By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
As part of a proactive approach to improving convenience for millions of Filipinos through streamlined government services, various government agencies have made strides in extending the validity of certain government-issued identity documents.
This, as the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) welcomed recent developments on House Bill No. 8876, after the legislation hurdled second reading at the House of Representatives.
The legislation seeks to extend the validity of PRC IDs from three to five years, in line with the extended validity period of the Philippine passport and driver’s license by the DFA and LTO, respectively.
In an interview at the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon program, PRC Assistant Commissioner Lord Louis Valera expressed optimism about what a 5-year validity period of PRC IDs would entail for Filipino professionals.
“Dati kasi every three years yan. Pero kung mas mahaba na yung validity niya, less na yung frequency na kailangan nilang pumunta. So yung panahon nila pwede na nilang gamitin sa ibang bagay, ibang mas importante undertaking.”
Comm. Valera also stressed that the renewal process would remain largely unchanged should the bill hurdle the final reading and become a law, touting the efficacy of the agency’s online system.
He moreover added that the extended validity period would not entail additional Continuing Professional Development (CPD) requirements, and they only need to comply with the law’s requirements to renew their license.
A minimal adjustment in the renewal fees would also be put in place to account for the longer validity period of the PRC IDs.
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