REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
Quezon City

Seventeenth Congress
Second Regular Session

H.No, 7947

Introduced by Rep. AURELIO "DONG" D. GONZALES, JR.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

The civil engineering profession has a great role to play in the light of globalization,
cross-border practice and climate change, as civil engineers contribute to the improvement of
the living standards of the Filipino people and ensure that the planning, design, management,
construction, and maintenance of buildings, structures, facilities, utilities and the like, both in
the public and private sector, are at par with the best in the world. Thus, there is a need to
clearly define the practice of civil engineering, to strengthen and broaden the profession as it
copes with the challenges of globalization, to further improve the competence of our civil
engineers with upgrading civil engineering education and its requirements and most
importantly to be able to better serve and safeguard public interest and responsibility that the
profession carries with it.

The Article XIV, Sec. 10 of the Constitution provides, “Science and technology are
essential for national development and progress. The State shall give priority to research and
development, invention, innovation, and their utilization; and to science and technology
education, training, and services.”

As lawmakers, it is our constitutional responsibility to observe and forge the
continuous and gradual improvement of our sciences and technology not only in the field of
education but as well as in the regulation of their respective professions.

This Bill aims to continually upgrade the level of competence of civil engineers
through peer recognition of specialization in civil engineering, continuing professional
development, including research, and strengthen the accredited professional organization of
civil engineers through means of (1) reinforcing the authority of the board of civil
engineering in ensuring the capabilities of our aspiring civil engineers and monitoring the
practice of present civil engineers; (2) widening the scope of the licensure examinations to


include a vital subject in the National Building Code; (3) allowing specialization in different
areas in the practice of civil engineering.

In view of the foregoing, I seek for the immediate passage of this proposed
legislation.

REP. AURELIO ” GONZALES, JR.
3 District, Pampanga


REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

Seventeenth Congress
First Regular Session

u.No. 7947

Introduced by Rep. AURELIO "DONG" D. GONZALES, JR.

(AN ACT REGULATING THE PRACTICE OF CIVIL ENGINEERING AND REPEALING FOR
THAT PURPOSE REPUBLC ACT NO. 544, AS AMENDED BY REPUBLIC ACT NO. 1582

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress
assembled:

ARTICLE I — TITLE, OBJECTIVE, STATEMENT OF POLICY, DEFINITION OF TERMS,
SCOPE OF PRACTICE, AND CATEGORIES OF PRACTICE

SECTION 1. Title— This Act shall be known as the “Civil Engineering Law”.

SECTION 2. Objective — The objective of this Act is to clearly define the practice of civil
engineering and to ensure its relevance to national needs and public issues.

SECTION 3. Statement of Policy It is hereby declared the policy of the State to promote
and regulate the practice of civil engineering in support of national development, and to upgrade
civil engineering education to ensure that Filipino civil engineers are at par with the best in the
world.

SECTION 4. Definition of Terms —

(a) “Civil Engineering” is the science or profession in which knowledge of the
mathematical and physical sciences gained by study and practice is applied with
judgment to utilize natural and man-made resources in the planning, design,
management, construction, and maintenance of buildings, structures, facilities, and
utilities for the progressive well-being and use of mankind, protection of the
environment, community living, industry, and transportation, taking into consideration
such aspects as but not limited to safety, economy, functionality, efficiency,
constructability, operability, and environmental quality;


(b) “Civil Engineer” is a person duly registered with the Board of Civil Engineering of
the Professional Regulation Commission in the manner as hereinafter provided;

(c) “Accredited Professional Organization of Civil Engineers (APOCE)” is the official
national organization of all registered Civil Engineers in the Philippines as accredited
by the Professional Regulation Commission;

(d) “Civil Engineering Design” is a methodical series of steps that civil engineers use
in the planning and design of civil engineering structures;

(c) “Civil Engineering Plans” are construction drawings prepared, signed and sealed
by a registered civil engineer;

(® “Construction Management and Engineering” is a discipline of civil engineering
which plans, coordinates, budgets, and supervises construction projects from
development to completion;

(g) “Energy and Environmental Engineering” is a discipline of civil engineering which
seeks to efficiently use energy and to maintain or improve the environment;

(h) “Geotechnical Engineering” is a discipline of civil engineering which deals with
the application of the principles of soil and rock mechanics in the investigation,
evaluation and design of civil works involving the use of earth materials and
foundations and the inspection or testing of the construction thereof;

(i) “Hydraulics and Water Resources Engineering” is a discipline of civil engineering
which deals with the application of fluid mechanics principles in the collection, storage,
control, transport, regulation, measurement, and use of water;

() “Structural Engineering” is a discipline of civil engineering which deals with
the analysis and design of structures that support or resist loads; and

(k) “Transportation Engineering” is a discipline of civil engineering involving the
application of technology and scientific principles to the planning, functional design,
operation and management of facilities for any mode of transportation.

SECTION 5. Scope of Practice ~ The scope of the practice of Civil Engineering
‘encompasses the provision of professional services in connection with Civil Engineering structures
and facilities and may include, but are not limited to:

(1) Technical, economic and financial feasibility studies, project promotional services,
planning and designing;

(2) Pre-design services such as, but not limited to, consultation, consultancy, giving
written advice and directions, evaluations, surveys, investigations, quantity surveys,


appraisals and adjustments, environmental impact assessment and studies, schematic
design, and design development;

(3) Preparation, signing, sealing of plans, specifications, calculations, bill of quantities
and materials, cost estimates, tender documents including invitation for bids or
proposals, instructions to bidders or offerors, general conditions of contract, special
conditions of contract, and other contract documents;

(4) Construction and project management, giving general management, administration,
supervision, coordination and responsible direction of the planning, designing,
construction, reconstruction, erection, alteration, improvement, upgrading, conversion,
expansion, demolition, repair, rehabilitation, restoration, retrofitting and renovation of
Civil Engineering structures and facilities, including all their components, sites and
environs, intended for private or public use;

(5) Planning, lay-out and utilization of spaces within and surrounding such Civil
Engineering structures and facilities including their sites, interiors, spaces, utilities
systems, equipment, and fixtures;

(6) Programming, administration, construction arbitration, and conservation of civil
engineering structures;

(7) All works which relate to the scientific and orderly coordination of all works and
branches of the work, systems and processes necessary for the production of structures
and facilities, whether for public or private use to enhance and safeguard life, health
and property and the promotion and enrichment of the quality of life; and

(8) Research on civil engineering and teaching, lecturing, and reviewing of professional
civil engineering subjects in the curricula for Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering
or other academic courses and training in civil engineering or a subject in the Civil
Engineering Licensure Examination given in any academic institution of higher
learning.

‘The civil engineering structures covered under the practice of Civil Engineering include, but
are not limited to, the following:

(a) Airports to include all landside and airside facilities;
(b) Highways, streets, roads and bridges;

(c) Railways;

(d) Buildings of all types;

(e) Irrigation;

() Canals;

(g) Dams and other impounding structures;

(h) Power generating plant and transmission lines;


(i) Harbors, portworks, drydocks, lighthouses and other marine and navigational
‘structures;

(j) Transport networks structures;

(k) River and shore, reclamation and coastal improvements;

(1) Water supply, sanitary, landfills and sewerage works;

(m)Structures for flood control, drainage and storm surge and wave protection;

(n) Tunnels, nuclear plants, communication towers and tunnels, submarine and
offshore, structures and other specialty structures; and

(0) other works or structures requiring civil engineering knowledge and application,

SECTION 6. Categories of Practice —

(a) A "Civil Engineer-of-Record" is the civil engineer registered under this Act, and
qualified under the implementing rules and regulations hereof, who is the signatory and
sealer to the plans and building permits, specifications, calculations and others which
form part of the contract documents for a project or component of a project, and who
is therefore professionally responsible and liable for the design for that project or
component of that project;

(b) A "Civil Engineer In-charge of Construction” is the civil engineer registered under
this Act, and qualified under the implementing rules and regulations hereof, who is the
signatory and sealer to the building permit of a project or component of a project and
who is therefore professionally responsible and liable for the construction management
and supervision of the project or component of that project; and

(c) A "Civil Engineer Prime Professional" is the civil engineer registered under this
Act, and qualified under the implementing rules and regulations hereof, who is
responsible for the overall integration, coordination, and successful conduct of all
processes in the project from inception to completion.

ARTICLE II - BOARD OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

SECTION 7. Composition of the Board - Within three (3) months after the approval of this
Act, a Board of Civil Engineering shall be created, which is a collegial body under the
administrative supervision of the PRC, composed of a chairman and two members who shall be
appointed by the President of the Philippines, upon the endorsement of the PRC, which shall select
from a list of at least five (5) nominees for each position as recommended by the APOCE.

The Chairperson of the Board shall be appointed by the President of the Philippines from
among the members of the Board, who shall serve until the expiration of his/her term. Except for
the first Chairperson, only members of the Board, who have served for at least one (1) year as
member of the Board, shall be qualified to be appointed as Chairperson.


SECTION 8. Powers and Duties of the Board ~The Board of Civil Engineering is vested
with authority to:

(a) Prepare the contents of licensure examinations for civil engineers; and determine,
prescribe, and revise the course requirements;

(b) Administer oath and issue Certificate of Registration for the practice of civil
engineering;

(©) Visit and inspect educational institutions offering courses in civil engineering;
(d) Adopt and enforce a Code of Ethics for the practice of the profession;
(e) Recommend measures necessary for advancement in the field of civil engineering;

(f) Investigate violations of set professional standards and adjudicate administrative
and other cases against erring registrants in the field of civil engineering; and

(g) Suspend, revoke, or reissue Certificate of Registration for the practice of civil
engineering for causes provided by law.

SECTION 9. Qualifications of Board Members — Each member of the Board shall, at the
time of his appointment:

(a) Be a citizen and resident of the Philippines;

(b) Be at least thirty (30) years of age and of good moral character;

(©) Be a graduate of Civil Engineering from a recognized and legally-constituted
‘educational institution;

(d) Be a registered civil engineer duly qualified to practice civil engineering in the
Philippines;

(e) Has practiced civil engineering, with a certificate as such, for a period of not less
than ten (10) years prior to his appointment. At least five (5) years of such practice
must be as either a Civil Engineer-of-Record, Civil Engineer In-Charge of
Construction, or Civil Engineer Prime Professional;

(8) Not be a member of the faculty of any school, college, university, or educational
institution where civil engineering course is taught, nor have a pecuniary interest in
such institutions; and

(g) Not be a former member of the faculty of any school, college, university, or
educational institution, where civil engineering is taught, within three (3) consecutive


years prior to his/her appointment.

SECTION 10. Term of Office~ The members of the Board shall hold office for a term of
three (3) years after appointment or until their successors shall have been appointed and shalll have
been duly qualified.

The first members of the Board appointed under this Act shall hold office for the following
terms: the chairman for three (3) years; one (1) member for two (2) years; and one (1) member for
one (1) year. Each member of the Board shall qualify by taking the proper oath of office before
performing his/her duties.

SECTION 11. Removal/Suspension of Members — Any member of the Board may be
removed by the President of the Philippines by reason of (a) neglect of duty; (b) incompetence, (c)
malpractice; or (d) unprofessional, unethical, immoral, or dishonorable conduct, after having been
given opportunity to defend himself in a proper administrative investigation by the PRC: Provided,
that during the process of investigation the President of the Philippines shall have the power to
suspend such member under investigation and shall appoint a temporary member in his/her place.

SECTION 12. Compensation of the Board —The members of the Board shall each receive
as compensation the sum comparable to, and in like manner with, the compensation received by
like members of other existing professional regulatory boards under the Commission. A Civil
Engineer in service with the government of the Republic of the Philippines, appointed as member
of the Board, shall receive the compensation as herein provided, in addition to any compensation
received for such service.

SECTION 13. Secretary of the Board —The PRC shall designate the Secretary of the Board,
who shall provide the secretariat and other support services to implement the provisions of this
Act.

SECTION 14. Enforcement Assistance to the Board — For the purposes of this Act, the
Secretary of Public Works and Highways and/or his/her authorized representative in the provinces
and chartered cities shall be ex-officio agent/s of the Board and as such it shall be their duty to
help in the enforcement of the provisions of this Act.

SECTION 15. Appropriations —Such sums as may be necessary to carry out the provisions
of this Act shall be included in the General Appropriations Act of the year following its enactment
into law and thereafter: Provided, however, that fifty percent (50%) of the fees derived from
registration and licenses of civil engineers shall be utilized by the Board to defray its administrative
and other operational expenses, including the enhancement of the civil engineering profession.

SECTION 16. Jmplementing Rules and Regulations ~The Board may promulgate such rules
and regulations as may be deemed necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act. The latest
edition of the Civil Engineering Code, the Manual of Professional Practice of Civil Engineers as
prepared by the APOCE and approved by the Board shall be considered to form part of the
Implementing Rules and Regulations.


SECTION 17. Annual Report — The Board shall, at the end of each fiscal year, submit to
the PRC a detailed report of its activities and proceedings during the period covered by the fiscal
year ended.

ARTICLE III - EXAMINATION AND REGISTRATION

SECTION 18. Examination Requirement —A\l applicants for registration for the practice of
Civil Engineering shall be required to pass a technical examination as hereinafter provided.

SECTION 19. Qualification for Examination — Any person applying for admission to the
Civil Engineering examination as herein provided shall, prior to the date of the examination,
establish to the satisfaction of the Board that he/she has the following qualifications:

(a) At least twenty-one (21) years of age;
(b) A citizen of the Philippines;
(©) Of good reputation and moral character; and

(d) A holder of a bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering from a recognized and legally-
constituted educational institution.

SECTION 20. Fraudulent applications ~The Board may suspend or revoke a Certificate of
Registration obtained through misrepresentation made in the application for examination.

SECTION 21. Examination Fees — All applicants for written examinations for registered
civil engineer shall be subject to payment of fees prescribed by the Commission: Provided, that
ninety percent (90%) of the fees is to be treated as a special fund for the programs, projects and
activities of the Commission and the remaining ten percent (10%) shall be set aside as a trust fund
for the establishment and maintenance of a center for continuing education and research in civil
engineering.

SECTION 22. Holding and Date of Examination — Examination of candidates for the
practice of Civil Engineering in the Philippines shall be conducted at such places and on such dates
determined, fixed, and announced by the PRC in accordance with the laws, rules, and regulations
governing the conduct of licensure examinations for all existing professional regulatory boards
under the PRC.

SECTION 23. Scope of Examination — Applicants for registration for the practice of Civil
Engineering shall be examined, in the discretion of the Board, on the following subjects:

(a) General Civil Engineering including, but not limited to, project planning, designs and
management; manual of practice, codes and regulations, especially the National
Building Code of the Philippines, economics, environmental impact assessment;
‘materials testing and inspection; highway and railroad curves; plane, topographic and
hydrographic surveying, and advanced surveying; numerical methods for computer


application; mathematics such as algebra, plane and spherical trigonometry, analytic,
descriptive and solid geometry, differential and integral calculus, and rational and
applied mechanics;

(b) Transportation engineering including, but not limited to, theory and practice of
transportation engineering, transportation and traffic engineering studies, planning,
design, construction, operation and maintenance of highways including pedestrian
facilities, railways, ports and harbors, and airports;

(c) Hydraulics and water resources engineering including, but not limited to, hydrology,
hydraulics, reservoirs, spillways, open channels, pressure conduits, navigation canals
and locks, sanitary engineering works, water supply system, dikes, dams, and irrigation
and drainage canals, and hydropower structures;

(d) Geotechnical engineering including, but not limited to soil composition, classification
of soils, compaction of soils, flow of water in soils, permeability, seepage, flow nets,
effective stress, compressibility of soil, shear strengths of soil, lateral earth pressure,
soil bearing capacity, slope stability, solid waste disposal systems and ground
improvement;

(e) Structural engineering including, but not limited to, theory of structures, properties of
materials, lateral load analysis, earthquake engineering, wind engineering, functional
planning, floor plans, elevations, sections, utilities, design of wooden, reinforced
concrete, steel, and composite buildings, bridges, towers, walls, foundations, silos, and
masonry structures; and

(f) Construction management and engineering including, but not limited, to contracts, cost
estimates, unit cost development, construction schedule, manpower and equipment
scheduling and control, material control, Program Evaluation and Review
Technique/Critical Path Method (PERT-CPM), bar chart schedule, project monitoring,
s-curve, network analysis, time scheduling, project activities, project cost, project
control, quality assurance, bidding, tender documents, specifications, and construction
supervision.

SECTION 24. Rating in the Civil Engineering Board Exams ~The passing general average
rating shall be seventy percent (70%) with no grade below sixty percent (60%) in any subject.

SECTION 25. Re-examination of Failed Subjects An applicant shall be allowed to retake,
any number of times, only the subject/s in which he/she has obtained a grade below sixty percent
(60%). When he/she shall have obtained an average grade of seventy percent (70%) in the subject/s
repeated, he/she shall be considered to have passed his/her licensure examination.

SECTION 26. Re-examination — An applicant who, for the third time fails to pass the
examination for the same subject, shall not be allowed to take another until at least one (1) year
has lapsed after his/her last examination.


SECTION 27. Registration Required — Unless exempt from registration, no person shall
practice or offer to practice civil engineering in the Philippines without having obtained the proper
certificate of registration from the Board for Civil Engineers.

SECTION 28. issuance of Certificate of Registration and Professional Identification Card —
Individual certificates of registration shall be issued by the Board and the PRC to all successful
candidates in the examinations and who have taken the professional oath, subject to payment of
required fees prescribed by the Commission. The certificate shall be the authority to practice the
profession. Such authority may be suspended or revoked by the Board and the Commission for
jjust cause, as may be provided by law after due notice and hearing.

Individual professional identification cards shall be issued by the Commission to all
registered civil engineers, each card to bear the (a) name and picture of the registrant; (b)
registration number; (c) date of issuance of card; (d) expiry date of card; and (e) signature of the
chairman of the Commission.

No professional identification card shall be issued to the new registrant unless he/she
presents a certificate of active membership in good standing issued by the APOCE. The same
certificate shall be required before the Board and the Commission shall renew the professional
card of a registered civil engineer.

SECTION 29. Contents of the Certificate of Registration — The Certificate of Registration
of a professional civil engineer shall bear the signatures of the Chairman of the Board and the
Chairman of the PRC; and stamped with the official seal of the Board indicating that the person
named therein is a registered civil engineer.

A professional license bearing the registration number, date of issuance, expiry date and
duly signed by the Chairman of the Board, shall likewise be issued to every registrant, upon
payment of the professional fees. No person shall practice civil engineering in this country unless
such person shall have secured a license to practice civil engineering in the manner herein
provided.

A license holder is entitled to practice the profession with all the privileges appurtenant
thereto until the expiration of the validity of his license.

SECTION 30. Fees for Registration — Every person issued a Certificate of Registration as
a registered civil engineer shall pay to the PRC such fees as the Commission may prescribe.

SECTION 31. Oath of Professional — All successful candidates in the examination shall be
required to take a professional oath before the Board of Civil Engineers or other government
officials authorized to administer oaths, prior to entering upon the practice of the civil engineering
profession.

SECTION 32. Seal of Professional — All registered civil engineers shall obtain a seal of
such design as the Board shall authorize and direct, provided, however, that the serial number of
the certificates issued by the Board shall be included in the design of the seal. Plans and


specifications prepared by, or under the direct supervision of a civil engineer shall be stamped with
said seal during the period of the registrant's certificate. It shall be unlawful for any person to stamp
or seal any documents with said seal after the certificate of the registrant named thereon has expired
or has been suspended or has been revoked, unless said certificate shall have been renewed or re-
issued.

Plans, drawings, specifications, and other contract documents duly signed and sealed, as
instruments of professional service, shall remain as intellectual property of the civil engineer,
whether the object for which they are made is executed or not. It shall be unlawful for any person,
without the written consent of the civil engineer who is the author of such signed and sealed
documents, to duplicate or to make copies of said documents for use in the repetition of said object
or for other projects. Civil engineers shall incorporate the text of the preceding two (2) sentences
in full and in prominent location in all written instruments of professional service.

SECTION 33. Refusal to Issue Certificate ~ The Board shall not issue a certificate of
registration to any person convicted by a court of competent jurisdiction of any criminal offense
involving moral turpitude, or to any person guilty of immoral or dishonorable conduct, or to any
person of unsound mind. The Board shall not issue a certificate to any person who has not taken
the oath of Civil Engineers. In the event of a refusal to issue a certificate to any person, the Board
shall give to the applicant a written statement setting forth its reason for such action, which
statement shall be incorporated in the records of the Board.

SECTION 34. Suspension and Revocation of Certificates and Cancellation of Professional
Identification Cards and Procedure of Investigation of Violations — Subject to the approval of the
PRC, the Board shall have the power to suspend or revoke the certificate of registration due to the
registrant's malpractice, unprofessional, unethical, immoral, dishonorable conduct, after due notice
and hearings allowing the registrant the opportunity to defend himself/herself in a proper
administrative investigation by the Board.

Upon suspension or revocation of the certificate of registration, the cancellation of the
professional identification card shall be ordered by the Chairman.

SECTION 35. Re-issuance of Certificates and Professional Identification Cards —The Board
may, after the expiration of one (1) year from the date a certificate of registration is revoked and
for reasons it may deem sufficient, entertain an application for a new certificate of registration
from the registrant concerned. Such application shall be accomplished in the same form prescribed
for examination, but the Board may, in its discretion, exempt the applicant from taking the requisite
examination, The corresponding application for professional identification card shall be
accomplished in the same form prescribed for renewal.

ARTICLE IV — PRACTICE OF PROFESSION

SECTION 36. Vested Rights/Automatic Registration — All practicing civil engineers who
are registered at the time this Act takes effect, shall automatically be registered.


SECTION 37. Transitory Provision — As soon as this Act takes effect, any person desiring
to practice the profession of civil engineering shall be required to obtain a certificate of registration
in the manner and under the conditions herein provided. All civil engineers duly registered under
the provisions of Republic Act 544, as amended, shall automatically retain their registered status
as if they are registered under the provisions hereof. Certificates of registration held by such
persons in good standing shall have the same force and effect as though the same have been issued
under the provisions of this Act.

Certificates of recognition for advanced studies, research, or highly specialized training in
any specialized branch of Civil Engineering issued to registered civil engineers under Republic
Act 544 shall be replaced by equivalent certificates of specialization. Likewise, Certificates of
Specialization previously issued by the Board or the APOCE held by such persons in good standing
shall have the same force and effect as though the same have been issued under the same provision
of this Act.

SECTION 38. Certificate of Specialization —To encourage the practice of civil engineering
in all disciplines, the APOCE shall be vested with authority, conformable with the provisions of
this Act, to issue a certificate of specialization to a registered civil engineer who specializes
himself/herself with the practice of Civil Engineering in any of the following disciplines or areas
of specialization:

(a) Civil Engineering Education;

(b) Construction Management and Engineering;

(c) Energy and Environmental Systems Engineering;

(d) Geotechnical Engineering;

(c) Hydraulic and Water Resources Engineering;

(f) Structural Engineering;

(g) Transportation Engineering; and

(h) Other specializations that may be recognized by the Board.

The Board of Civil Engineering shall have the authority to suspend or revoke a Certificate
of Specialization previously issued on grounds of violation of any of the provisions under this Act.

SECTION 39. Who May Practice — The practice of Civil Engineering is a professional
service, admission to which must be determined upon individual and personal qualifications.

SECTION 40. Prohibition in the Practice ~No firm, partnership, corporation or association
may be registered or licensed as such for the practice of civil engineering: Provided, however, that
persons properly registered and licensed as civil engineers may, among themselves or with a
person or persons properly registered and licensed as architects, form, and obtain registration of, a
firm, partnership or association using the term “Engineers” or “Engineers and Architects,” but,
nobody shall be a member or partner of such firm, partnership or association unless he is duly
licensed civil engineer or architect, and the members who are civil engineers shall only render
work and services proper for a civil engineer, as defined in this Act, and the members who are
architects shall also only render work and services proper for an architect, as defined in the law
regulating the practice of architecture; individual members of such firms, partnership or


association shall be responsible for their own respective acts.

SECTION 41. Collection of professional fees —\t shall be unlawful for any unregistered
person to collect a fee for services rendered except as an employee collecting a fee as representative
of a registered civil engineer.

SECTION 42. Enforcement of the Act —\t shall be the duty of all duly constituted law
officers of the national, provincial, city and municipal governments, or any political subdivisions
thereof, to enforce the provisions of this Act and to prosecute any person violating the same.

SECTION 43. Roster of Civil Engineers ~ A roster showing the names and places of
business of all registered Civil Engineers shall be prepared by the PRC through the Board
periodically but at least once a year.

SECTION 44. Submission of Designs for Government Approval — Any proposal, design,
specification, working drawing or plan for a structure or any part thereof submitted to any
government agency, national or local, including government-owned or controlled corporations,
shall not be processed or approved, nor shall such plan be issued any permit, license, franchise,
authorization or certification unless such proposal, design, specification, working drawing or plan
is signed by a registered civil engineer, with his seal and registration number affixed thereto.

SECTION 45. Preparation of Plans — It shall be unlawful for any person to order or
otherwise cause the construction, reconstruction, or alteration of any building or structure intended
for public gathering or assembly such as theaters, cinematographs, stadia, churches, schools,
gymnasia, shopping malls, or structures of like nature, and any other engineering structures
mentioned in Section 5 of this Act unless the designs, plans, and specifications of same have been
prepared under the responsible charge of and signed and sealed by a registered civil engineer, and
unless the construction, reconstruction and/or alteration thereof are executed under the responsible
charge and direct supervision of a registered civil engineer. Plans and designs of structures must
be approved as provided by law or ordinance of a municipality, city or province where the said
structure is to be constructed.

SECTION 46. Foreign Reciprocity and Special Temporary Permits — All foreign nationals,
including former Filipino citizens desiring to practice the profession of Civil Engineering in the
Philippines and who are authorized by law to practice Civil Engineering in the Philippines, shall
apply for a special temporary permit from the Board subject to approval of the Commission, in
accordance with the provisions of section 7(j) of Republic Act No. 8981. Except for cases where
the foreign national has already been issued a special temporary permit, the agencies,
organizations, or individuals, whether public or private, who secure the services of a foreign
national authorized by law to practice Civil Engineering in the Philippines shall be responsible for
securing a special temporary permit from the Board, subject to approval of the Commission.

No working permit, temporary or permanent visa shall be issued by any government
agency to any foreign national intending to practice Civil Engineering in the Philippines without
complying with these provisions.


A foreign civil engineer or any person not authorized to practice Civil Engineering in the
Philippines, or a foreign civil engineer authorized to practice Civil Engineering in the Philippines
but who has not been issued a special temporary permit from the Board, who shall stay in the
country and perform any of the activities mentioned in Section 5 of this Act or any other activity
analogous thereto, shall be deemed engaged in the unauthorized practice of Civil Engineering.

SECTION 47. No Effect on other Professions — Nothing in this Act would likewise limit
the other professionals from practicing their own respective professions: Provided, that such
professional does not designate himself/herself as a civil engineer.

SECTION 48. Privilege Tax — A civil engineer shall indicate his privilege tax receipt
number on the documents he signs, uses or issues in connection with the practice of his profession.

SECTION 49. Membership in APOCE — All registered civil engineers shall automatically
qualify as members of the Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers (PICE), which is the Accredited
Professional Organization of Civil Engineers (APOCE) and shall comply with all the membership
requirements therein.

SECTION 50. Posting of Certificates The owner, manager, or other person in-charge of
any civil engineering works, projects, or structures, of a firm, co-partnership, corporation or joint-
stock association, shall post or cause to be posted in a conspicuous place within such place of
business, the original certificate of registration of the engineer or engineers and of the certified
civil engineer/s employed in such plant, in a frame protected by transparent glass or its equivalent.

SECTION 51. Positions in Government ~ Within three (3) years from the effectivity of this
Act, all existing and proposed positions in the local and national government, whether permanent,
temporary or contractual and primarily requiring the services of civil engineers shall accordingly
be filled only by registered and licensed professional civil engineers.

SECTION 52. Continuing Professional Development ~ All registered civil engineers shall
maintain a program of professional development to promote public interest and to safeguard life,
health, and property. The APOCE shall have the responsibility of developing a continuing
professional development program for civil engineers. Other entities or organizations may become
Continuing Professional Development providers upon accreditation by the Board.

SECTION 53. Indication of Registration on Documents — The civil engineer shall be
required to indicate his/her Certificate of Registration and Professional Identification Card, its date
of issuance and the duration of validity, including the professional tax receipt number, on the plans
and documents he/she signs, uses or issues in connection with the practice of his/her profession.

ARTICLE V - GENERAL PROVISIONS

SECTION 54. Penal Clause~Upon conviction, a fine of not less than one hundred thousand
pesos (Php 100,000) nor more than one million pesos (Php 1,000,000), or to suffer imprisonment
for a period of not less than six months nor more than three years, or both, at the discretion of the
Court shall be sentenced upon:


(a) Any person who shall practice or offer to practice Civil Engineering in the
Philippines without being registered in accordance with the provisions of this Act;

(b) Any person presenting or attempting to use as his/her own the certificate of
registration or professional identification card of a registered civil engineer;

(c) Any person who shall give any false or forged evidence of any kind to the Board;
(4) Any person who shall impersonate any registered civil engineer of different name;

(c) Any person who shall attempt to use a revoked or suspended certificate of
registration or professional identification card;

(8) Any person who shall use in connection with his name or otherwise assume, use or
advertise any title or description tending to convey the impression that he/she is a civil
engineer, without holding a valid certificate of registration;

(g) | Any head of a government agency or officer of a private firm or institution who
fails to secure a special temporary permit from the Board subject to approval of the PRC
prior to engaging the services of a foreign national to practice Civil Engineering under the
employ or engagement by the agency, firm or institution, unless such foreign national has
already been issued a special temporary permit;

(b) Foreign nationals who engage in the practice of Civil Engineering in the Philippines
without the benefit of a special temporary permit, or any person, partnership; and

(i) Officers of corporation who shall violate any of the provisions of this Act and its
implementing rules and regulations.

Foreign nationals who engage in the practice of Civil Engineering in the Philippines

without the benefit of a special temporary permit shall also be subject to deportation.

SECTION 55. Separability Clause —\f any part or section of this Act shall be declared

unconstitutional, such declarations shall not invalidate the other provisions hereof.

SECTION 56. Repealing Clause — Ali laws, decrees, presidential issuances, proclamations,

orders, ordinances, rules and regulations, or parts thereof, in conflict with the provisions of this
Act as pertains to the practice of civil engineering, are hereby amended, modified or repealed
accordingly.

No laws of other allied professions shall limit the scope of the practice of Civil Engineering

nor shall exclude the civil engineer from practicing his/her profession as defined in this Act:
Provided, that he/she does not designate himself/herself as such as other professional.

SECTION 57. Efféctivity —This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its approval.