WHEREAS, Section 14, Article XII of the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines provides that œ[T]he practice of all professions in the Philippines is limited to Filipino citizens, save in the cases prescribed by law. 

WHEREAS, one of the cases where this constitutional injunction does not apply is where reciprocity in the practice of the professions between the Philippines and a foreign country exists by virtue of which a national of a foreign country who desires to practice his profession in the Philippines will be allowed to do so if such foreign country allows a citizen of the Philippines to practice the same profession in that country on the same basis and grants the same privileges as the citizens of such foreign country/state.

WHEREAS, there is a persistent clamor from resident foreign nationals who studied in the Philippines to take the licensure examination of the courses they have taken.

WHEREAS, those who clamor to take the licensure examinations are resident foreign nationals who are sons and daughters of Filipino citizens who were granted permanent residence in the United States of America (USA) and other countries and have become citizens thereof and resident foreign nationals who studied in the Philippines like the nationals of the Republic of Korea and other countries whose nationals are similarly situated.

WHEREAS, notwithstanding the restrictive provisions of the above-cited provisions of the Philippine Constitution, these two (2) categories of resident foreign nationals who studied in the Philippines may be allowed to take the licensure examination of the courses they have taken including the practice of their professions if they comply with certain requirements and conditions.

WHEREFORE, the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) resolved as it hereby resolves to allow foreign nationals who resided and studied in the Philippines to take licensure examinations of their respective courses including the practice of their professions subject to the compliance with the terms and conditions provided hereunder:

I.          Individuals covered:

a)    Resident foreign nationals who studied in the Philippines who are sons or daughters (born in the USA or other commonwealth countries) of Filipino citizens permanently residing (immigrants) in the USA or other countries or have became citizens thereof.

b)    Foreign nationals admitted as residents in the Philippines and who studied and graduated a course with licensure examination from a school, college or university established or recognized by the Philippine Government.

II.         Procedures for taking the licensure examination.

a)    The resident foreign national shall file application for examination with the Application Division or Regional Office of the PRC.

b)    The applicant shall attach to the application form the following: (1) authentic or authenticated copy of transcript of records with Special Order number and date of graduation; (2) certified xerox copy/photocopy of page/s of passport showing his/her citizenship and other personal circumstances and date of entry in the Philippines; (c) certified xerox copy/photocopy of document issued by the Philippine Commission on Immigration and Deportation allowing him/her to enter and reside in the Philippines and such other documents that the concerned Professional Regulatory Board may require.

III.        Terms and Conditions.

a)    The names of successful resident foreign examinees shall be listed in a separate list denominated as œResident Foreign Examinees .

b)    Like Filipino successful examinees, their names shall be published in newspapers.

c)    The rank of the successful resident foreign examinees in the examination shall not be published.

d)    They shall not be allowed to participate in the oath-taking ceremony of successful examinees.

e)    They shall not be allowed to register, secure a professional license and practice the profession in the Philippines.

f)     They shall, however, be issued report of rating whether passed or failed indicating their grades in the subjects for examination and their general average rating in the examination.

g)    They shall also be issued certificates attesting to the fact that they passed the licensure examination of their profession.

IV.        Conditions and requirements to be complied with before allowing a successful resident foreign examinee in licensure examinations to take the oath of a professional, register as a professional and be issued a professional license to practice his/her profession in the Philippines.

a)    The successful resident foreign examinee in the licensure examination of his/her profession must prove that he/she has become a Filipino citizen by submitting authentic or authenticated copy of a decree of naturalization or a final decision of a court of competent jurisdiction granting his/her petition for naturalization and his/her oath of allegiance, or

b)    The successful resident foreign examinee in licensure examination must submit a copy of the law of his/her country/state officially translated in the English language if printed in a language other than English certified by the duly authorized officer of the embassy/consulate/legation of his country showing that by clear and specific provisions of said law, foreigners of any nationality who are educated in their own country are allowed to take the licensure examination in that foreign country/state and if successful, shall be allowed to register and practice the profession or if the Filipino citizen is already licensed to practice his/her profession in his/her country, shall likewise be allowed to practice the profession in that country/state on the same basis and grant the same privileges enjoyed by the citizens of said foreign country/state.

The successful resident foreign examinee shall also submit a document signed by the duly authorized officer of the agency/office which gives/conducts licensure examinations of the profession and issues license for the practice of said profession in that country containing a firm commitment that a Filipino citizen who desires to take the licensure examination of his/her profession in that country, shall be allowed to do so and, if successful, shall be allowed to register and be issued a license to practice his/her profession including Filipino citizens already licensed in his/her country to practice his/her profession in that country/state on the same basis and shall be granted the same privileges as are enjoyed by the citizens of that country/state.

This Resolution shall take effect after fifteen (15) days from its publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation in the Philippines, whichever is earlier.

Let copies of this Resolution be furnished the embassies, consulates or legations of foreign countries in the Philippines for their information and guidance.

Adopted: 07 Mar. 2000

(SGD.) HERMOGENES P. POBRE Commission Chairman
(SGD.) ALFONSO G. ABAD Associate Commissioner	(SGD.) AVELINA DE LA REA-TAN Associate Commissioner