Press Release
October 13, 2010

RP ENGINEERS TO BENEFIT FROM MEMBERSHIP
IN WASHINGTON ACCORD

The Congressional Commission on Science, Technology, and Engineering (COMSTE) is continuing to support the move for the country to gain accreditation in the exclusive Washington Accord which will allow engineering graduates to practice in other member countries.

A recent signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the Philippine Technological Council (PTC) and the Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities Commission on Accreditation (PACUCOA) to set up an accreditation system for Philippine schools in gaining membership in the Washington Accord was the initial step for membership.

Senator Edgardo J. Angara, Chair of COMSTE, said that, "this accord is an agreement between nations that recognizes the equivalence of engineering programs, and therefore allows our Filipino engineers to practice as professionals in the signatory countries," said Angara.

Dr. Reynaldo Vea, one of main proponents behind the push for Philippine accreditation in the Washington Accord is also the Chair of the Science, Math, and Engineering (SME) panel of COMSTE. The panel has identified the accreditation of the Philippines into the Washington Accord as an essential step in helping keep the country globally competitive.

"Without membership in this exclusive group, our engineers are at a disadvantage as their education is not considered at par with international standards," noted Angara.

COMSTE also sponsored the Association for Engineering Education in Southeast Asia and the Pacific (AEESEAP) Workshop Seminar on Washington Accord Accreditation: International Accreditation of Engineering Programs for the Global Engineer, which gathered university faculty and engineering accreditation bodies to help facilitate membership into the Washington Accord.

The workshop also helped school officials understand the necessary curricular revisions needed as well as programs and facilities that need to be updated in order to comply with the Washington Accord requirements.

State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) that choose to incorporate Washington Accord accreditation into their programs will also receive funding support to improve their respective engineering programs.

Angara noted that membership in the Washington Accord would also ensure that engineering students will be open to new fields brought about by technological advances in engineering such as renewable energy, mechatronics, robotics, biomedical among others.

Among the signatory member countries of the Washington Accord are the USA, UK, Singapore, Australia, Taiwan, Malaysia, Japan and South Korea.

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