Republic Act No. 11249

This Act shall be known as the "Speech Language Pathology Act".

The State recognizes the important role of speech language pathologists in nation building and promotes the sustained development of a corps of speech language pathologists whose competence have been determined by honest and credible licensure examinations, and whose standards of professional practice and services are world-class, internationally recognized, and globally competitive through regulatory measures, programs, and activities that foster their continuing professional growth.

As used in this Act:

Within ninety (90) days after the effectivity of this Act, there shall be created the Professional Regulatory Board of Speech Language Pathology, hereinafter referred to as the Board, under the administrative supervision and control of the Professional Regulation Commission, hereinafter referred to as the Commission. The Board shall be composed of a chairperson and two (2) members who shall be appointed by the President of the Philippines from the three (3) recommendees for each vacant position chosen from the five (5) nominees of the Accredited Integrated Professional Organization (AIPO) of speech language pathologists.

The chairperson or member of the Board shall, at the time of appointment, possess the following qualifications:

The Board shall have the authority to:

The chairperson and members of the Board shall hold office for three (3) years after appointment or until their successors shall 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: chairperson for three (3) years, one member for two (2) years, and the other member for one (1) year: Provided, further, That the chairperson or any member may be reappointed for another term of three (3) years but in no case shall the individual serve continuously for more than six (6) years. Vacancy in the Board shall be filled for the unexpired term only. Each member of the Board shall automatically be registered as speech language pathologist and issued a certificate of registration and professional identification card and shall take the proper oath of office prior to assumption.

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

Any member of the Board may be suspended or removed from office for gross neglect of duty, incompetence, malpractice, unprofessionalism, immorality, unethical or dishonorable conduct, final judgment of crimes involving moral turpitude, manipulation or rigging of the licensure examination results, and disclosure of secret and confidential information in the examination questions prior to the conduct of the said examination, or tampering of grades.

The administrative proceedings shall be heard by the Commission, whose recommendation shall be submitted to the Office of the President. During the investigation, the respondent shall be placed under preventive suspension by the Commission and another qualified individual shall be designated to fill the temporary vacancy in the Board.

The Board shall be under the administrative supervision of the Commission.

All records of the Board, including applications for examination, and administrative and other investigative cases conducted by the Board shall be under the custody of 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 submit an annual report to the Commission after the close of each calendar year, giving a detailed account of the proceedings of the Board during the year and recommending measures to be adopted, with the end in view of upgrading and improving the conditions affecting the practice of speech language pathology in the Philippines.

Unless otherwise provided in this Act, all applicants for registration for the practice of speech language pathology shall be required to undergo a licensure examination to be administered by the Board in such places and dates as the Commission may designate, subject to compliance with the requirements prescribed by the Commission.

In order to be admitted in the licensure examination, it must be established to the satisfaction of the Board that, at the time of filing of application, the applicant is:

The coverage of the licensure examination for speech language pathologists shall include the following:

A person who possesses the pertinent qualifications required for admission in the licensure examination for speech language pathologists pursuant to the provisions of this Act may be registered without examination:

Provided, That the applicant files with the Board, within one (1) year after the effectivity of the implementing rules and regulations, an application for registration and issuance of a certificate of registration and professional identification card by submitting credentials showing that the applicant before the effectivity of this Act holds a bachelors degree in speech language pathology from a college or university recognized by the CHED: Provided, further, That the applicant is a certified member of the AIPO of speech language pathologists.

To be qualified as having passed the licensure examination for speech language pathologists, a candidate must have obtained a general weighted average of at least seventy-five percent (75%), with no grade lower than fifty percent (50%) in any given subject of the examination.

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.

All individuals admitted for registration, with or without examination, shall be required to take an oath of profession before any member of the Board or any officer of the Commission authorized to administer oaths prior to entering the practice of speech language pathology in the Philippines.

A certificate of registration and professional identification card shall be issued to all registrants, with or without examination, upon the registrants compliance with all the legal requirements, including payment of fees prescribed by the Commission. The certificate of registration shall bear the signature of the chairperson of the Commission and the chairperson and members of the Board and shall indicate that the person named therein is entitled to the practice of the profession with all the privileges appurtenant thereto. The certificate of registration shall remain in full force and effect until withdrawn, suspended or revoked in accordance with this Act.

A professional identification card bearing the registration number and dates of issuance and expiry, duly signed by the Chairperson of the Commission, shall likewise be issued to every registrant who has complied with all the requirements set by the Board and the Commission, including the payment of prescribed fees.

All documents that the speech language pathologist signs, uses or issues in connection with the practice of the profession shall indicate the speech language pathologists certificate of registration number, dates of validity and expiry of the professional identification card and the income tax registration number.

The Board shall not register any successful examinee who has been convicted by final judgment by a court of competent jurisdiction of any 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.

Revocation or Suspension of the Certificate of Registration/Professional License and Professional Identification Card- and Cancellation of Special Permit. - The Board may, after giving proper notice of hearing to the party concerned, revoke the practitioners certificate of registration or suspend the practice, or cancel the special temporary permit for any of the causes or grounds mentioned in Section 21 of this Act or for any unprofessional or unethical conduct, malpractice, and violation of any of the provisions of this Act, its implementing rules and regulations, the Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice for speech language pathologists.

Reinstatement, Reissuance or Replacement of Certificate of Registration/ Professional License. - A person may apply to the Board for reinstatement of the certificate of registration two (2) years from the date of its revocation. The application shall be in writing and shall conform with the requirements as provided by the Board. No certificate of registration shall be reinstated unless the Board is satisfied that a good cause exists to warrant reinstatement.

A suspended certificate of registration and professional identification card may be reinstated: Provided, That the suspended speech language pathologist has established fitness to practice anew. The Board shall issue a resolution to effect such reinstatement.

The Board shall prepare, update and maintain a roster of speech language pathologists, in coordination with the AIPO. The roster shall contain the names of the speech language pathologists, their respective certificate of registration numbers, and other data which the Board may deem pertinent.

Special temporary permits may be issued by the Board, subject to the approval by the Commission and payment of the fees, to the following persons:

The Board shall prescribe guidelines for the issuance of Certificates of Recognition for advanced studies, researches and accomplishments that contribute to the enrichment of the profession.

The scope of the practice of speech language pathology shall embrace the performance, in collaboration with other professionals, families and the community, of any of the following:

Positions in Public and Private Entities Requiring the Services of Speech Language Pathologists. - Within one (1) year from the effectivity of this Act, all existing and proposed positions in public and private entities primarily requiring the services of speech language pathologists shall accordingly be filled only by speech language pathologists.

No person shall practice or offer to practice speech language pathology in the Philippines or pass off oneself as a speech language pathologist, or use the title, word, letter, figure, or a sign tending to convey the impression that one is a speech language pathologist, or advertise or indicate in any manner whatsoever that one is qualified to perform the work of a speech language pathologist unless one has satisfactorily passed the licensure examination given by the Board, except as otherwise provided in this Act, and is a holder of a valid certificate of registration and professional identification card or a valid special temporary permit duly-issued by the Board and the Commission.

No person shall:

The Board shall prescribe, adopt, and promulgate the Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice for speech language pathologists, in consultation with the AIPO of speech language pathologists.

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

Membership in the AIPO shall not bar membership in other organizations of speech language pathologists.

No foreign speech language pathologist shall, be given a certificate of registration and professional identification card or be entitled to any of the privileges under this Act unless the country of which the foreigner is a subject or citizen specifically permits Filipino speech language pathologists to practice within its territorial limits on the same basis as the subjects or citizens of said country or state.

This Act shall not be construed to affect or prevent the practice of any other legally recognized profession.

The Chairperson of the Commission shall immediately include in its programs the implementation of this Act, the funding of which shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act and thereafter.

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, and approved by the Commission shall, upon conviction, be punished by a fine of not less than Twenty thousand pesos (₱20,000.00) but not more than Fifty thousand pesos (₱50,000.00) or by imprisonment of not less than two (2) years but not more than five (5) years, or both, at the discretion of the court.

Within six (6) months from the passage of this Act, the Board shall, subject to the approval of the Commission, promulgate the rules and regulations and the Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice for speech language pathologists to effectively implement its provisions.

If any section or provision of this Act shall be declared invalid or unconstitutional, such shall not invalidate any other section or provision of this Act.

All laws, decrees, orders, issuances or parts thereof which are inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in the Official Gazette or in a major newspaper of general circulation.

Approved,

VICENTE C. SOTTO III President of the Senate

GLORIA MACAPAGAL-ARROYO Speaker of the House of Representatives