JAKARTA, INDONESIA - The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC / Commission), through Hon. Melinda L. Garcia, Member of the Professional Regulatory Board of Dentistry (PRB-DNT), and Ms. Marie Cecille P. Fernando, Chief of the Qualification Recognition Division (QRD), represented the Philippines at the 15th ASEAN Qualifications Reference Framework Committee (AQRFC) Meeting held on 05–07 August 2025 in Jakarta, Indonesia. The gathering brought together representatives from ASEAN Member States to strengthen regional cooperation on qualifications referencing, quality assurance, and education-to-workforce systems.

Hon. Garcia presented in her report the current status, updates, and action plan for the Focus Group on Third-Party Comparison (FG-TPC), the Philippines being the Lead Country of the said group. The TPC targets to empower the AQRF as an advisory board of regional qualifications by establishing policy, regulations, guidelines, and Standard Operating Procedures in its operations. In addition, a workshop will be conducted to provide a more comprehensive report on the comparisons between AQRF and the other nine national qualifications frameworks and regional qualifications frameworks (e.g., EQF, AQF, HKQF, KQF, NZQF). This work aims to improve alignment, harmonization, and mutual recognition of qualifications within ASEAN and beyond.

The Philippines, through the PRC and other key agencies, also reported significant post-referencing initiatives to advance the Philippine Qualifications Framework (PQF). These include the introduction of the professional track in the PQF diagram, reconstitution of the National Referencing Committee, and the establishment of the Philippine Credit Transfer System (PCTS) to support learner mobility between Technical-Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and higher education. The country also highlighted the enactment of the Expanded Tertiary Education Equivalency and Accreditation Program (ETEEAP Act) for recognition of prior learning, frameworks for micro-credentials, and innovations in enterprise-based education and training.

These developments demonstrate the PRC’s strong role in advancing the country’s education and professional qualifications systems in line with ASEAN and global standards, thereby supporting Filipino professionals’ competitiveness and mobility in the region and worldwide.

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