and expanding the list of activities eligible for credit.
Republic Act 8981, otherwise known as the "PRC Modernization Act Of 2000", mandates the following:
The Commission currently exercises oversight on forty-six (46) Professional Regulatory Boards. While each board were formed by distinct laws, they all exercise administrative, quasi-legislative, and quasi-judicial powers over their respective professions, subject to review and approval by the Commission. Core functions include:
The Outstanding Professional of the Year Award is the highest distinction conferred by the Commission upon a registered professional. It was first established in 1997, and annually awards outstanding professionals in field clusters:
Notable recipients of awards include Josefa Jara Martinez (Social Worker of the Year, 1978).