"Computerized licensure exams are twenty years late" - Villanueva

Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva expressed concerns on the "long overdue" status of the computer-based licensure examinations (CBLE) project of the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC), as the PRC Modernization Act of 2000 (Republic Act No. 8981) was enacted more than two decades ago.

This was the senator's reaction after PRC Commissioner Dr. Jose Cueto Jr.'s statement during the Senate hearing on the proposed 2023 budget of the agency, that no funding was allocated for setting up CBLEs in PRC regional offices for next year.

"Two decades have passed since the PRC Modernization Act was enacted and we have gone through two years of the pandemic. The PRC's capacity to widely and efficiently conduct computer-based licensure examinations is very long overdue," Villanueva said.

The senator said that CBLEs allow the PRC to make up for instances when licensure exams are canceled due to natural calamities and health emergencies such as the pandemic. At the height of the pandemic in 2020, only 11 out of 85 licensure exams were conducted according to the PRC. The agency also said that they were also only able to conduct 62 out of 101 licensure exams for 2021.

Villanueva also noted that the Licensure Examinations for Teachers (LET) were canceled four times between 2020 and 2021.

The senator said that the livelihood of the examinees are held back by the exam cancellations, and that they are forced to wait for another six months for the next scheduled exam, vying for a slot against a new batch of examinees as well as repeat examinees.

Villanueva said that the CBLEs are an "obvious solution" in providing more access to board exams currently held in a limited number of testing sites in different parts of the country.

"Let's not wait twenty more years. We needed a fully functional CBLE years ago. We are eager to hear from the PRC its modernization plans for transitioning to a digitalized system of conducting licensure exams," he said.

Republic Act No. 8981 mandates the PRC to implement "the full computerization of all licensure examinations by the various professional regulatory boards".

According to data from the PRC, the agency was able to conduct only one CBLE in 2021, and that they could conduct up to seven CBLEs within 2022. Cueto also mentioned during the Senate hearing that the agency still doesn't have the capacity to conduct CBLEs in most of PRC regional offices.

"Our government services are subject to the same demands of the Fourth Industrial Revolution as our professionals and workforce are. PRC has a lot of catching up to do and making up for lost time," Villanueva said.

"Computerized licensure exams, dalawang dekada nang overdue" - Villanueva

Nabahala si Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva sa "long overdue" na computer-based licensure examinations (CBLE) project ng Professional Regulation Commission (PRC), gayong ang dalawang dekada na ang nakalipas mula nang isabatas ang PRC Modernization Act of 2000 (Republic Act No. 8981).

Ito ang naging reaksyon ng senador matapos sabihin ni PRC Commissioner Dr. Jose Cueto Jr. sa pagdinig ng Senado sa panukalang 2023 budget ng ahensya, na walang pondong nakalaan para sa magsagawa ng mga CBLE sa mga PRC regional offices para sa susunod na taon.

"Dalawang dekada na ang dumaan matapos ipasa ang Republic Act No. 8981 at dalawang taon ng pandemya na ang lumipas, kaya very long overdue na ang kapasidad ang PRC para magsagawa ng malawakan at efficient na mga CBLE," sabi ni Villanueva.

Sinabi ng senador na solusyon ang mga CBLE para makabawi ang PRC sa mga kanselasyon ng licensure exams dulot ng kalamidad o health emergencies gaya ng pandemya. Ayon sa PRC, 11 sa 85 na licensure exams lamang ang naisagawa ng ahensya noong 2020. Umabot naman ng 62 sa 101 licensure exams naman ang kanilang naisagawa sa 2021.

Sinabi rin ng senador na apat na beses nang nakansela ang Licensure Examinations for Teachers (LET) sa pagitan ng 2020 at 2021.

Ayon kay Villanueva, nauunsyami ang kabuhayan ng mga examinees dahil sa mga kanselasyong ito, at napipilitan pang maghintay ng hanggang anim na buwan para sa susunod na exam schedule na kung saan kukuha pa sila ng slot kasabay ng bagong batch ng mga examinee at ang mga repeat examinee.

Sinabi ni Villanueva na "obvious solution" ang CBLE upang mas marami ang makakuha ng board exams lalo na iyong mga isinasagawa sa limitadong bilang ng testing sites sa iba't ibang bahagi ng bansa.

"Huwag na tayong maghintay ng dalawampung taon pa. We needed a fully functional CBLE years ago. We are eager to hear from the PRC its modernization plans for transitioning to a digitalized system of conducting licensure exams." he added.

Inaatasan ng Republic Act No. 8981 ang PRC na magpatupad ng "full computerization of all licensure examinations by the various professional regulatory boards".

Ayon sa datos ng PRC, isang CBLE lamang ang naisagawa nito noong 2021, at hanggang pito (7) lamang ang maisasagawa nito ngayong 2022. Sinabi rin ni Cueto sa pagdinig sa Senado na wala pa ring kapasidad ng ahensya na magsagawa ng mga CBLE sa karamihan ng mga PRC regional offices.

"Our government services are subject to the same demands of the Fourth Industrial Revolution as our professionals and workforce are. Malayo pa ang kailangang takbuhin ng PRC para makahabol," sabi ni Villanueva.