[REPUBLIC ACT No.

7920]

AN ACT PROVIDING FOR, A MORE RESPONSIVE AND COMPREHENSIVE REGULATION FOR THE

PRACTICE, LICENSING, AND REGISTRATION OF ELECTRICAL ENGINEERS AND ELECTRICIANS

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress assembled:

ARTICLE I TITLE AND DEFINITION OF TERMS

SECTION 1. Title. This Act shall be known as the "New Electrical Engineering Law."

The Act says that a person is deemed to be in the practice of electrical engineering when he renders or

offers to render professional electrical engineering service. (a) "Practice of electrical engineering" a

person is deemed to be in the practice of electrical engineering when he renders or offers to render

professional electrical engineering service in the form of:(1) Consultation, investigation, valuation and

management of services requiring electrical engineering knowledge;(2) Design and preparation of

plans, specifications and estimates for electric power systems, power plants, power distribution systems

including power transformers, transmission lines and network protection, switchgear, building wiring,

electrical machines, equipment and others;(3) Supervision of erection, installation, testing and

commissioning of power plants, substations, transmission lines, industrial plants and others;(4)

Supervision of operation and maintenance of electrical equipment in power plants, industrial plants,

watercrafts, electric locomotives and others;(5) Supervision of the manufacture and repair of electrical

equipment including switchboards, transformers, generators, motors, apparatus and others;

"Substation" is any building, room or separate place which houses or encloses electric supply

equipment. "Voltage" is the highest effective potential difference between any two conductors of the
circuit concerned expressed in volts. "Institutional buildings” are school buildings, hospitals, museums,

display centers, government buildings and the like.

ARTICLE II BOARD OF ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING

SEC. 3. Composition of the Board. The Board of Electrical Engineering, hereinafter referred to as the

Board, shall be created as a collegial body under the general supervision and administrative control of

the Professional Regulations Commission. It will be composed of a chairman and two (2) members to be

appointed by the President of the Philippines. The Board of Professional Regulations Commission (PRC)

will determine and regulate the practice of electrical engineering in the Philippines.

It will also determine and evaluate the qualifications of the applicants for registration with or

without licensure examinations and for special permits. The board has the power to draw the test

questions at random through process of computerization; conduct the examination; correct and rate the

examination papers manually or through process-of-computerization; and submit the examination

results to the commission.

The rules of the Professional Regulations Commission (PRC) include: Promulgate rules and regulations

including a code of ethics, administrative policies, orders and issuances to carry out the provisions of

this Act. If the case concerns strictly the practice of the profession, the investigation shall be presided

over by the chairman or a member of the Board with the assistance of a PRC attorney. The decision of

the Commission may be appealed to the Court of Appeals in accordance with the procedure provided in

the Rules of Court. recommendations of the Board to the Commission after the close of each fiscal year;

(p) Prosecute or institute criminal action against any violator of the Act and/or the rules and regulations

of the Board;(q) Adopt an official seal;(r) Coordinate with the Commission and the Department of

Education, Culture and Sports(DECS) in prescribing, amending and/or revising the courses; Adopt an
official seal; Coordinate with the Commission and DECS in prescribing, amending and/or revising the

courses; Prescribe guidelines and criteria on the CPE program for professional electrical engineers,

registered electrical engineers and registered master electricians.

SEC. 6. Term of Of Ice: The members of the Board shall hold office for a term of three (3) years from the

date of appointment or until their successors shall have been appointed and qualified. They may,

however, be reappointed for a second term. SEC. 6. Term of ice.

Each member of the Board shall qualify by taking an oath of office before entering upon the

performance of his duties. Compensation of Chairman and the Board Members. SEC. 7. The chairman

and members of the Board shall receive a monthly compensation of no less than 12 thousand pesos

(P12,000.00): Provided, further, that such compensation shall be increased or modified pursuant to the

General Appropriations Act of the year. SEC. 8.

Compensation of Chairman and the Board Members. SEC. 7. Removal of Board Members.

ARTICLE III EXAMINATION AND REGISTRATION

SEC. 10. Examination Required. All applicants for registration for the practice of electrical

engineering in the Philippines shall be required to pass a technical examination as hereafter provided,

except as otherwise specifically allowed under this Act. A valid certificate of registration and a valid

professional license from the Commission are required before any person is allowed to practice

electrical engineering in the Philippines except as otherwise allowed under this Act. Ninety percent

(90%) of the fees is to be treated as a special fund for the programs, projects and activities of the
Commission and the remaining ten percent (10%) shall be set aside as a trust fund for continuing

education and research. SEC. 11. Registration and License Required.

Examination and registration will not be required of foreign electrical engineers,

erection/commissioning/guarantee engineers employed as consultants by the Philippine government or

by private firms. Foreign professionals are legally qualified to practice their profession in their own

country in which the requirements and qualifications for obtaining a license or certificate of registration

are not lower than those specified in this Act. For every foreign professional contracted under the

provisions of this Act, one Filipino understudy who is registered under the provision of this Act shall be

employed by the private firm utilizing the services of such foreign professional for at least the duration

of the alien expert's tenure with said firm: and. That the exemption herein granted shall be good only

for six (6) months. SEC. 15.

Examinations for the practice of electrical engineering in the Philippines should be given twice a year in

the City of Manila and other places that the Board may recommend for scheduling. The Board shall

schedule interview/oral examination of every applicant for registration as professional electrical

engineer only at the office of the Commission. If a foreign professional is registered under the provisions

of this Act, such professional must be registered with the Board.

SEC. 16. Qualifications of Applicant for Registration as Professional Electrical Engineer. To qualified

applicants for examination, notice of admission shall be issued not later than ten (10) days prior to the

first day of examination. A person applying for registration as professional electrical engineer must

establish to the satisfaction of the Board that on or before the date of registration, he possesses the

following qualifications: He is a citizen of the Philippines;(b) He is of good reputation with high moral
values; He has not been finally convicted by the court of an offense involving moral turpitude; and he is

a holder of the Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering (BSEE).

SEC. 16. Qualifications of Applicant for Registration as Professional Electrical Engineer. SEC. 19. Scope

of Examination: Applicants must have completed at least three (3) years of Bachelor of Science in

Electrical Engineering (BSEE) program or a three-year course in electrical engineering technology from

an engineering school recognized by the Philippine government. They must also have at least two (2)

years of apprenticeship after completion of the course of instruction on electrical installation, operation

and maintenance of utilization devices and equipment; or have a specific record of one (1) year practice

in electrical wiring.

The passing general weighted average rating shall be 70 percent (70%) with no grade below 50 percent

(50%) in any group of subjects listed above. (2) Engineering sciences and allied subjects, such as: general

chemistry, college physics, computer fundamentals and programming, engineering materials,

engineering mechanics, fluid mechanics, strength of materials, thermodynamics, electrical engineering

law, engineering economics, engineering management, contracts and specifications, code of

professional ethics, Philippine Electrical Code, Parts 1 and 2 and others. Philippine Electrical Code, Parts

1 and 2: The relative weights shall be 50 percent for technical subjects and fifty percent for other related

subjects as may be prescribed by the Board. The number of test questions shall be such that the

examinations can be finished in one (1) eight-hour day. Ohm's Law:

Wiring diagrams of different types of motor starters with motor protection; Drawing symbols and wiring

plans.

The passing average rating shall be seventy percent (70%) with no grade below fifty percent (50%) in any

subject. All successful candidates in the examination shall be required to take a professional oath before

the Board or any government official. A certificate of registration as a professional electrical engineer,

registered electrical engineer or registered master electrician will allow the registrant to practice his

profession until the expiration of its expiration date.

The CPE guidelines are subject to the approval of the Commission and other concerned sectors. At the

effectivity of this Act, every professional electrical engineer, registered electrical engineer and master

electrician who registers with the Board will become a member of the integrated national organization.

The seal of Professional Electrical Engineer should bear the registrant's name, the certificate number

and the legend "Professional Electrical Engineer" when filed with government authorities or when

submitted or used professionally: Provided, however, that it is unlawful for anyone to stamp or seal any

document with said seal after the registrar’s name has been delisted from the roster of professional

electrical engineers or after the validity of his professional license has expired. The registrant shall be

allowed again to use his seal or stamp in the documents he prepares, signs or issues only after he is

reinstated to the practice of his profession and reissued a new professional license.

SEC. 28. Refusal to Issue Certificates. The Board of electrical engineering shall not issue a. certificate of

registration to any person convicted by the court of any criminal offense involving moral turpitude or to

a person guilty of immoral or dishonorable conduct or to a person of unsound mind. In the event of
refusal to issue certificates for any reason, the Board shall give the applicant a written statement setting

forth the reasons for such action, which statement shall be incorporated in the records of the Board.

SEC. 29. Suspension from the Practice of the Profession. Violations of this Act and the Code of

Professional Ethics will be sufficient ground for the revocation of a certificate issued under this Act, and

his suspension from the practice of his profession for unprofessional or dishonest conduct. Any person,

firm, association, or corporation may file charges in accordance with the provisions of this section

against any licensee, or the Board may, on its own initiative (motu proprio) investigate and/or take

cognizance of acts and practices constituting cause for suspension or revocation of the certificate of

registration by proper resolution or order. The Board's or Commission’s decision is appealable by the

respondent to the Court of Appeals in according to the procedure provided under the Rules of Court.

ARTICLE IV SUNDRY PROVISIONS RELATIVE TO THE PRACTICE OF ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING

A professional electrical engineer's field of practice includes the sole authority to seal electrical plans,

etc., and to practice electrical engineering in its full scope as defined in this Act. No person shall practice

or offer to practice electrical engineering in the Philippines without having previously obtained a

certificate of registration and a professional license from the Board of Electrical Engineering. SEC. 32.

Prohibitions in the Practice of Electrical Engineering. Every electric plant, industrial plant or factory,

commercial establishment, institutional building. watercraft, electric locomotive or in any other

installation where persons and properties are exposed to electrical hazards shall haveless than the

following complement of professional electrical engineer, registered electrical engineer, and registered

master electrician.
The Philippine Electrical Code prohibits the practice of preparing plans, designs, valuations or

specifications for any electrical wiring, equipment, or system unless a professional electrical engineer or

master electrician is qualified to do so. It also prohibits the preparation and use of watercrafts or electric

locomotives up to five hundred kilovoltamperes/kilowatt (500 kVA/kW) and employing voltages up to six

hundred volts (600 V). This section, however, does not apply to installations which are designed to be

automatic and do not require resident personnel. No firm or corporation may be registered or licensed

as such for the practice of electrical engineering. Certificates of specialty shall be issued by the Board,

subject to the approval of the Commission, to professional electrical engineers who have been screened

and recommended by the integrated and accredited electrical engineering association.

ARTICLE V TRANSITORY PROVISIONS

SEC. 42. New Certificates of Registration and Professional Licenses. (a) Associate electrical engineers and

assistant electrical engineers with valid certificates of registration and professional license issued under

Republic Act No. 184 shall register within two (2) years from the effectivity of this Act. Their serial

numbers shall be provided by the registration division of the Commission.

ARTICLE VI FINAL PROVISIONS

The Act includes a Separability Clause and Repealing Clause for electrical contractors, electrical

inspectors, and electricians. Other provisions of provincial, city or municipal ordinances or regulations

relating to electrical contractors are also repealed or amended accordingly. If any part of this Act or the

application of such a provision or circumstance is declared unconstitutional, the remainder of this. Act

includes that section.