Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila

Seventeenth Congress
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILLNO. 4285

EXPLANATORY NOTE

On May 13, 2014, Republic Act No. 9297 was passed, otherwise known as the Chemical
Engineering Law of 2004. The law repealed Republic Act No. 318 which was passed into law on
June 19, 1948. It took almost 56 years to the day that the old Chemical Engineering Law was
repealed in order to declare the policy of the State regarding the practice of chemical
engineering in the Philippines, to upgrade chemical engineering education to ensure that
Filipino chemical engineers are at par with the best in the world.

However, right after the passage of RA No. 9297 in 2004, the ASEAN Mutual Recognition
Arrangement (MRA) on Engineering Services was signed on December 9, 2005 in Kula Lumpur
by the Governments of Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, PDR Lao, Malaysia,
Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. The integration of 10 ASEAN member states into
a Single Market and Production base established the ASEAN Economic Community in 2015
wherein there will be flow of goods, free flow of capital, free flow of investment and free flow
of professional services. The ASEAN framework of services (AFAS) has the following objectives
namely: 1) To facilitate mobility of engineering services of professionals; 2) To exchange
information in order to promote adoption of best practices on standards and qualifications.

In view of this development, aside from other Mutual Recognition Arrangements
(MRAs) with other international economic groupings or individual countries in Asia, Europe,
U.S.A., North and South America and Africa that may be established in the years to come, the
bill seeks the revisions of some provisions in RA No. 9297 in order for the professional law to
align with these MRAs to ensure that Filipino chemical engineers remain competitive with the
best not only in ASEAN but the rest of the world.

Therefore, it is respectfully requested that Congress enact the amendments in Republic
Act No. 9297 known as the Chemical Engineering Law of 2004.



Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila

Seventeenth Congress
First Regular Session

House it No4285

Introduced by : Cong. Manvel T. Sagarbaria

AN ACT AMENDING CERTAIN PROVISIONS OF REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9297, OTHERWISE
KNOWN AS “THE CHEMICAL ENGINEERING LAW OF 2004”

Be if enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the
Philippines in Congress assembled:
ARTICLE 1
TITLE, STATEMENT OF POLICY, DEFINITION OF TERMS AND SCOPE OF PRACTICE
SECTION 1 - Section 2 of RA No. 9297, otherwise known as The Chemical

Engineering Law of 2004 (RA No. 9297 for brevity), is hereby amended to read as
follows:

SCTION 2. Statement of Policy. ~ It is hereby declared the policy of the State to
supervise and regulate the practice of chemical engineering vital to national
development, upgrade chemical engineering education in order to ensure that our
chemical engineers are at par with the best in the world, and to reserve the
practice of such profession to Filipino citizens [and foreign nationals who
have complied with alll the legal requirements for the practice of the
profession.)

SECTION 2 ~ Section 3, Paragraph 1 of RA No. 9297 is hereby amended to read
as follows:

SECTION 3. Definition of Terms. ~ [Chemical Engineering is the
profession in which a knowledge of mathematics, chemistry, and
other natural sciences such as physics and biology gained by
study, experience and practice is applied with judgment to develop
economic and environmentally _safe_ways employing _unit
Processes, unit operations, physical_and chemical principles in
using materials and eneray in a sustainable manner.) Practice of
chemical engineering shall mean the rendering or offering of professional
chemical engineering service for a fee, salary, reward or compensation, paid to



him or through another person, or even without such reward or compensation. The
term shall be synonymous with the term “rendering chemical engineering
service”

Section 3, Sub-Paragraph (d} of RA No. 9297 is hereby amended to
read as follows:

(@Professional chemical engineering subjects [aside from applied
mathematics, physics, chemistry and biology] shall mean any of the
following and similar chemical engineering topics: chemical engineering
thermodynamics; chemical engineering calculations: physical and chemical
principles; industrial processes; momentum transfer; heat transfer, mass transfer,
industrial wastes management and control; process equipment and plant design:
biochemical engineering and bio-engineering; [and_nuclear engineering,
molecular chemical engineering, nano-engineering; environmental
chemical engineering; and materials engineering, waste water and
water supply engineering; renewable energy sourcing and
engineering and other process industries involving a chemical
change or atom engineering.]

(i) Nuclear Engineering is the application of the breakdown
or fission, as well as, fusion of atomic nuclei and the
application of other sub-atomic physics, based on
nuclear physics. Includes in particular the interaction
and maintenance of systems and components such as
nuclear reactor, nuclear power plants, nuclear weapons,
nuclear medicine, nuclear safety and nuclear waste

disposal.

(ii) Molecular Chemical Engineering is a precision form of
chemical engineering which requires the _ natural
manipulation of molecules with the use of devices such
gs scanning tunneling microscope that includes protein

engineering, the creation of protein.

(iii) Nano Engineering which is synonymous __to
nanotechnology is the manipulation of matter with at
least_one dimension at_1 to 100 nanometers. This
includes nanomaterials, fullerenes, _ nanoparticles,
applications in __ nanomedicine, _ nanotoxicology,
molecular self-assembly, nanoelectronics,
nanometrology, and molecular nanotechnology.

(iv) Environmental Engineering includes the integration of
science and engineering principles for the improvement
of the natural environment, provide healthy water, air
and land for human habitation. It includes waste water
management, air pollution control, recycling, waste
disposal, radiation protection, industrial _hygiene,
environmental sustainability, public health issues and
knowledge of environmental laws, rules and regulations.

(v) Material_Engineering or _Materials_Science_is an
interdisciplinary field involving the properties of materials



and its application to various areas of science and
engineering in investigating the relationship between the
composifion and the structure of materials at atomic or
molecular scales and their macroscopic properties.

(vi) Waste Water and Water Supply Engineering is a branch
of engineering involved in the development of sources of
supply, transmission, distribution and treatment of water
for industry, residential, irrigation and other purposes. It
includes management of water supplies for human and
environmental_health, collection of waste through
centralized sewer systems, delivery to treatment plants
to remove pollutants, design, installation and operation

of treatment plants.

(vil) Renewable Energy Sourcing and_ Engineering include
biomass heat and power generation, fuel sourcing and
supply, geothermal, hydropower, solar, wind and other
renewable sources.

SECTION 3, Sub-Paragraph (e) of RA No. 9297 is hereby
amended to read as follows:

(e)Chemical engineer shall mean a person duly registered and a holder of a
valid Certificate of Registration and Professional Identification Card issued
by the Board of Chemical Engineering and the Professional Regulation
Commission. [Moreover, a Chemical Engineer principally works
in the industry, on research, design and engineering,
managing installations _and__ directing _ manufacturing
operations, process control, solutions provider, environmental
engineering and __ biochemical/biological___ engineering,
planning, academe, and in marketing and __ distribution
channels. Basically, the chemical engineer works in industry
where unit processes and unit operations are involved to
convert inorganic _and organic materials as well _as_ metallic
ores into usable intermediate raw materials and commercial
products. In addition, the chemical_engineer__designs
environmental, _biochemical/biological, __ biometaphysical,
nano-engineering and catharsis processes.]

SECTION 3 - Section 4, Sub-Paragraphs (1), {2}, (3). (4). (5). (6). {7}. (8), (9) and
{10} of RA No. 9297 are hereby amended to read as follows:

SECTION 4. Scope of Practice. ~ Professional chemical engineering service shall
embrace the following similar services in relation to industrial plants:

(1) Consultation requiring chemical engineering knowledge, skill and
proficiency. [Professional service involves the improvement and
enhancing of production processes, systems development,



quality and efficiency improvement and application of mature
and emerging technologies.)

(2) Investigation [involves the application _of_science_such as
forensics and chemical engineering principles in investigating
materials, products, structures, components, equipment_and
systems that fail to attain design capacities, efficiency and
safety requirements.]

(3) Estimation and/or valuation [involve the application of value and
cost engineering for the organized approach in providing the
necessary functions at the least cost and the identification and
elimination of unnecessary costs without affecting the quality
‘of installations, products _and_ service, cost control, cost
forecasting and risk analysis.)

(4) Planning {involves the systematic approach in working out the
sequence of aclivities that are required to complete a project
and linking them all together using available resources to
attain the best possible effect.)

(5) Preparation of feasibility studies involves the evaluation and
analysis of the potential success of a proposed project based
on extensive investigation and research to support the process

‘of decision making of the project proponent.

(6) Designing [involves the process with _general_validity_and
applicability of a wide variety of engineering situations by
creation of systems, devices, and processes useful to and
sought by proponents to accomplish the desired goal with the
use_of latest design tools like ACAD, Sketch-up and other
similar software]

(7) Preparation of specifications [ls the setting of explicit technical
standard requirements to be satisfied by a material, design,
product or service. The specifications may be set_by
government_agencies, standards organizations (ASTM, ISO
CEN, AIChE, AOAC, USP, codex, etc.), trade associations,
corporations and other referenced by a contract _or
procurement document.]

(8) Supervision of installation finvolves the inspection of materials,
equipment supplied to project site, carry out quality control to
reference with the technical specifications, completeness
against_packing lists, monitoring of scheduled tasks_and
activities, making adjustments when necessary to ensure
completion of installation on schedule and within budget]

(9) Operation, including quality management, but excluding chemical analysis
and operation of the chemical laboratory, [involves the operation and
quality management _of industrial plants producing process
materials, food and nutrition _ products, __ chemicals
fuel/lubricants and additives, synthetic products, packaging
products, explosives, agricultural_chemicals, personal_and



health care products including power/energy generation and
other operation involve the application of _ chemical
engineering principles; but excluding chemical analysis and
operation of the chemical laboratory:] and

(10) The teaching, lecturing and reviewing of professional chemical
engineering subjects in the curriculum of the Bachelor of Science in
Chemical Engineering degree, [that may be amended from time to
time by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) in
coordination with the Academe and the Board of Chemical
Engineering], or a subject in the Chemical Engineering licensure
examination given in any school, college, university or any other
educational institution shall be considered a professional chemical
engineering service.

SECTION 4 ~ Article Ill of Section 16, Paragraph (d) of RA No. 9297 is hereby
amended to read as follows:
(d) That he/she has not been convicted of an offense involving moral
turpitude [or obliquity] by a court of competent jurisdiction

SECTION 5 - The following provisions should be added to Article III under the title
LICENSURE EXAMINATION AND REGISTRATION of RA No. 9297, as SECTION 25
SECTION 26 and SECTION 27, and shall read as follows:

[Section 25. Renewal of Professional License. ~ The professional
license issued to a Chemical Engineer shall be valid for THREE
(3) years from its issuance and, unless the holder thereof is
exempt from CPE/CPD requirements, shall be renewed every
after THREE (3) years on the birth month of the Chemical
Engineer_upon_presentation/ submission of the required
Continuing Professional Education/Development _credit_units
eamed_ and payment of prescribed fees as verified and
validated by the accredited professional organization.]

[Section 26. Categories. - Certificates of Registration for the
practice of chemical engineering shall be of TWO (2)
categories and in order of rank as follows:

(a) Professional Chemical Engineer;
(b) Chemical Engineer]

[Section _27. Qualifications of Applicants_for Professional
Chemical Engineer. Any applicant_to_the professional
chemical engineering license must, at the time of filing of his
application, establish to the satisfaction of the Board that:

(a)He/She is a citizen of the Philippines;

(b)He/She must not have been convicted of a crime
involving moral turpitude or obliquity by a court of
competent jurisdiction;



(c)He/She has a valid Certificate of Registration and
he is a registered Chemical Engineer and a holder
of a valid professional license;

(d)He/She has graduated from an engineering school
or college of recognized standing, after
completing an approved course in chemical
engineering;

(e)He/she has a specific record of at least TWELVE
(12) years of active chemical __engineering
practice, reckoned from the time he/she
registered a chemical engineering practice; and

(f) He/She is competent to practice, as attested to by
at least TWO (2) professional chemical engineers.]

SECTION 6 - The following sections found on Article IV under the title PRACTICE
OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING of RA No. 9297, are amended by changing their
numerical designation as follows:

A. [Section 25 shall be designated as SECTION 28

. Section 26 shall be designated as SECTION 29
C. Section 27 shall be designated as SECTION 30
D. Section 28 shall be designated as SECTION 31
E. Section 29 shall be designated as SECTION 32

F, Section 30 shall be designated as SECTION 33
G. Section 31 shall be designated as SECTION 34
H. Section 32 shall be designated as SECTION 35

I. Section 33 shall be designated as SECTION 36

J. Section 34 shall be designated as SECTION 37

K. Section 35 shall be designated as SECTION 38

L. Section 36 shall be designated as SECTION 39

M. Section 37 shall be designated as SECTION 40

N. Section 38 shall be designated as SECTION 41

O. Section 39 shall be designated as SECTION 42]

APPROVED.