PGMA orders PRC to conduct special board licensure exam for OFWs in the Middle East

MANILA (PNA) -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has ordered the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) and other concerned government agencies, through the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), to conduct a yearly Special Professional Licensure Board Examination (SPLBE) for the benefit of qualified overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the Middle East.According to EO 835, "the state recognizes the important role of professionals in nation-building, and towards this end, it is imperative to maintain the reservoir of our professionals whose competence has been determined by honest and credible licensure examinations and whose standards of professional service and practice are internationally recognized and considered world-class brought about by regulatory measures, programs and activities that foster professional growth and advancement."Under Section 2 of EO 835, the special licensure board examinations for qualified Filipino professionals and OFWs in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and other Middle East countries will be held once a year.The venue for the SPLEB will be identified by the Department of Foreign Affairs through