The Philippine Criminology Profession Act of 2018

Case Overview and Summary

Summary of Republic Act No. 11131 (The Philippine Criminology Profession Act of 2018):

Title and Policy (Sections 1-2):
- This Act shall be known as "The Philippine Criminology Profession Act of 2018".
- The State recognizes the importance of the criminology profession in national security, public safety, peace and order, and nation-building.

Objectives (Section 3):
- Govern the examination, registration, licensure, supervision, control, and regulation of the practice of criminology.
- Standardize and regulate criminology education.
- Develop professional competence through Continuing Professional Development (CPD).
- Integrate all criminology professional groups and registered criminologists into the Accredited Professional Organization (APO).

Definition of Terms (Section 4):
- Defines key terms such as APO, Board, CHED, Commission, Criminology, Profession, and Registered Criminologist.

Scope of Practice (Section 5):
- Enumerates the acts and activities covered in the practice of criminology, including:
    - Law enforcement, investigation, and security roles in government and private agencies (Section 5a).
    - Teaching criminology subjects in educational institutions (Section 5b).
    - Forensic and scientific crime detection and investigation (Section 5c).
    - Correctional administration and rehabilitation (Section 5d).
    - Criminological research, counseling, and consulting (Section 5e).
    - Private investigation and security services (Section 5f).

Professional Regulatory Board for Criminologists (Sections 6-12):
- Creates the Professional Regulatory Board for Criminologists under the PRC.
- Outlines the qualifications, terms, compensation, powers, functions, duties, and responsibilities of the Board.
- Grounds for removal or suspension of Board members.
- Administrative supervision of the Board by the PRC.

Examination, Registration, Certification, and Licensure (Sections 13-26):
- Requirements for taking the licensure examination for criminologists (Section 14).
- Subjects and relative weights for the licensure examination (Section 15).
- Passing rating of 75% with no grade below 60% in any subject (Section 17).
- Issuance of certificate of registration and professional identification card (Section 20).
- Grounds for refusal to issue, revoke, or suspend registration (Sections 21-22).
- Reissuance of revoked certificate, replacement of lost documents (Section 23).
- Nonpayment of annual registration fees leads to suspension (Section 24).
- Renewal of professional identification card requires CPD units (Section 25).
- Automatic registration for existing registered criminologists (Section 26).

Practice of Criminology (Sections 27-33):
- Lawful practitioners include registered criminologists, foreign criminologists with temporary/special permits, and registered juridical entities (Section 27).
- Issuance and use of a professional seal (Section 28).
- Foreign reciprocity requirements (Section 29).
- Issuance of temporary/special permits to foreign criminologists under certain conditions (Section 30).
- Indication of registration number, tax receipt, and APO membership on documents (Section 31).
- Maintenance of a roster of registered criminologists (Section 32).
- Integration of registered criminologists into the APO (Section 33).

Privileges of Registered Criminologists (Sections 34-36):
- Exemption from taking other government or civil service examinations for certain positions (Section 34).
- Preference for appointment in government criminal justice and other institutions (Section 35).
- Eligibility for lateral entry as Police, Fire, and Jail Inspectors or equivalent (Section 36).

Penal Clause and Enforcement (Sections 37-38):
- Penalties of fines from ₱100,000 to ₱500,000 and/or imprisonment from 2 years and 1 day to 6 years for violations (Section 37).
- Enforcement by the Board, PRC, APO, government agencies, and private organizations (Section 38).

Appropriations, Transitory Provisions, Implementing Rules and Regulations, Separability Clause, Repealing Clause, and Effectivity (Sections 39-44):
- Appropriations for implementation to be included in the annual General Appropriations Act (Section 39).
- Incumbent Board to continue operating until the new Board is constituted (Section 40).
- Issuance of Implementing Rules and Regulations within 90 days (Section 41).
- Separability clause (Section 42).
- Repeals Republic Act No. 6506 and other inconsistent laws (Section 43).
- Effectivity 15 days after publication in the Official Gazette or newspaper (Section 44).