Press Release
March 12, 2018

Senate OKs bill professionalizing the practice of Criminology in the Philippines

The Senate approved today on third and final reading a bill which would professionalize the practice of Criminology in the Philippines.

Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, author and sponsor of Senate Bill No. 452, also known as the Philippine Criminology Profession Act of 2018, said that the bill was passed in recognition "of the vital role of the criminology profession in nation-building and development."

"This signifies the importance we give to peace and order in our country, the protection of life, liberty and property, and the promotion of the general welfare of the people," Trillanes said.

Trillanes said that the measure would help "ensure that Filipinos who are in the criminology profession will be able to provide efficient and excellent service which is world class and globally competitive."

"It is high time that we further strengthen and regulate the profession to make it attuned to the recent developments in the field and to the technological developments in the globalizing world," he added.

If passed into law, the proposed measure would mandate the creation of the Professional Regulatory Board for Criminologists, which would supervise and promulgate regulations imposed in the practice of the criminology profession.

The new board would be composed of a chairperson and four members appointed by the President of the Philippines within six months after the implementation of the Act, and shall be under the administrative supervision of the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC).

Trillanes added that the bill would also "institute mechanisms to guarantee the fitness of individuals engaged in the criminology profession."

Under the bill, aspiring criminologists would be required to get a passing grade of 75 percent in the licensure examinations. The bill also required that examinees must not get a grade of less than 60 percent in any subject, from the current standard of 50 percent.

In case an examinee obtained a grade of 75 percent but has a grade below 60 percent in any of the subjects, the result of the examination shall be deferred, and he/she would be required to retake the subjects within two years and obtain a grade not lower than 80 percent.

The bill also requires that a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) program shall be incorporated to the law, "to ensure that practitioners are updated on the latest developments and innovations in the field of criminology."

The bill provides for a foreign reciprocity clause. which would allow Filipino criminologists to practice abroad and the integration of the criminology profession into one national professional organization through the Accredited Integrated Professional Organization (AIPO) which will be accredited by the PRC and registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). (Olivia Caunan)

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