Text by Jennifer Manongdo

Graduates of health sciences courses of the University of the Philippines Manila are assured of admission to their respective licensure examinations following the recognition of the institution’s quality assurance mechanisms by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).

This recognition of UP Manila’s quality education resulted in an exemption from the Certificate of Program Compliance (CoPC) requirement set jointly by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) that will determine whether graduates will be allowed to proceed for licensure examinations.

“We pursue quality assurance from local and international accrediting bodies to ensure that as the national health sciences center, UP Manila can serve the Filipino people through our world-class programs and alumni,” Chancellor Michael Tee said.

In an advisory released last month, PRC reiterated that it will strictly implement the CHED-PRC Memorandum Circular No. 01 (s. 2010) which requires State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) and Local Universities and Colleges (LUCs) to seek approval from the CHED to run their board programs. Thus, graduates of SUCs and LUCs without COPC will not be allowed to take their licensure examinations.

The exemption was granted by CHED to UP Manila after a thorough review of its quality assurance mechanisms: programs either certified as CHED Center of Excellence or certifications from international/professional and local certifying bodies.

“Upon evaluation of the CHED-Office of Programs and Standards Development (OPSD), the said 11 programs were found to be quality assured as carried out with the help of other Quality Assurance bodies,” J. Prospero De Vera, CHED Chairperson said in a letter addressed to PRC Chairperson Charito Zamora dated Feb. 26, 2025.

The 11 board programs that were exempted from the CoPC are: Doctor of Medicine, Doctor of Dental Medicine, Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry, Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy, Bachelor of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy, Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy, Bachelor of Science in Public Health, Bachelor of Science in Speech Pathology, and Diploma in Midwifery.

Graduates of SUCs and LUCs that received exemption from CoPC compliance shall observe the following guidelines as set by the PRC: If CHED CoPC exemption is issued to SUC/LUC before the exam application deadline, the affected graduates shall apply for licensure examination within the prescribed period of filing exam applications set by PRC. After the deadline, no applicant shall be admitted unless the deadline is extended or reopened by the PRC. Conversely, if CHED CoPC exemption is issued to SUC/LUC after the exam application deadline, concerned SUCs/LUCs are required to notify the PRC of their CHED CoPC exemption 15 days before the scheduled conduct of the licensure examination for reopening of application period purposes.

Otherwise, affected graduates shall be accommodated in the next licensure examination schedule. De Vera commended UP Manila and UP Los Banos for their efforts in securing national, regional, and international QA certification to show that their degree programs will continue to produce world class professionals.

On March 5, 2025, CHED and PRC signed a joint circular to ensure quality assurance among board programs in higher education institutions (HEIs). The circular establishes a stricter framework requiring SUCs and LUCs to obtain the COPC or an equivalent CHED-recognized national or international quality assurance certification. #