President Duterte has signed a new law regulating the practice of the fisheries profession in the country.
Republic Act No. 11398 paves the way for the creation of the Professional Regulatory Board of Fisheries that will administer and supervise the licensing, registration, and practice of the fisheries profession in the country.
“It is hereby the policy of the State to provide priority attention and support to professionalize the practice of the fisheries profession in the country, which will be beneficial to sustain the food security and economic development of the country, to upgrade the standards of fisheries education,” the law said.
“Pursuant to this national policy, the government shall: Provide a program to provide an appropriate and health environment for the practice of the fisheries profession and establish quality standards for fisheries professionals that will guide fisheries schools and fisheries colleges through the Commission on Higher Education for the development of curricular programs that will attain the high standards of the profession,” it added.
Under the law, the Professional Board of Fisheries will be created under the supervision and control of the Professional Regulation Commission. It will be composed of a chairperson and four members.
Among the powers and functions of the board are to promulgate and issue rules and regulations to carry out the law’s provisions; administer and supervise licensure examination; regulate registration and practice of fisheries profession; administer oath of professionals; suspend or revoke registration certificate and professional identification card; adopt and promulgate a code of ethics and standards of practice for fisheries professionals; and adopt measures to keep high professional and ethical standards of the practice.
The board will give the licensure test for fisheries profession at least once a year. The scope of the exam includes aquatic resource and ecology, aquaculture, capture fisheries, and post-harvest fisheries.
To pass the exam, the candidates must obtain “a weighted general average of 75 percent with no grade lower than 60 percent in any given subject.” A certificate of registration and a professional identification card will be issued to examinees who passed the test for fisheries professionals.
The law, signed last Aug. 22, will take effect 15 days after publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper. (Genalyn Kabiling)