Republic Act No. 184

Title of Act. This Act shall be known as the "Electrical Engineering Law."

Within thirty days after the approval of this Act, there shall be created by a Board of Electrical Engineering Examiners to be composed of a chairman and two members to be appointed by the Secretary of Public Works and Communications.

The Board of Electrical Engineering Examiners is vested with authority conformably with the provisions of this Act, to administer the provisions thereof, to issue, suspend or revoke certificates of registration for the practice of electrical engineering and to administer oaths in connection therewith.

In carrying into effect the provisions of this Act, the board may under the hand of its chairman and the seal of the board, subpoena witnesses and compel their attendance, and may also require the production of books, documents, etc., in a case involving violation of any of the provisions of this Act. Any member of the board may administer oaths or affirmations to witnesses appearing before it. If any person shall refuse to obey any subpoena so issued, or shall refuse to testify or produce any book, document, etc., the board may present its petition to the Court of First Instance, setting forth the facts, and thereupon such court shall, in a proper case, issue its subpoena to such person requiring his appearance before such court and there to testify or produce such books, papers, documents, etc., as may be deemed necessary and pertinent to the board. Any person failing or refusing to obey the subpoena or order of the said court may be proceeded against in the same manner as for refusal to obey any other subpoena or order of the court.

The board shall exercise the powers conferred upon it by this Act, shall from time to time, look into conditions affecting the practice of electrical engineering in the Philippines and, whenever necessary, recommend to the Secretary of Public Works and Communications the adoption of such measures as may be deemed proper for the maintenance of good ethics and standards in the practice of electrical engineering in the Philippines and thus safeguard public welfare, life, health and property.

Each member of the board shall, at the time of his appointment:

The members of the board shall hold office for a term of three years after their appointment or until their successors shall have been appointed and duly qualified. The members of the board appointed under this Act shall hold office for the following terms: one member for one year; one member for two years; and one member for one year; one member for two years; and one member for three years. Each member of the board shall qualify by taking the proper oath prior to entering upon the performance of this duties.

The Commissioner of Civil Service shall be the executive officer of the board, shall conduct the examinations given by the board and shall designate any subordinate officer of the Bureau of Civil Service to act as Secretary of the board. All records and minutes of the board including all examination papers, shall be kept by the Bureau of Civil Service.

The Secretary of Public Works and Communications may remove any member of the board for continued neglect of duty or incompetency, or for unprofessional or dishonorable conduct, after having given the member concerned an opportunity to defend himself in the proper administrative investigation.

The members of the board shall each receive as compensation the sum of five pesos for each applicant examined or registered without examination for any of the first three grades provided under section eleven hereof; and three pesos for each applicant examined or registered without examination for the grade of Master Electrician. Any electrical engineer in the Government of the Philippines appointed as member of the board shall receive the compensation herein provided in addition to his salary. All fees shall be received by the officer designated by competent authority as collecting officer for the Bureau of Civil Service, and such officer shall pay all authorized expenditures of the board including the compensation provided for in this Act for the members of the board.

The board shall submit an annual report to the Secretary of Public Works and Communications after the close of each fiscal year giving a detailed account of its proceedings during the year and making such recommendations as it may deem proper.

Article II Registration and Examination

Certificates of registration for the practice of electrical engineering shall be of four grades and in the order of rank as follows:

Unless exempt from registration, no person shall practice or offer to practice electrical engineering in the Philippines without having previously obtained a certificate of registration from the Board of Electrical Engineering Examiners.

Provided, However, That it shall be unlawful for any person to use in connection with his name or otherwise use, assume or advertise any title tending to convey the impression that he is a professional electrical engineer or associate electrical engineer or assistant electrical engineer or master electrician or that he is engaged in the practice of electrical engineering unless he is duly licensed and registered as such in conformity with the provisions of this Act.

Registration shall not be required of the following persons:

Except as otherwise specifically allowed, all applicants for registration for the practice of electrical engineering shall be required to undergo a technical examination as provided in this Act.

Any person applying for examination and for a certificate of registration as professional electrical engineer shall, prior to admission to examination, establish to the satisfaction of the board:

Any person applying for examination and for a certificate of registration as associate electrical engineer shall, prior to admission to examination, establish to the satisfaction of the board:

Any person applying for examination and for a certificate of registration as assistant electrical engineer shall, prior to admission to examination, establish to the satisfaction of the board:

Any person applying for examination and for a certificate of registration as master electrician shall, prior to admission to examination, establish to the satisfaction of the board:

Examinations for candidates desiring to practice electrical engineering in the Philippines shall be given twice a year in the City of Manila and other places where conditions may warrant, on such working days as the board may fix with the approval of the Secretary of Public Works and Communications. Written or printed notice of such examination shall be mailed to each candidate who has filed his name and address with the Secretary of the Board, at least thirty days prior to the date of the first day of examination.

The Board of Electrical Engineering Examiners shall, within one hundred twenty days after the date of completion of the examinations, report the ratings obtained by each candidate to the Commissioner of Civil Service, who shall submit such ratings to the Secretary of Public Works and Communications for approval.

An applicant who for the third time fails to pass the examination for the same grade shall not be allowed to take another until at least one year has elapsed after the examination.

Certificates of registration as professional electrical engineer without examination shall be issued to the members of the first board of electrical engineering examiners appointed under the provisions of this Act.

No examination shall be required of any person who shall, with his application for registration as professional electrical engineer, present evidence or other proof satisfactory to the board that, on the date of the approval of this Act, he had a specific record of four years or more of active practice in electrical engineering, of responsible character indicating that he may be entrusted to perform or render professional electrical engineering in its full scope as defined in section thirteen and if he possesses any of the following qualifications:

No examination shall be required of any person who shall, with his application for registration as associate electrical engineer, present evidence or other proof satisfactory to the board showing that, on the date of the approval of this Act, he had any of the following qualifications:

No examination shall be required of any person who shall, with his application for registration as assistant electrical engineer, present evidence or other proof satisfactory to the board showing that, on the date of approval of this Act, he had any of the following qualifications:

Provided, That persons registered as assistant electrical engineers by virtue of the qualifications enumerated in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section shall not be required to undergo further examination when applying for certificate of registration as professional electrical engineer or associate electrical engineer after fulfilling the engineering experience required respectively for those grades.

Certificate of registration as master electrician without examination shall be issued to any applicant who shall, with his application for registration as master electrician, present evidence or other proof satisfactory to the board that, on the date of the approval of this Act, he had any of the following qualifications:

The Secretary of Public Works and Communications shall, upon recommendation of the board issue a certificate of registration upon payment of the registration fee as provided for in this Act to any applicant who, in the opinion of the board and after approval of the Secretary of Public Works and Communications, has satisfactorily met all the requirements specified in this Act for the particular grade for which he is registering.

All certificates of registration shall show the full name of the registrant; shall have a serial number and shall be signed by all members of the board, the Secretary of Public Works and Communications and the Commissioner of Civil Service, and shall be attested by the official seal.

The issuance of a certificate of registration by the board to a registrant shall be evidence that the person named therein is entitled to all the rights and privileges of a registered professional electrical engineer, associate electrical engineer, assistant electrical engineer, or master electrician, as the case may be, while said certificate remains unrevoked or unsuspended.

Each registrant for the grade of professional electrical engineer shall, upon registration, obtain a seal of a designed prescribed by the board bearing the registrants name, the certificate number and the legend "Professional Electrical Engineer." Plans, specifications, reports and other professional documents prepared by or executed under the immediate supervision of, and issued by a registrant, shall be stamped on every sheet with said seal when filed with Government authorities or when submitted or used professionally: Provided, However, That it shall be unlawful for any one to stamp or seal any document with said seal after the certificate of the registrant named therein has been revoked or suspended unless said certificate shall have been reinstated or reissued.

Every applicant for examination for the grade of professional electrical engineer, or associate electrical engineer, or assistant electrical engineer, shall pay an examination fee of thirty pesos and, for the grade of master electrician, a fee of twenty pesos.

Every registrant for the grade of professional electrical engineer or associate electrical engineer or assistant electrical engineer shall pay a registration fee of ten pesos and, for the grade of master electrician, a fee of five pesos: Provided, However, That when the applicant is registered without examination, for the grade of professional electrical engineer or associate electrical engineer or assistant electrical engineer he shall pay a registration fee of twenty-five pesos and, for the grade of master electrician, a fee of fourteen pesos.

The Board of Electrical Engineering Examiners shall refuse to issue certificate of registration to any person convicted by a court of competent jurisdiction of any criminal offense involving moral turpitude or to any person guilty of immoral or dishonorable conduct or to any person of unsound mind. In the event of refusal to issue certificates for any reason, the board shall give the applicant a written statement setting forth the reasons for such action, which statement shall be incorporated in the record of the board.

The board shall have the power, upon proper notice and hearing, to suspend and revoke any certificate of registration of any registrant for any cause specified in the preceding section, or for the use or perpetration of any fraud or deceit in obtaining a certificate of registration, or for gross negligence or incompetency or for unprofessional or dishonorable conduct: Provided, However, That the action of the board shall be subject to appeal to the Secretary of Public Works and Communications whose decision shall be final.

It shall be sufficient ground for the revocation of a certificate issued to a person under this Act, for unprofessional or dishonorable conduct, if:

Any person, firm, association or corporation, may prefer charges in accordance with the provisions of this section against any registrant, or the board may motu proprio investigate and/or take cognizance of acts and practices constituting sufficient cause for suspension or revocation of the certificate of registration by proper resolution or order, such charges shall be in writing and shall be sworn to by the person making them and shall be filed with the secretary of the board.

The board may, after the expiration of one year from the date of revocation of a certificate, for reasons it may deem sufficient, entertain an application for a new certificate of registration from a person whose certificate has been revoked, in the same manner as application for original ones, and in doing so it may, in its discretion, exempt the applicant from the necessity of undergoing an examination.

A new certificate of registration to replace any certificate that has been lost, destroyed or mutilated may be issued, subject to the rules of the board, and a charge of five pesos shall be made for such issuance.

The board may, in its discretion and subject to the approval of the Secretary of Public Works and Communications, issue special permit for the practice in a specified line, branch or activity of electrical engineering for a specific design, investigation or construction project or in a specified plant or organization to any person already holding a valid certificate of registration issued by a Board of Engineering Examiners in the Philippines who shall, with his application, present evidence or other proof satisfactory to the board indicating that he is competent to perform the service or activity for which he applies for said permit and that the issuance of such permit is necessary and will not jeopardize the interest of any person duly registered for the practice of electrical engineering under this Act.

Special permit to take charge of or supervise the operation, tending and maintenance of any electric generating plant for public utility or for use in connection with the operation of a public utility or convenience employing voltages not exceeding 250 volts, or a special permit to take charge of or supervise the construction, installation and/or operation of any electric supply equipment for public service communication or signalling or the construction, installation and/or operation of X-ray or electronic equipment for public use requiring the employment of dangerous voltages, may also be granted to any person who shall with his application, present evidence or other proof satisfactory to the board showing that he may be entrusted to perform the duties and responsibilities of the position for which the permit is desired and that he has been rendering satisfactory service in connection therewith without any serious accident as certified by his employer for a period of not less than three years: Provided, However, That the permit shall be valid only for the specific purpose for which it is issued which shall be stated in detail in the said permit.

All special permits shall be subject to all the provisions and requirements of this Act and the rules and regulations which may be adopted by the board pertaining to certificates of registration, and may be suspended, revoked or reissued by the board in the manner prescribed for certificates of registration. Any person who has been granted a special permit shall, for purposes of compliance with the provisions of this Act, be considered as registered in the Board of Electrical Engineering Examiners while said permit is still valid.

A fee of ten pesos shall be collected for the issuance of a special permit and no person shall hold more than one permit at one time.

Article III Sundry Provisions Relative to the Practice of Electrical Engineering

Any person who shall practice or offer to practice electrical engineering in the Philippines without being registered or exempted from registration in accordance with the provisions of this Act, or any person presenting or attempting the use as his own the certificate of registration or the seal of another, or any person who shall give any false or forged evidence of any kind to the board or to any member thereof in obtaining a certificate of registration, or any person who shall falsely impersonate any registrant of like or different name, or any person who shall attempt to use a revoke or suspended certificate of registration, or any person who shall use in connection with his name or otherwise assume, use or advertise any title or description tending to convey the impression that he is an electrical engineer or that he is registered under any of the grades enumerated in section eleven of this Act without holding a valid certificate of registration for that grade, or any person who shall violate any of the provisions of this Act, shall be guilty of misdemeanor and shall, upon conviction, be sentenced to a fine of not less than one hundred pesos nor more than one thousand pesos, or to suffer imprisonment for a period not exceeding three months, or both, in the discretion of the court.

It shall be unlawful for any person, unless exempted from registration under section fourteen of this Act:

Except as otherwise provided in this Act, every generating plant in operation shall have not less than the following complement of resident engineers or persons holding valid special permits:

Provisions affecting preparation of plans, supervision of construction, permits for construction, application of the National Electrical Code. -It shall be unlawful for any person not authorized under this Act to draw up plans, designs, and/or specifications for any electrical construction or installation of project; and no electrical construction or installation shall be undertaken unless plans, designs, and/or specifications have been prepared under the responsible charge of, and signed and sealed by, a professional electrical engineer and a construction permit for the execution thereof secured, and unless the work is executed under the responsible charge or supervision of a professional electrical engineer or associate electrical engineer or assistant electrical engineer or master electrician in conformity with the field of action authorized for each grade, or a person with valid special permit or exempt from registration under subsections (b), (c) and (d) of section fourteen of this Act and all requirements of the Government agency, if any, exercising jurisdiction over the particular construction or installation have been complied with.

For the purpose of coordinating the work in carrying into effect the provisions of this Act and, except as otherwise provided, the safety inspectors of the Bureau of Labor or such district or city engineers or other government agents as the Secretary of Labor may designate shall enforce the requirement of this Act pertaining to the installation, operation, tending and maintenance of electric generating plants and pass upon applications for electrical construction or installation within their respective districts in all cases which are not acted upon by the Public Service Commission and issue the corresponding permits if the plans and/or specifications submitted are in conformity with the requirements of this section.)

Provided, However, That the submission of plans may be waived in application for electric construction or installation for lighting and/or household appliances utilizing electrical energy involving the installation of twenty outlets or less; or for power or heat applications utilizing electrical energy not exceeding four kilowatts; or for telephone installations, on condition that such applications include a layout sketch of the proposed construction or installation with a list of the materials and devices to be used and a signed statement to the effect that it shall conform with the rules and regulations of the National Electrical Code of the United States or of the Philippines as may be adopted:

Provided, further, That the Secretary of National Defense and the Collector of Customs, respectively, shall enforce the requirements pertaining to the installation, operation, tending and maintenance of electric generating plants in radio stations and in conveyances used in connection with water transportation and also respectively, shall regulate electrical constructions or installations of equipment for radio communications and for conveyances used in connection with water transportation:

Provided, finally, That the Collector of Internal Revenue shall enforce the requirements of this Act checking the licenses of persons in charge of the sale or distribution of any electric supply or utilization equipment requiring engineering calculation and/or application of engineering principles and data.

All applications for electrical construction permits including the plans and/or layouts or statements shall be filed for reference.

A firm or a co-partnership, or corporation, or an association may engage in the practice of electrical engineering in the Philippines provided only that such practice is carried on be duly licensed and registered electrical engineers, associate electrical engineers, assistant electrical engineers, or master electricians in conformity with the field of action authorized respectively for each grade under this Act; or by persons exempt from registration under subsections (c) and (d) of section fourteen of this Act.

In case of a firm, co-partnership, corporation, association, society or company, the manager, administrator or the person who has charge of the management or administration of the business shall be held personally liable for violation of this Act.

The owner, manager or other person in charge of any electric generating plant, or of a firm, co-partnership, corporation or joint stock association shall post or cause to be posted in a conspicuous place within such plant or establishment, the certificate of registration of the engineer or engineers, associate, assistant and master electrician employed in such a plant or establishment, in a frame protected by transparent glass or equivalent.

A roster showing the names and place of business of all registered professional electrical engineers, associate electrical engineers, assistant electrical engineers, and master electricians shall be prepared by the Commissioner of Civil Service during the month of July every year, commencing one year after the date this Act becomes effective. Copies of this roster shall be mailed to each person so registered, place on file with the Secretary of Public Works and Communications and copies furnished to all department heads to the mayors of all chartered cities, the Director of Public Works, to the office of the Public Service Commission, to the Collector of Customs, to such other bureaus or government agencies and provincial and municipal authorities as may be deemed necessary and to the public upon request.

No foreign engineer shall be admitted to examination, be given a certificate of registration or be entitled to any of the rights and privileges under this Act unless the country of which he is a subject or citizen specifically permits Filipino engineers to practice within its territorial limits on the same basis as the subjects or citizens of such country.

It shall be the duty of all constituted officers of the law of the National Government, of any provincial, city or municipal government or of any political subdivision thereof to prosecute any person violating the provisions of this Act. The Secretary of Justice or his assistant shall act as legal adviser of the board and render such legal assistance as may be necessary in carrying out the provisions of this Act.

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

Article IV Final Provisions

The sum of two thousand pesos is hereby appropriated out of any funds in the National Treasury not otherwise appropriated, to be disbursed by the Secretary of Public Works and Communications in accordance with the provisions of this Act. All sums collected in accordance with this Act shall be paid into the National Treasury as part of the general funds thereof: Provided, That during the first twelve months of the operation of this Act, any portion of the sums collected may be used for the purpose of this Act to cover disbursements in excess of the amount appropriated herein.

All existing provisions of provincial, city or municipal ordinances or regulations pertaining to examinations for electrical contractors, electrical inspectors or electricians, and all other laws, part of laws, orders, ordinances or regulations in conflict with the provisions of this Act including Act Numbered Twenty-nine hundred and eighty-five as amended shall be and are hereby repealed.

This Act shall take effect upon its approval except sections thirty-five to forty, inclusive, which shall take effect one year after this Act becomes effective.