WHEREAS, registered professionals must adhere to a Code of Professional Ethics which governs their relations with the public in general, their co-professionals, their clients and the State in the practice of their respective professions;

WHEREAS, the Code of Ethics promulgated by the different Professional Regulatory Boards like Accountancy, Agricultural Engineering, Architecture, Interior Design, Civil Engineering, Dentistry, Medicine, Mining Engineering, Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, Optometry, Pharmacy, Radiologic Technology and Veterinary Medicine, among others, all contain prohibitions on certain kinds of advertising which are considered as degrading to the profession;

WHEREAS, the rationale behind the prohibition of certain kinds of advertising or advertisements is to lend dignity to the professions which, unlike ordinary services and merchandise, should not be peddled in the market place through touting and self-laudatory means;

WHEREAS, most of the professions are allowed to be practiced individually, or through professional partnership;

WHEREAS, a professional, whether as an individual or as a firm, has the right to celebrate auspicious events in his/its history, without the intention of soliciting new business;

WHEREAS, the acts or events or facts concerning certain professional partnerships or firms of which they are members that are newsworthy merit public awareness as part of public service especially those that have reference to their past achievements or accomplishments in contributing towards nation building or promoting international understanding or goodwill or relationships or enhancing the image or standards of the profession to which they belong;

WHEREAS, such public awareness can be created through press or other media releases or announcements or newspaper supplements or other similar publications or through other commemorative media or through the holding of media covered events on special occasions like in commemoration of their anniversaries in public practice; provided, that the announcements or undertakings contain only factual matters and without detailed listing of services designed to solicit clients;

WHEREAS, P.D. No. 223, as amended, specifically Sec. 5 (c), empowers the Professional Regulation Commission, to review, coordinate, integrate and approve the policies, resolutions, rules and regulations, orders or decisions promulgated by the various Boards with respect to the profession or occupation under this jurisdictions. Par. (b) of the same Section 5 likewise grants the Commission the power to make such rules and regulations and issue such orders and other administrative issuances as maybe necessary in the execution and implementation of its functions;

WHEREAS, all official implementation of the provisions of the various Codes of Ethics governing the various professions specifically the provisions on advertising would assist in the enhancement of high professional and ethical standards and avoid confusion which might diminish the integrity and dignity of the different professions.

NOW, THEREFORE, be it RESOLVED as it is hereby RESOLVED to consider as not violative of the Codes of Ethics of the various professions, press or other media releases or announcements or newspaper supplements or other similar publications or through other commemorative media or through the holding of media covered events undertaken only to commemorate their anniversaries in public practice by informing the public of their achievements or accomplishments in contributing towards nation building and in international understanding, goodwill or relationships or enhancing the image or standards of the profession to which they belong provided that the announcements or undertakings as mentioned contains only factual matters without detailed listing of services or self-laudatory statements designed to solicit clients and provided further that such undertaking is done only once every five years of celebration.

Adopted: 07 June 1996