[ PROCLAMATION NO. 818, March 03, 2025 ]

DECLARING THE MONTH OF MAY OF EVERY YEAR AS THE “EASE OF DOING BUSINESS (EODB) MONTH”

WHEREAS, Section 27, Article II of the Constitution provides that the State shall maintain honesty and integrity in public service, and shall take positive and effective measures against graft and corruption;

WHEREAS, Section 2 of Republic Act (RA) No. 9485 or the “Anti-Red Tape Act of 2007,” as amended by RA No. 11032 or the “EODB and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018,” declares it a policy of the State to promote integrity, accountability, proper management of public affairs and public property, as well as to establish effective practices aimed at efficient turnaround of the delivery of government services and the prevention of graft and corruption;

WHEREAS, under Section 17 of RA No. 9485, as amended, the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) is mandated to implement and oversee a national policy on anti-red tape and EODB, implement various reform initiatives aimed at streamlining government services, recommend policies, processes, and systems to improve regulatory management, monitor and evaluate compliance of agencies, and conduct training programs to ensure adherence to sound regulatory management practices;

WHEREAS, the Administration is committed to strengthening the whole-of-government approach in the delivery of its key services, and is cognizant of the importance of promoting and increasing awareness on the crucial role of RA No. 11032 in creating a more business-friendly environment, driving economic development, and improving bureaucratic efficiency in the country; and

WHEREAS, Section 17, Article VII of the Constitution vests in the President the power of control over all the executive departments, bureaus and offices and the mandate to ensure the faithful execution of laws;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, FERDINAND R. MARCOS, JR., President of Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by the Constitution and existing laws, do hereby declare the month of May of every year as “EODB Month.”

For this purpose, the ARTA shall lead the yearly observance of the EODB Month, and identify programs, activities, and projects for the celebration thereof.

All agencies and instrumentalities of the National Government covered by RA No. 9485, as amended, including government-owned or -controlled corporations and local government units, are hereby directed to coordinate with ARTA for the effective implementation of all programs, activities, and projects relative to the celebration of EODB Month. Non-government organizations and the private sector are hereby encouraged to actively participate and render the necessary support and assistance to ARTA in the implementation of all EODB initiatives, including the celebration of the EODB Month.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the Republic of the President to be affixed.

DONE, in the City of Manila, this 3rd day of February, in the year of Our Lord, Two Thousand and Twenty-Five.

(SGD.) FERDINAND R. MARCOS, JR.

By the President:

(SGD.) LUCAS P. BERSAMIN
Executive Secretary

WHEREAS, the Integrated Chemists of the Philippines (ICP) is the Accredited Integrated Professional Organization (AIPO) of Chemistry under the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC);

WHEREAS, the ICP Board of Directors would like to provide financial assistance to ICP members, both Chemists and Chemical Technicians, who were affected by Typhoon Kristine;

BE IT RESOLVED AS IT HEREBY RESOLVES, that the Board of the ICP hereby APPROVES the following:

To extend its assistance to ICP members (Chemists and Chemical Technicians) who have been badly affected by Typhoon Kristine. The ICP shall set aside a total of P250,000 as assistance provided the following guidelines:

1. The request must be submitted by the president of the ICP chapter / cluster and addressed to the ICP National president. 
2. The beneficiary should be an ICP member who has been directly affected by Typhoon Kristine.
3. Financial assistance to each requesting member shall be a maximum of Fifteen thousand pesos (P15,000). If the area does not currently have operating banks or money transfer facilities, the local chapter is requested to advance the money for reimbursement.
4. Requests can be made until Nov. 30, 2024, or until all of the approved funds have been distributed, whichever comes first. The funds will be given on a first-come first-served basis. 
5. The ICP chapter or cluster president should verify the proper use of the funds.
6. An accounting of the use of the funds will be submitted by the Treasurer.

The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) announces that 592 out of 1,088 passed the Chemists Licensure Examination (Computer-Based and Paper & Pencil) and 2,110 out of 2,711 passed the Chemical Technicians Licensure Examination given by the Board of Chemistry in N. C. R., Baguio, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Davao, Iloilo, Legazpi, Lucena, Pampanga, Rosales, Tacloban and Zamboanga this October 2024.

The members of the Board of Chemistry who gave the licensure examinations are Hon. Adoracion P. Resurreccion, Chairman; Hon. Soledad S. Castañeda and Hon. Ma. Theresa C. Cayton, Members.

The results were released in three (3) working days after the last day of examinations.

Starting December 20, 2024, registration for the issuance of Professional Identification Card (ID) and Certificate of Registration will be done on-line.  Please go to www.prc.gov.ph and follow instructions for initial registration.  Those who will register are required to bring the following: downloaded duly accomplished Oath Form or Panunumpa ng Propesyonal, notice of admission (for identification only), 2 pieces passport sized pictures (colored with white background and complete name tag), 2 sets of documentary stamps and 1 piece short brown envelope.  Successful examinees should personally register and sign in the Roster of Registered Professionals.

Those who failed to pass the board examination for Chemist but had obtained a rating of at least 70% in any two (2) subjects can register as Chemical Technician.

The date and venue for the oathtaking ceremony of the new successful examinees in the said examination WILL BE ANNOUNCED LATER.

• Full text of the Official Result
• Performance of Schools
• Successful Examinees who garnered the top 10 highest places in Chemists Licensure Examination
• Successful Examinees who garnered the top 10 highest places in Chemical Technicians Licensure Examination
• List of Successful Examinees

See original post in prc.gov.ph

IIn view of the recent developments in the field of Chemistry in the Philippines, the ICP has initiated the proposed amendments to the ICP Constitution to update and align its provisions to the current needs of the professional practice of Chemistry in the Philippines. Ratification of the proposed ICP Constitution shall be conducted through a referendum to be participated by all regular ICP members in good standing. To allow members the opportunity to review the draft ICP Constitution, posted is a copy of the current ICP Constitution and the proposed amendments thereon. 

The ICP shall adopt the following referendum timeline:

Date	Activities
11 Sept – 9 Oct 2024	Posting of the draft proposed ICP Constitution. ICP members may send their comments to: PCol Albert Arturo (Chair): as_arturo@yahoo.com or Dr. Glenn Alea (Member): aleaglenn@gmail.com (Note: extended by 7 days)
14 – 29 Oct 2024	Posting of proposed ICP Constitution for referendum and voting period
29 Oct 2024 at 11:59 pm	Closing of the voting period for the referendum

The following are the ICP guidelines for the referendum:

1. Only REGULAR members (Chemists) of the ICP in good standing can cast their votes.
2. Votes will be manually tabulated to validate ICP membership status.
3. Voters with expired ICP membership shall be required to renew their ICP membership before the official closing of the voting period in order for their vote to be counted.
4. The members of the ICP Referendum COMELEC are PCol Albert S. Arturo (Chair) and Dr. Glenn C. Alea (Member).

Revised Criteria for NRCP Associate Membership
(approved by the NRCP Governing Board at their 1081st meeting, July 25, 2023)

1. Filipino citizen active in R&D works either residing in the Philippines or 1 abroad;

2. Must be at least baccalaureate degree holder;

3. Must meet the following Requirements* by Category

4. Be actively engaged in research and development or design/creative work in the
past three (3) years (aside from research thesis) accompanied by the following
proofs:
(a) With Certification of the Research Involvement using the NRCP-prescribed
template certified by the head of the agency/research director/dean where the
applicant is affiliated/ or head of the previous institution where the research
was conducted in the last three (3) years. The certification must contain the
titles of completed researches in the last three years (3) and/or ongoing
researches; and
(b) Abstracts of completed researches conducted in the last three (3) years
and/or progress report of any ongoing research including objectives and
accomplishments; and

5. Enrollment in a recognized web-issuing H-index rating (e.g. Google Scholar or
Scopus) or an equivalent metrics recommended by the Division and approved by the
Governing Board.

Footnotes:

1. For Filipino researchers based abroad/outside the Philippines, research accomplishments must include those conducted in the Philippines, or collaborative work with Filipinos or research with benefit to the Philippines
2. Principal authorship refers to the person who contributed most to the work. DOI of publicationls is/are required. Should clarification be needed, the secretariat can send a query to the corresponding author of the publication, copy furnished the Division Chair.
3. Reputable research publications/journals as determined by the division’s list of reputable journals and/or subject to the decision of the Division Chair
4. The third party certifying body must be a recognized critic (e.g. for film), academician (with expertise in the field), thesis adviser, recognized bodies (e.g. NCCA, Palanca board of judges) and/or nationally acclaimed experts in the area (e.g.,Magsaysay awardee, Palanca awardee), etc.