Republic Act No. 11241

This Act shall be known as "The Philippine Occupational Therapy Law of 2018".

The State recognizes the importance of occupational therapists in nation building. Hence, it shall develop and nurture competent, virtuous, productive and well-rounded occupational therapists whose standards of practice and service shall be excellent, world-class and globally competitive through inviolable, honest, effective and credible licensure examinations and through regulatory measures, programs and activities that foster their continuing professional growth.

As used in this Act, the following terms shall mean:

There is hereby created a Board of Occupational Therapy, hereafter referred to as the Board, under the administrative supervision of the Professional Regulation Commission, hereinafter referred to as the Commission, composed of a chairperson and two (2) members appointed by the President of the Philippines within six (6) months from the enactment of this Act upon the recommendation of the Commission from among occupational therapists of recognized standing nominated by the accredited and integrated professional organization of occupational therapists.

The Board shall have the following powers and functions:

The members of the Board shall, at the time of their appointment, possess the following qualifications:

The members of the Board shall hold office for a term of three (3) years or until their successors have been appointed and duly qualified: Provided, That members of the first Board to be appointed after the approval of this Act shall hold office for the following terms: the chairperson for three (3) years, one (1) member for two (2) years, and the other member for one (1) year: Provided, further, That a chairperson or member may be reappointed for a second term, but may not serve more than two (2) consecutive three (3)-year terms or six (6) consecutive years. Interim vacancies shall be filled for the unexpired term only.

Any member of the Board may, upon the recommendation of the Commission after due process of law and investigation conducted by the Commission, be suspended or removed by the President from office for cause such as gross neglect of duty, incompetence, malpractice, unprofessionalism, immorality, unethical or dishonorable conduct, final judgment of crimes involving moral turpitude, and manipulating or rigging of the licensure examination results, disclosure of secret and confidential information in the examination questions prior to the conduct of the said examination, or tampering of grades.

The chairperson and members of the Board shall receive compensation and allowances comparable to that being received by the chairpersons and members of existing regulatory boards under the Commission as provided for in the General Appropriations Act.

The Board shall be under the administrative supervision of the Commission. All records of the Board, including applications for examination, examination papers and results, minutes of deliberation, administrative cases, and other investigations involving occupational therapists, shall be kept by the Commission.

The Commission shall designate the Secretary of the Board and shall provide the secretariat and other support services to implement the provisions of this Act.

The Board shall, at the close of each calendar year, submit an annual report to the Commission, giving a detailed account of its proceedings and accomplishments during the year and recommending measures to be adopted, with the end in view of upgrading and improving the conditions affecting the practice of occupational therapy in the Philippines.

All applicants for registration for the practice of occupational therapy shall be required to undergo a licensure examination to be given by the Board in such places and dates as the Commission may designate subject to compliance with the requirements prescribed by the Commission.

An applicant for the licensure examination for occupational therapists shall establish, to the satisfaction of the Board, that the following qualifications are met:

The licensure examination for occupational therapists shall cover the basic sciences and health science foundations integrated into the following domains:

To be qualified as having passed the licensure examination for occupational therapists, a candidate must have obtained a general average of seventy-five percent (75%), with no grade lower than sixty percent (60%) in any given subject.

The Board shall submit to the Commission the ratings obtained by each candidate within ten (10) calendar days after the examination, unless extended for just cause.

Issuance of the Certificate of Registration, Professional License, and Professional Identification Card. - Registration and a professional license shall be issued to examinees who pass the licensure examination for occupational therapists subject to payment of fees prescribed by the Commission. The registration and professional license shall bear the signature of the chairperson of the Commission and the members of the Board, stamped with the official seal, indicating that the person named therein is entitled to practice the profession with all the privileges appurtenant thereto. The registration and license shall remain in full force and effect until revoked or suspended in accordance with this Act.

The initials OTRP, which stands for Occupational Therapists Registered Philippines, shall be used following the name of the registered occupational therapist, especially when signing documents pertinent to the practice of the profession.

The Board shall refuse to register any successful examinee who has been convicted by a court of competent jurisdiction of any criminal offense involving moral turpitude, or has been found guilty of immoral or dishonorable conduct after investigation by the Board, or has been declared to be of unsound mind. The reason for the refusal shall be set forth in writing.

. Reinstatement, Re-issuance or Replacement of Certificate of Registration and Professional License. - Two (2) years after the date of revocation, the Board may, upon application and for reasons deemed proper and sufficient, reinstate any revoked certificate of registration or professional license, and in so doing, may, in its discretion, exempt the applicant from taking another examination.

A new certificate of registration, professional license, or special permit, to replace lost, destroyed, or mutilated ones, may be issued subject to the rules as implemented by the Board.

Successful examinees qualified for registration, and qualified applicants for registration without examination, shall be required to take an oath of profession before any member of the Board or any government official authorized by the Commission to administer oaths, prior to entering into the practice of occupational therapy in the Philippines.

The occupational therapist shall be required to indicate his/her registration/professional license number and date of issuance thereof, the duration of validity of said license, including his/her privilege tax receipt number, on the documents he/she signs, uses or issues in connection with the practice of his/her profession.

Revocation or Suspension of the Certificate of Registration and Cancellation of Special Permit. - The Board may, after giving proper notice of hearing to the party concerned, revoke the practitioners certificate of registration and professional license, or be suspended from the practice of the profession; or cancel the special permit for any of the causes or grounds mentioned in Section 25 of this Act or for any unprofessional or unethical conduct, malpractice, violation of any of the provisions of this Act, its rules and regulations, the Code of Ethics, and Standards of Practice for occupational therapists.

The Board shall prepare, update and maintain a roster of occupational therapists which shall contain the name of each registered occupational therapist, his/her residence and office addresses, the date of registration and issuance of certificates, and other data which the Board may deem pertinent. The roster shall be open to the public, copies of which shall be mailed to each person listed therein.

Special or temporary permits upon recommendation of the integrated professional organization of occupational therapists may be issued by the Board, subject to the approval by the Commission and payment of the fees the latter has prescribed and charges, to the following persons:

No person shall practice or offer to practice occupational therapy, nor offer to be an occupational therapist, or use the title, word, letter, figure, or any sign tending to convey the impression of being an occupational therapist, nor advertise or indicate in any manner whatsoever to be qualified to perform the work of an occupational therapist without passing the licensure examination given by the Board, except as otherwise provided in this Act.

No person shall:

The Board shall adopt and promulgate the Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice for occupational therapists prescribed and issued by the Accredited and Integrated Professional Organization (AIPO) of occupational therapists.

All occupational therapists shall abide with the requirements, rules and regulations on continuing professional development to be promulgated by the Professional Regulatory Board of Occupational Therapy, subject to the approval of the Commission, in coordination with the AIPO of occupational therapists and/or the recognized representative of duly accredited education institutions. For this purpose, the Board may create a CPD council to implement the CPD program, subject to such guidelines as may be prescribed by the Commission.

The occupational therapy profession shall be integrated into one (1) national professional organization of occupational therapists, which shall be duly registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The Board, subject to approval by the Commission, shall accredit the said organization as the one and only AIPO of registered occupational therapists. All occupational therapists whose names appear in the current Registry Book of Occupational Therapists shall ipso facto or automatically become members thereof and shall receive all the benefits and privileges appurtenant thereto upon payment of the required AIPO membership fees and dues.

Membership in the AIPO shall not be a bar to membership in other organizations of occupational therapists.

No foreign occupational therapist shall be given a certificate of registration/professional license and professional identification card or be entitled to any of the privileges under this Act unless the country or state of which the foreign occupational therapist is a subject or citizen permits Filipino occupational therapists to practice within its territorial limits on the same basis as the subjects or citizens of said country or state.

Any person who shall violate any of the provisions of this Act or any of its implementing rules and regulations as promulgated by the Board, subject to the approval of the Commission, shall upon conviction, be punished with a fine of not less than Twenty thousand pesos (₱20,000.00) nor more than Fifty thousand pesos (₱50,000.00), or by imprisonment of not less than two (2) years nor more than five (5) years, or both, at the discretion of the court.

The Chairman of the Commission shall immediately include in the Commissions budget program, the implementation of this Act, the funding of which shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act.

To implement the provisions of this Act, the Board shall, subject to the approval of the Commission, promulgate the rules and regulations, as well as the Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice for occupational therapists, within sixty (60) days after the effectivity of this Act.

The existing Board of Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy shall continue to function in the interim until such time that the new and separate Professional Regulatory Board of Occupational Therapy shall be constituted pursuant to this Act.

If any part, portion, section or provision of this Act shall be declared invalid or unconstitutional, such shall not invalidate any other part, portion, section or provision of this Act and the same shall continue to be in force and effect.

All laws, decrees, orders, issuances or parts thereof which are inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby modified, revised, superseded or repealed. Republic Act No. 5680 is hereby modified accordingly.

This Act shall take effect after fifteen (15) days following its publication in the Official Gazette or in two (2) major newspapers of national circulation, whichever comes earlier.

Approved,

GLORIA MACAPAGAL-ARROYO Speaker of the House of Representatives

VICENTE C. SOTTO III President of the Senate