Manila, Philippines – Commencing collaborative endeavors with finesse, the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC), through the Professional Regulatory Board of Interior Design (PRBoID), successfully held the “First Conference with Indonesia for the Mutual Recognition of Professional Qualifications” side-by-side with its momentous Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signing with Indonesia last December 2-3, 2022 at the Hotel Okura Manila.

Delegates from the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing (MPWPH), the Indonesian Institute of Interior Designers (locally known as Himpunan Desainer Interior Indonesia or HDII), the Asia-Pacific Space Designers Association (APSDA), the Philippine Institute of Interior Designers (PIID), and the Council of Interior Design Educators (CIDE) all gathered in style during the activity’s welcome dinner and has actively participated on the conference proper the next day.

Graced by the virtual support of PRC Chairperson, Charito A. Zamora, the physical presence of Commissioners Jose Y. Cueto Jr. and Erwin M. Enad, and the guidance of the event’s main proponent, the PRBoID composed by Hon. Sonia S. Olivares, Hon. Maria Carlota D. Hilvano and Hon. Vincent Louie V. Tan, the conference was able to align various aspects of professional qualification recognition between Filipino and Indonesian Interior Designers, as well as its assessment towards mutual recognition of professional interior design qualifications. More importantly, the conference was able to foster collaboration with the Indonesian body through the signing of the MoU.

With its theme, "PINTO: A Conference on ASEAN Mutual Recognition Agreements," the event did open doors of opportunity for partnership in the conduct of various collaborative activities and alignment that will further facilitate the establishment of a working relationship between the Philippines, represented by the Commission through the PRBoID and the PIID, and Indonesia, through the MPWPH and the HDII.

Through this commitment, it is evident that small steps, such as this conference with the MoU signing, lead to big accomplishments.

As the Philippines' lead government body on professional services trade, the PRC will continue to support exchanges and greater mobility within the ASEAN region, ensuring that collaborative efforts toward professional interior design development will be sustained.