MALACANANG MANILA

EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 496

INSTITUTING PROCEDURES AND CRITERIA FOR THE
SELECTION AND THE RECOMMENDATION OF NOMINEES
FOR APPOINTMENT TOVACANT POSITIONS IN THE
PROFESSIONAL REGULATORY BOARDS UNDER THE
SUPERVISION OF THE PROFESSIONAL REGULATION
COMMISSION
WHEREAS, Section 5, subsection (i), of Presidential Decree
No. 223 provides that the Professional Regulation Commission shall
"submit and recommend to the President of the Philippines nominees
for appointment as members of the various Boards from among those
nominated by the bona fide professional organizations accredited by
the Commission to fill existing or probable vacancies;"
WHEREAS, only professionals possessing demonstrated
outstanding qualifications should be nominated and appointed as
members of the various professional regulatory Boards;
WHEREAS, the screening and selection of nominees should
be based strictly on merit, integrity and fitness;
WHEREAS, uniform procedures and criteria for the selection
and nomination of persons to fill existing vacancies in the various
professional regulatory Boards should be instituted;
NOW, THEREFORE, 1, CORAZON C. AQUNO, President
of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by law, do
hereby order and direct the following:
ARTICLE 1
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
OF THE PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
SECTION 1. Committee on Nominations. There shall be a
permanent standing committee called the Committee on
Nominations in every professional organization accredited by the
Professional Regulation Commission in accordance with the
provisions of its Rules and Regulations Governing the Regulation
and Practice of Professionals, as amended. The Committee shall be
composed of the five (5) immediate past national presidents of the
organization. However, should any of the five past national
presidents be not available, the past president immediately following
the last
five shall serve as Member. The most recent past president shall
serve as Chairman of the Committee.
If an organization does not have the necessary number of past
presidents as herein required, incumbent members of the Board of
Directors selected by the Board members themselves shall serve in
the Committee.
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In this relation, the Professional Regulation Commission shall

subnue to the Office of the President at the end of every quarter a
complete updat4 list of all the professional organizations it has
accredited in accordance with its rules and regulations.
SEC. 2. Term of Office. - The Chairman of the Committee
shall serve until replaced by the next incoming past president. The
Members shall serve until replaced on. a first-in, first-out basis
through the assumption to membership of the most recent past
president.
SEC. 3. Duties and Responsibilities. - The Committee on
Nominations shall have the following duties and responsibilities:
A. To actively search, screen and select qualified nominees
for appointment to vacant positions in its professional
regulatory Board;
B. To submit to the National Board of Directors for
approval the names of the five (5) qualified
nominees, ranked in the order of preference, for every
vacancy in its professional regulatory Board;
Provided, however, that if there are two or more
vacancies, a single list with appropriate rankings
shall be submitted to the said Board; and

C. To comply with all the requirements of the Professional

Regulation Commission regarding the selection and
nomination of persons for appointment to its professional
regulatory Board.
SEC. 4. Search and Screening Process. - The Committee shall
actively search for persons with demonstrated outstanding
qualifications for membership in the Board, keeping in mind that
appointment thereto is a privilege and not a right. Nomination shall
be based strictly on merit, integrity and fitness.
SEC. 5. Criteria for Selection of Nominees. - In addition to the
qualifications required by the respective laws governing each
profession, the nominees for appoinment to the professional
regulatory Board should meet the following criteria:
A. Proven leadership qualities as evidenced by honors,
awards and citations given by reputable
organizations, and participation and involvement in
the activities of the professional organization and
social and civic associations;
B. Professional competence and experience as
evidenced by relevant past and present positions
held, years of professional

practice, professional honors and awards, and

academic honors and degrees;
C. Impeccable integrity and a strong commitment to
promote and maintain the highest professional
standards as evidenced by his personal and
professional conduct, personal interviews and the
testimony of colleagues, clients and socio-civic
leaders;
D. Up-to-date knowledge of current theories,
principles and practices in the profession as
evidenced by teaching and research activities,
scholarly articles in publications, participation in
continuing professional education and
development programs, and advanced academic
degrees; and
E. Must have the time, capacity and capability to
perform the duties and to fulfill the obligations of a
regulatory Board Member, which include, among
others, the preparation and rating of examination
papers, the hearing of administrative cases, and the
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inspection of schools, colleges and universities,
hospitals, industrial plants and others.
SEC. 6. Disqualification. - The following shall be
disqualified from being nominated:
A. Those who have already completed at least two (2)
terms in the professional regulatory Board so that
other members who may be equally, if not more,
qualified shall have the opportunity to serve in their
professional regulatory Board;
B. Those who are incumbent national officers
(President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and
Press Relations Officer or their equivalent
positions) of the organization; and

C Those who directly or indirectly solicit and use

influence in seeking their nominations, for this
evinces unprofessional conduct. The solicitation
and use of influence referred to herein shall be
considered prima facie evidence that the person
concerned lacks the necessary qualifications for
appoinment to the regulatory Board of his
profession.
SEC. 7. Accomplishment of Personal and Data Sheet and
Submission of Clearances. - Each nominee shall accomplish the
Personal Data Sheet or Nomination Form prescribed by the
Professional Regulation Commission. The Personal Data Sheet or
Nomination Form shall be subscribed under oath and accompanied
by current clearances from the National Bureau of Invesffgation
and the Office of the Ombudsman.
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SEC. 8. Submission of List of Nominees. - On the basis of the
reporv of the Committee on Nominations, the National President of
the duly. accredited professional organization shall submit to the
Professiona+ Regulation Commission the resolution of the National
Board of Directors recommending not more than five (5) nominees,
ranked in the order of preference, for appointment to each vacancy
in the professional regulatory Board; Provided, however, that if two
or more vacancies exist, a single list with appropriate rankings shall
be submitted. The list shall be submitted not later than three (3)
months before the vacancy occurs. The nominations submitted to the
Commission shall be valid for the present vacancy to be filled.
Subsequent vacancies that may occur will require another list of
nominees, which may or may not include those who have not been
previously considered.
SEC 9. Failure or Refusal of the Accredited Professional
Organization to Submit Nominees. - The Commission shall notify
the duly accredited professional organization of probable or existing
vacancies in its professional regulatory Board. In the event that the
organization fails or refuses to submit nominees for a vacant position
within the period prescribed herein, the Commission may either
recommend (a) the reappointment of the incumbent or permit him to
stay in a hold-over capacity if the law creating the professional
regulatory Board so authorizes or (b) the appointment of another
person who possesses the necessary qualifications based on the
criteria herein provided.
The Commission may likewise exercise the same prerogative
should there be a clear showing that the Committee on Nominations
of the accredited professional organization has disregarded the
criteria herein mentioned in the selection of the nominees.
ARTICLE 11
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
OF THE PROFESSIONAL REGULATION CONffflSSION
SECTION 1. Publicaüon of names of nominees. - The
Commission shall, upon receipt of the resolution from the accredited
professional organization, immediately publish the same in a
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newspaper of general circulation for the purpose of inviting anyone
who may have derogatory information against any of the nominees
which may render him unfit for the position to inform the said
Commission within a period of ten (10) days from such publication.
A copy of the list of the nominees shall also be posted on the bulletin
board of the Commission.
SEC. 2. Resolution for Recommendation of Nominees. - The
Commission shall adopt a resolution recommending to the President
of the
Philippines three (3) nominees, ranked in the order of preference, for
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appointment to each vacancy in the various professional regulatory
Boardsa said nominees having been selected from among the five (5)
names,} recommended by the duly accredited professional
organization.
SEC. 3. Submission by the Commission of the Resolution to
the Office of the President. - The resolution shall be submitted by
the Chairman of the Commission to the Office of the President not
later than two (2) months before the vacancy occurs, with the request
that the appointment be issued not later than thirty (30) days before
the scheduled licensure examinations.
SEC. 4. Reappointment of the Chairman or Member of the
Professional Regulatory Board. - Any Chairman or Member of the
professional regulatory Board whose term would expire but who has
served less than half of his full term of office as prescribed by law
may be recommended for appointment if he has shown exemplary
record or performance and such reappointment is authorized by the
law creating the professional regulatory Board.
SEC. 5. Appointment of the Chairman of the Professional
Regulatory Board. - In the event that a vacancy occurs in the position
of the Chairman of the professional regulatory Board, the
Commission shall, after consultations with the outgoing Chairman,
the other members of the Board and the professional organization
concerned, select a nominee from among the incumbent members of
the professional regulatory Board for recommendation to
appointment as Chairman if such appointment is authorized by the
law creating the said professional regulatory Board. This shall not
preclude the nomination of others who are not incumbent Board
members but who possess outstanding qualities based on the criteria
herein mentioned to merit appointment. A separate resolution
recommending nominees for appointment to the position of Board
Chairman shall be adopted by the Commission for submission to the
Office of the President.
This Executive Order shall take effect immediately.
Done in the City of Manila, this 9th day of in the year
of Our Lord, nineteen hundred and ninety-one.
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By the President:

DRILON
Secretary