The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC), through its Research and Statistics Division (RSD) spearheaded the first virtual seminar-workshop on Strategic Planning for Research last January 15, 2021.

With the unceasing support of Honorable Chairman Teofilo S. Pilando, Jr. and Commissioner Yolanda D. Reyes, Honorable Jose Y. Cueto took the lead as the Oversight Commissioner for RSD. Commissioner Cueto, on his introduction, brilliantly explained the importance of research in policy–making. He was followed by the Vice-Chancellor for Research of the University of the Philippines (UP) Manila, Dr. Armando Crisostomo, with his discussion on Principles and Processes in Strategic Planning.

Dr. Erlyn Sana of the UP National Teacher Training Center for the Health Professions (NTTC-HP) tackled educational research and its relevance to licensure examinations. At the same time, Dr. Alvin Marcelo Professor of UP College of Medicine and Director of the Asia eHealth Information Network (AeHIN), comprehensively and interactively discussed the importance of using data to achieve PRC’s research agenda.

Onto the breakout rooms in the afternoon session, three (3) groups were formed to brain storm on research topics that are relevant and aligned to the PRC mandate. As an output of the workshop, they presented their research proposal, including rationale and objectives, statement of the problem, hypothesis, methodology, population and sampling, statistical analysis, and instrumentation.

With all efforts in place, PRC gears towards strengthening its research culture and create a community where decisions and policies are made based on empirical and scientific data.