JEDDAH: More than 1,200 Filipino workers in the Middle East have taken part in the first special licensure examinations given by the Philippine government on a bigger scale for engineers, architects, accountants and master electricians.
Of the total, 405 took the test held simultaneously in Jeddah and Alkhobar from Nov. 27-29, said Romulo Bani, chairman of the Western Region chapter of the Philippine Professional Organization (PPO). Bani said 350 OFWs took the test in Doha, Qatar and 450 more in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, which were held simultaneously from Dec. 2-4. Two teams of examiners from the Philippine Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) administered the exams, first in Jeddah and Alkhobar, and later in Doha and Abu Dhabi.
Of 135 examinees in Jeddah, 22 took the test for mechanical engineers, 33 for civil engineers, 20 for electrical engineers, 32 for architects, 15 for accountants, and 13 for master electricians, Bani said. He said 270 overseas Filipino workers or OFWs participated in the Alkhobar exams, but no details were available. Exams have been held intermittently for overseas Filipinos, starting in 1995 when the PRC gave the test to hundreds of teachers working as maids in Hong Kong. This year, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo ordered the PRC to make it a regular program in countries with big OFW populations.
Of an estimated 6.5 million Filipinos contractual workers abroad, thousands are degree holders who have not had the chance to take the licensure examinations in the Philippines in their rush to seek employment overseas.
During the registration period at the Sofitel Hotel on Palestine Road last Thursday, Bani explained that the special examinations would be given yearly provided that the minimum number of examinees would be met. He said the PPO chapter in the Western Region is planning to include teachers and unlicensed nursing in future exams.
Bani’s group comprises the Western Region chapters of the Philippine Society of Mechanical Engineers (PSME) headed by Julius Caringal, the Institute of Overseas Filipino Architects (IOFA) headed by Jose Genonangan Jr., the Institute of Integrated Electrical Engineers (IIEE) headed by Elizer Repollo, the Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA) headed by Joey Villanueva, and the Association of Filipino Civil Engineers (AFCE-KSA).
